By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Herald Today
  • More
Reading: Archdiocese of Baltimore to cut number of parishes by half
Share
Notification
Donate
  • Local Church News
    Local Church NewsShow More
    Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin talks to EWTN Vatican correspondent Colm Flynn on March 19, 2022.
    Cardinal Parolin Says Nigeria’s Conflict Is ‘Social,’ Not Religious, Prompting Pushback| National Catholic Register
    21 hours ago
    Some black lives do not matter: Black Christians slaughtered in Nigeria, no one cares
    Some black lives do not matter: Black Christians slaughtered in Nigeria, no one cares
    1 day ago
    Living-Waters-Unlimited-Church
    ‘Church’s silence fuelling national corruption, insecurity’
    2 days ago
    Living-Waters-Unlimited-Church
    Cleric laments spiritual weakness of Nigerian Church, calls for repentance
    2 days ago
    'Christian genocide' or a crisis of narratives? – DW – 10/20/2025
    ‘Christian genocide’ or a crisis of narratives? – DW – 10/20/2025
    2 days ago
  • World Christian News
    World Christian NewsShow More
    Former WEA head sounds alarm over declining global Christian engagement in defending persecuted believers
    Former WEA head sounds alarm over declining global Christian engagement in defending persecuted believers
    5 hours ago
    Spike in anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe are underreported
    Spike in anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe are underreported
    10 hours ago
    Americans with a positive view of religion are on the rise: Pew
    Americans with a positive view of religion are on the rise: Pew
    10 hours ago
    Bolivian president-elect thanks God after election victory
    Bolivian president-elect thanks God after election victory
    10 hours ago
    Why we cannot 'agree to disagree' with the Left
    Why we cannot ‘agree to disagree’ with the Left
    11 hours ago
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
  • Health
    HealthShow More
    CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD with cottage cheese (healthy recipe!)
    5 days ago
    ONE-PAN BAKED CHICKEN and POTATOES | Healthy + Easy Meal Prep Recipe
    2 weeks ago
    SAY NO! TO HEBREW WOMEN DELIVERY!
    3 weeks ago
    The Tiny Mindset Shift That Changed My Health (& Weight!)
    3 weeks ago
    COTTAGE CHEESE FRITTATA with Veggies (Healthy Breakfast Idea!)
    3 weeks ago
  • Technology
    TechnologyShow More
    A Boox Note Air5 C tablet in a keyboard cover.
    Boox updates popular Palma E Ink device with color and 5G connectivity
    9 minutes ago
    Binance founder Changpeng Zhao lands a Trump pardon
    Binance founder Changpeng Zhao lands a Trump pardon
    26 minutes ago
    Quest Podcast Interview with Adia Sowho
    Lidya, Nigeria’s digital lending pioneer, shuts down
    42 minutes ago
    How Tacci leverages technology to reinvent commuters’ mobility in Nigeria
    58 minutes ago
    Senate approves FG’s 2022-2024 external borrowing plan
    Nigeria Pioneers Plastic-to-diesel Technology
    1 hour ago
  • Features
    • Church Events
    • Gospel Music
    • Impact Word
    • Sermons
    FeaturesShow More
    Rev. Tony Ogugu: Exemplifying Leadership Through Service and Impact
    1 week ago
    Prophesy Is Fulfilling
    7 months ago
    PFN DELTA STATE INAUGURATES NEW EXECUTIVES
    1 year ago
    Religious Shift in Iran: Mass Mosque Closures as Iranians Turn to Christianity
    1 year ago
    PFN SECRETARIAT BUILDING COMPLETED AFTER 30 YEARS – HERALDTODAY
    1 year ago
Reading: Archdiocese of Baltimore to cut number of parishes by half
Share
Herald TodayHerald Today
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Business
  • Features
    • Church Events
    • Gospel Music
    • Impact Word
    • Sermons
  • Health
  • Local Church News
  • Technology
  • World Christian News
  • Quick Access
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Business
  • Features
  • Health
  • Local Church News
  • Technology
  • World Christian News
  • Quick Access
© 2024 | Herald Today
Herald Today > Blog > World Christian News > Archdiocese of Baltimore to cut number of parishes by half
World Christian News

Archdiocese of Baltimore to cut number of parishes by half

heraldtoday
Last updated: 2024/10/07 at 9:48 AM
heraldtoday 1 year ago
Share
Archdiocese of Baltimore to cut number of parishes by half
SHARE


By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Sunday, October 06, 2024FacebookTwitter
The Archdiocese of Baltimore's headquarters located at 320 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s headquarters located at 320 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md. | Screenshot/Google

A group of longtime black Catholics in Baltimore might end up leaving the Catholic Church as the Archdiocese of Baltimore is set to downsize the number of parishes in the city by half under an aggressive restructuring plan called “Seek the City to Come.”

