Stark Reality: Cincinnati to close 70 percent of its Catholic Churches

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The attendance

The attendance in an empty Cincinnati cathedral illustrates the problem


… From 208 to 57 “families”


The Pew Research Center is one of the most reputable is providing demographic information about religious denominations. However, when they say the the number of Catholics is stable at about 23 percent, they are way off base. 


They do not differentiate between “Catholics” and “practicing Catholics,” and the difference is significant. 


Just ask those remaining Catholics in the archdiocese of Cincinnati. Their bishop moved a plan forward that will dramatically reduce the number of parishes and schools through that area. 


This is for couple of reasons, but regardless, the truth is that 23 percent of those who practice religion in America are no Catholics. 


Here is the sad story from Cincinnati. 


“Beacons of Light”


The move will be hard for those who have called those churches home for years, just like they have in the rest of the country,


Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr announced Sunday he is ready to move forward with an ambitious restructuring program that will impact every Catholic parish and school across 19 Ohio counties.


The reorganization, known as Beacons of Light, will consolidate the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s 208 parishes into 57 “families of parishes,” which will begin sharing priests, staff, facilities and other resources early next year.


Over time, church officials expect those parish families to become single parishes, eliminating more than 70% of the archdiocese’s parishes and setting the stage for the possible closure of churches and schools.


The impending changes are in response to a declining number of priests and to demographic shifts that have left some churches and schools with fewer Catholics to support them.


Dan Horn, “Final plan to consolidate Cincinnati Catholic parishes and 

school unveiled,” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 3, 2021


Basically, two reasons: No priests to staff the parishes, and no Catholics to support them. 


The worst is yet to come


The planning on this was to be inclusive, but the truth is that the very difficult part of the plan will come next year when they decide what churches to close,


It took more than a year of planning for church officials and outside consultants to come up with the maps of the parish families, but much more work remains to be done.


The first step is to disband existing parish councils and create new ones that will represent all the parishes within each family. The next is the appointment of pastors in February and March to lead each family.


The most visible change, at least early in the process, will likely be to Mass schedules. Pastors and parish councils will have to decide which churches get which Masses to accommodate everyone in the new parish families.


Harder decisions will come later, when those same councils and pastors will consider whether to close or consolidate schools and churches. 


Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, December 3, 2021


The reality is that this has been happening everywhere as fewer and fewer Catholics belong to the church. The church is driving away the young people and those in-between, with only the older people left standing. 


And, the churches had been kept alive by retired priests, but they are dying off, too. 


The future is bleak. 

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