The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore is beginning to implement its plan to shutter a majority of its parishes in the city and county and consolidate them within other parishes in the area.
Archbishop William Lori sent decrees to dozens of parishes in late September telling them they will be absorbed by Dec. 1.
“I know this is not an easy time for our faithful parishioners, especially those who are facing the eventual closing of their beloved church buildings,” Lori wrote to congregants. “I ask you to join me in praying for your parish community. Please continue to work with your pastor, his staff, the parish transition team, and Catholic Center personnel as we move forward in implementing the Eucharistic Vision we discerned together.”
The number of parishes in Baltimore city and county will drop from 61 to 23. The number of worship sites will drop from 59 to 30.
“This process was aimed at allowing our parishes to focus on mission and ministry, as opposed to leaking roofs, crumbling walls, and failing electrical and plumbing systems,” Lori said in a video earlier this year about implementing the plan, which the Church has dubbed Seek the City.
The decrees to the individual parishes cite specific numbers regarding attendance and finances.
The bottom line is that attendance is falling, the congregant population is aging and maintenance costs are rising.
Other archdiocese across the nation have made similar moves. Boston and Seattle consolidated their parishes after the pandemic hurt attendance numbers. Those archdioceses also paid out substantial sums to survivors of sexual abuse, a financial hit that further necessitated the changes.
The Baltimore Archdiocese is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings due to the anticipated costs of compensating hundreds of sexual abuse survivors after Maryland passed a law extending the time in which survivors of child sex abuse are able to file claims.
The Church was considering consolidating long before it filed for bankruptcy. The plan has been in the works for about two years, according to the Archdiocese.
However, the archdiocese admitted that the legal challenges would be a large drain on its resources.
“Chapter 11 reorganization is the best path forward to compensate equitably all victim-survivors, given the Archdiocese’s limited financial resources, which would have otherwise been exhausted on litigation,” Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said in an open letter to his congregation. “Staggering legal fees and large settlements or jury awards for a few victim-survivors would have depleted our financial resources, leaving the vast majority of victim-survivors without compensation, while ending ministries that families across Maryland rely on for material and spiritual support.”
Filings show that the archdiocese was retaining lawyers and consultants that likely advised the Church on how it should move forward with the abuse cases. The filings show the Church paid more than a quarter of a million dollars for legal advice on bankruptcy.
The filings also show the organization has more than $200 million in assets, which include a Tiffany tea set, a diamond-encrusted crucifix, a sapphire-studded locket and dozens of solid gold rings.
