www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Bishop Milan Church closures Eparchy Parma

It was just announced on Church Militant today that Bishop Milan is closing three Byzantine Catholic Churches in the Eparchy of Parma
amd merging them into one parish.

Does anyone know why this is happening?

The decree [parma.org] promulgating the merger states 'the need to have ... a single faith community capable of effectively sustaining itself, evangelizing, providing beautiful liturgical celebrations of the mysteries of our beautiful Byzantine Catholic faith, as well as more effective sharing in the resources of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma for the Ruthenians"

I would presume that the operative phrase is "capable of effectively sustaining itself". While I don't claim to know the membership and financial circumstances of the three parishes, I suspect that none of them, standing alone, has a sufficiently large congregation to independently stay afloat and meet expenses. Those circumstances and clergy shortages are certainly the most common causes for mergers and closures.

Many years,

Neil

I did a quick Google map search. All three parishes are within a 10 minute drive of one another. I suppose it makes sense that the financial and manpower of combining the three parish could lead to better maintaining the of the building, increased charitable giving and perhaps "better" liturgies with more people in attendance. Of course, it will be hard on those attached to the other two buildings.

I am curious why the Cathedral was not selected? Where will the Bishop's seat now be?

Having visited Pittsburgh, and knowing the size of the congregation of the some of the parishes. I won't be surprised if the ArchEparchy does something similar soon enough.

Lack of priests. There was a thriving parish in Irving, TX under Fr. Daniel. He even oversaw a mission church in Austin, TX. He left the priesthood. Why?

In his own words:

https://questionablepodcast.com/archives/248

What did the Church say about Daniel Forsythe?

Saint Basil the Great Byzantine Catholic Church​, Irving, Texas, is in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh as noted in Developments @ St. Basil's in Irving.

Effective October 11, 2016

Father Daniel A. Forsythe relieved as administrator of St. Basil Parish, Irving, Texas, and at his own request granted a leave of absence from active ministry for six months.

https://www.archpitt.org/official-appointments/

Thank you Fr. Deacon Lance. I should have noted that I did see that on Pittsburgh's website. There was one other reference in a Sts C&M Seminary bulletin but thought there would be more about him.

hoping nothing less than the best

I think it is worthy to note that the Congregation did not revoke Bishop Milan's decision, but suspended it; allowing the dissenting parishes to remain intact until the bishop's reasons for realigning the parishes involved can be carefully examined. Perhaps the Ruthenian Metropolitan Archbishop might have a bit to say about the issue, also. It's a question of hearing all sides. The cynicism expressed in the posts that I've read above serve nothing to foster church unity. Before all our rituals and rites, spoons and cups, we must be Christians first.

My post was not about cynicism. My post is about the reality of most Catholics being cheapskates when the offering plate passes by. When I came into the Ruthenian Church in 2001, Fr. + Mike Shear, of happy memory, was amazed that my tithe was always in the plate. He was wide-eyed when he asked me one day about this and about how Protestants get their people to tithe (the answer is that they threaten them with God's wrath - a kind of theological terrorism designed to fill the coffers).

A survey done some fifty years ago found that the average giving across the board of Protestants is about 4%. Catholics came in at 1% of their total income. You cannot run a church on that. And you cannot run a church that has become a Ruthenian social club and does not evangelize. You are either growing or dying, and if you are dying, and all you have are old babas and no children, you are dying. I stick by what I said of Fr. Loya in my OP - if the Byzantine Catholic Church in America doesn't learn to evangelize (and stop being a Ukrainian Social Club) it will be gone in 50 years. In 1950 the Ruthenians had an American membership of 150,000 people. Today they are less than 50,000. You do the math, and then you figure out how to meet the expenses of a parish where the membership is dwindling and people don't tithe.

It was not meant to be cynical. It was meant as reality.

The two previous posts do not fit this thread. They should be in the thread ROME SIDES WITH PARISHIONERS AGAINST BISHOP LACH CHURCH MERGERS. Utroque's appraisal in his previous post is correct: This agrees with my post Re: ROME SIDES WITH PARISHIONERS AGAINST BISHOP LACH CHURCH MERGERS

This the truth. Unfortunately, being a church in the diaspora, our Churches are still learning how to focus primarily on the Jesus stuff, and that is the only focus.

ajk,

I believe I've solved the problem by moving posts around.

Bob
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