2/3 of Roman Catholic Churches in Baltimore to close

[Judas Maccabeus]

https://www.archbalt.org/seek-the-city-proposal/

Their average attendance is about 2500 weekly. There is a mega church that has that large of attendance, and at least two that are over a thousand. While some here have pushed back on the notion I have advanced here that the RCC in my fair town is on the road to irrelevancy, here is the cold hard truth.

They say it is unrelated to the chapter 11 bankruptcy. I would beg to differ, the corruption to the core present in this organization is the cause of both the bankruptcy and the decrease in attendance. There is no moral authority present here.

They have 25,000 seats. When I was a child standees were common. They now have an attendance of 2500.

[Josh]

https://www.archbalt.org/seek-the-city-proposal/

Their average attendance is about 2500 weekly. There is a mega church that has that large of attendance, and at least two that are over a thousand. While some here have pushed back on the notion I have advanced here that the RCC in my fair town is on the road to irrelevancy, here is the cold hard truth.

They say it is unrelated to the chapter 11 bankruptcy. I would beg to differ, the corruption to the core present in this organization is the cause of both the bankruptcy and the decrease in attendance. There is no moral authority present here.

They have 25,000 seats. When I was a child standees were common. They now have an attendance of 2500.

That is shocking. For comparison the membership and attendance at plain churches in my region within 35-minute driving radius (not including Holmes County…) exceeds 2,500, and isn’t shrinking.

[mike]

https://www.archbalt.org/seek-the-city-proposal/

Their average attendance is about 2500 weekly. There is a mega church that has that large of attendance, and at least two that are over a thousand. While some here have pushed back on the notion I have advanced here that the RCC in my fair town is on the road to irrelevancy, here is the cold hard truth.

They say it is unrelated to the chapter 11 bankruptcy. I would beg to differ, the corruption to the core present in this organization is the cause of both the bankruptcy and the decrease in attendance. There is no moral authority present here.

They have 25,000 seats. When I was a child standees were common. They now have an attendance of 2500.

That is amazing.

[Judas Maccabeus]

For those who do not know, Baltimore has been a hotbed of the molestation scandal. They declared chapter 11 bankruptcy to halt lawsuits that could have forced them to sell everything, down to the last candlestick. They expected a boom of Hispanic attendance, but apparently that has not happened, but Pentecostal hispanic churches have boomed. My former evangelical church helped one of them convert an abandoned porn theater into "The Pentecostal Church of Evangelism." They needed a fluent English speaker that knew city government (Our Pastor at the time, and a member that was a land surveyor) to work with the city, as well as some specialist help (sound, lighting). It is now a beacon in what was a totally depressed neighborhood. This was in the early 90s.

[Josh]

Yep. Catholics have a liberal wing and a not-liberal wing.

The liberal wing is busy doing everything they can to destroy local church attendance, turn a blind eye to molestation conditions (such as promoting homosexuality in the priesthood), voting themselves larger salaries, and being busy selling off buildings to enlarge their coffers.

The not-liberal wing just wants to conduct traditional services and Masses and avoid liberal theology and trends, and has to constantly fight the power hierarchy in order to do so.

[RZehr]

Yep. Catholics have a liberal wing and a not-liberal wing.

The liberal wing is busy doing everything they can to destroy local church attendance, turn a blind eye to molestation conditions (such as promoting homosexuality in the priesthood), voting themselves larger salaries, and being busy selling off buildings to enlarge their coffers.

The not-liberal wing just wants to conduct traditional services and Masses and avoid liberal theology and trends, and has to constantly fight the power hierarchy in order to do so.

Sounds like the Methodist Church.

[Ken]

The population of Baltimore has also fallen nearly by half since 1960 so that has to have some effect as well.

[Judas Maccabeus]

The population of Baltimore has also fallen nearly by half since 1960 so that has to have some effect as well.

Some of the areas included here are in Baltimore and Anne Arundel County. That is likely part of it, but not the major factor.

[Szdfan]

I used to live a block over from the Our Lady of the Rosary High School in Fells Point, which closed in 2004. Most of the buildings were later torn down (highly controversial) to make room for new townhomes.

I used to sometimes walk by St. Patrick's on Broadway. Rough neighborhood. The church had a big iron fence and a "no trespassing" sign in front of it. I think that the Catholic Church in Baltimore relied heavily on the ethnic and religious identity of its neighborhood until things changed and it was too late.

I agree with JM that the molestation coverups played a huge role in the current situation.

[Josh]

Perhaps the reality is that the people with ethnic and religious affiliation moved - probably to escape Baltimore’s ridiculous levels of crime.