The Greensburg Diocese has close a Catholic School in Uniontown, PA.
Now many of you could care less. The enrollment was around 120 students so its not like the school was bustling with involved families and community support. However it is just one more sign of the way things are run anymore.
God please forgive me bu I can NOT understand why the church feels it needs to run on a profit all of a sudden!
And it really isn't a *new* thing per se...I've been railing against it for over 20 years now.
When a church gets closed there are always a myriad of reasons given but first and foremost is the lack of priests.
Enrollment in seminaries has dropped over the years and fewer priests mean fewer people to run the individual churches. So while I may not like it I can understand it. Although I would argue that perhaps the church could look into alternatives like allowing priests to marry and female priests...but I'm not here to argue theology this morning.
But they always have to take it that one extra step and complain about the COST of keeping the churches open.
The early disciples not only had to deal with people literally killing them for their beliefs but they also traveled great miles to spread the word of God. And now we are told that one priest can't possibly handle two churches? Not that I don't feel for the people who would have to do double duty but they DID sign on for the job, ya know? When our church was closed a few years ago the overriding factor was cost. Period. Yes, we shared a priest with another near by church, but that wasn't the reason given. It was always lack of priests...and cost.
Now, two years later the church isn't even there anymore.
Torn down.
Gone.
And you know how we were told about it?
We weren't.
So what happened to the stain glassed windows? The organ? Any of the valuables?
Some of the statues made their way to our current church...but still no one has spoken, in church or in the Catholic Accent, as to WHY the building was torn down.
And now another school has bit the dust.
Parents were apparently not given much notification either.
And it pisses me off.
The Catholic church I grew up with wanted to teach you and spread the word of the Gospel.
Now it wants to make sure the bottom line is black.
And don't bother arguing with me...I've seen enough to be firm on this one.
I don't care if there were TEN students in that school the church could provide an education for them!
(And I am aware that there is another school where the students can go. That is not he point of this rant. The point is that the bogus reasons of cost and debt are the wrong reasons to close to the school in my opinion.)
My children attended Catholic school right through this year. The decision to move them to public school for next year was based on many factors, but one was cost. The financial aid forms for the grade school is like filing of aid for college! Facing in tax returns and forms...please. All in the name of making a buck.
As soon as someone shows me that the Catholic church as a whole is losing money I'll buy the argument.
We're talking about a world wide resource.
And yes they pour great amounts of money and effort in to expanding to new countries and opening the eyes of new Christians...but at what expense in other places?
The philosophy of worrying more about the bottom line while giving lip service to the true calling of the church will only lead to a weakening of the church's base. Especially here in America.
I still love my church.
I still have my faith.
But I have my doubts about the humans running the church and teaching the faith.
I'm not saying anything new. People complained during Vatican II that the church was become too secular. They complained when the mass wasn't held in Latin anymore.
People don't like change.
Well I want change. Back to when the church cared more about giving than getting.
~ Glenn
