Another magnificent 19th-century church will bite the dust
Sad news from New Orleans: The Archdiocese said in April that it is "reconfiguring" and is going to close 25 churches by this December 31.One of them is beautiful Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, built in 1887, shown above. Parishioners say this parish has gained 150 families since Katrina and the neighborhood is rebounding, too. But to no avail; it gets the axe.
The parishioners are supposed to start attending Mass in another parish. They are fighting the closing (click on this post's title), but probably they have about as much chance as the Latin Mass has in L.A.'s cathedral.
As a general principle, when parishes are to be combined, the church to remain open should be the historic, beautiful one, not the Modernistic monstrosity.
What will happen to this magnificent Catholic Church and all its Catholic art, sculpture and architecture? And those of the other churches to be shut down?
In a case like this, an archdiocese has a sacred responsibility to preserve these churches and their treasures. Hang on to them for future re-opening in better times!
An alternative: Send the treasures to mission-territory poor churches here in the USA (through Catholic Extension?) and in poor foreign countries, to save them from dispersal, destruction and desecration!
Ole Q does not know the situation in New Orleans -- but it is a special case, naturally, because of Hurricane Katrina, which wrecked quite a few churches in 2005. So we must cut them some slack.
But as a general principle around the USA, of course, a strong Church should be opening new churches, not closing old ones.
At http://www.arch-no.org/News.php?mode=archive you can find news releases from the Archdiocese about the closings.
posted by Quintero at 10:36 AM
7 Comments:
Latin Mass in LA Catedral? Well, not impossible, but highly improbable.
We should pray for them that the beautiful Church stays open...if it's a money issue, then I know that we can find some to help keep the beautiful Church open. We need to avoid modernist Churches whenever possible.
I can't believe this beautiful church is closing. I looked at the church's website and saw the photographs http://www.olgcnola.org/photographs_of_our_parish.htm I hope something can be done. Do you have any idea what will happen to this church? I HOPE IT WILL NOT be converted into a performing arts complex just like our former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana. It's so sad to see a place of worship converted into a reception place for all kinds of parties. I have heard about church closings across the nation, but not here in LA, except our former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana. I'm just curious, have any churches in LA experienced closing? I hope and pray that all catholic churches will continue to stay open.
Dear Anonymous 6:27 p.m.,
Thank you for so sincerely caring about our beautiful traditional and historic Catholic churches.
Thank you also for the link to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in New Orleans. The photos of the intact sanctuary are very beautiful.
Every Catholic church should be like this one. The New Orleans archdiocese announcements that I have seen so far do not reveal the fate of the churches to be closed.
What has been going on so far in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is not closings but wreckovations.
We need to pray, as commenter Joe of St. Therese says, that our beautiful churches are not closed.
Liberals across our country do express hatred for beautiful, historic Catholic churches. Some years ago, a priest in Iowa said he wished the (truly magnificent) 19th-century church to which he was stationed would burn down.
Liberals want their own way and nothing else. They want to run roughshod over the rest of us. And they do just that.
So let us pray for divine aid. Amen!
Dear Joe of St. Therese,
Thanks for writing and for reminding everyone that we must pray about these things.
The only Church that I know closed in the LA Area is San Ysidro in Fountaian Valley (I know it's Orange), but it's beautiful.
it refereing to the Church of course.
I'd put good money on it becoming a mosque.
Muslims and secular bon vivants love the idea of profaning the once-sacred by reconfiguring old Catholic churches.
Post a Comment
<< Home