The plan, which was first announced in May, will see 31 of the 61 parishes merging with others to reduce the number in Baltimore to 23, according to The Baltimore Banner. The number of worship sites in the archdiocese will also be reduced from 59 to 30.

Ralph Moore, a lifelong black Catholic who has served on various committees on race, racism and poverty for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, told the Banner that the archdiocese’s decision to slash the number of parishes in the city and move congregants around like pawns is “cold” and “heartless.”

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

“We are faced with official evictions from our long-time church homes. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore and his urban vicar, Auxiliary Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, have done this because they think they can,” Moore wrote in the Black Catholic Messenger last month. “They are cold, heartless, self-serving men, who take care of themselves using our church offerings and, with their authority, contradict the Gospel of Jesus Christ by effecting separations when they should be giving reparations to Black Catholics.”

He argued that several of the parishes on the chopping block have already had their pastors removed and said many black Catholics will leave the Catholic Church because of the decision to shutter the parishes.

“New church homes and new leaders have created vast unsettling and emotional chaos within the archdiocese. Some of us are very angry; vast numbers will be leaving the Catholic Church altogether — just before Christmas. Unfortunately, Lori and Lewandowski have overestimated their ability to move black Catholics around like pieces on a chess board,” Moore wrote, contending that the Catholic Church has a long history of treating blacks like second-class members.

Of the 61 parishes in Baltimore, 16 are predominantly black while six are predominantly Hispanic, according to data highlighted in the “Seek the City to Come” plan.

“The ‘Seek the City to Come’ archdiocesan reorganization is a gross failure and a final indignity for those of us who have endured, even as our non-Catholic family and friends have asked us disapprovingly why we’ve stuck around as Catholics,” Moore said.

In a Q&A on the “Seek the City to Come” website, the archdiocese asserted that the needs of ethnic and racial minority parishioners “have remained prominent” in the restructuring process.

“We are blessed to enjoy rich diversity as an archdiocese and nowhere is it more evident than among our parishes in Baltimore City and the surrounding areas. Throughout the listening, visioning, discernment and modeling stages, the needs of Black and Hispanic parishes — as well as those of other ethnic congregations — have remained prominent. Our reimagined, realigned, and revitalized parishes and ministries must be beacons of radical hospitality, welcoming all and actively bringing Christ’s healing presence to those in need,” the archdiocese said.

The archdiocese noted that when Catholic Churches were built in Baltimore City it was a response to a growing population.

“In the 1950s alone, more than a dozen churches rose to accommodate a population boom that led to the city’s highwater mark of nearly 1 million residents. Now, the population in the city stands at fewer than 570,000 people. As public leaders have grappled with an outsized infrastructure with too many structures, such as schools and fire houses, so must the archdiocese,” leaders explained.

It was further noted that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns helped accelerate the loss of members, which had already been happening for decades.

“Over the past decade, we have, in fact, become smaller. Mass attendance has decreased and the COVID pandemic exacerbated the challenge,” the church said. “What we are doing now is wisely realigning our human and material resources so that ministries are better focused and fortified in ways they can make greater impact.”

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost





Source link

Related

You Might Also Like

Former WEA head sounds alarm over declining global Christian engagement in defending persecuted believers

Spike in anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe are underreported

Americans with a positive view of religion are on the rise: Pew

Bolivian president-elect thanks God after election victory

Why we cannot ‘agree to disagree’ with the Left

heraldtoday October 7, 2024 October 7, 2024
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Previous Article High Achievers Scholarships 2025 High Achievers Scholarships 2025, University of  Auckland
Next Article Jehovah God has sent me to you 🤩🥂👑🎶😇 #Congratulations #AdaEhi
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow US

Find US on Social Medias
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram

Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Popular News
Uncategorized

I Am A Spirit Husband

heraldtoday By heraldtoday 1 year ago
PRAISE AND WORSHIP SESSION || NOVEMBER 2022 MIRACLE SERVICE
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY | THE DNA OF MAN | 23.05.2023 | PASTOR WISDOM EKECHUKWU
3PM PRAYER WATCH | GLOBAL PRAYER WATCH | 10.05.2025 | Apostle Michael Orokpo Ph.D.
Clerics seek entrepreneurship training in churches
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Confirmed

0

Death

0

More Information:Covid-19 Statistics
Home
Herald Today

“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God!” Isaiah 40:9. 

  • Categories:
  • Sermons
  • World Christian News
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Local Church News
  • Health
  • Gospel Music
  • Impact Word
  • Church Events
  • weapons of our warfare

Quick Links

  • About
  • Become A Smartphone Manufacturer
  • Blog
  • Business Home 5
  • Contact
  • Customize Interests
  • Disclaimer
  • Home Business
  • My Bookmarks
  • Privacy Policy
  • SHARE YOUR STORY TO THE WORLD FOR FREE

About US

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

© 2024 | Herald Today

Herald TodayHerald Today
Follow US
© 2024 | Herald Today
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?