RCC diocese in California closing 13 parishes due to declining attendance
St. Patrick's Cathedral of the RCC. USA. Photo: Wikipedia
In California, the Roman Catholic diocese of Oakland announced the closure of 13 parishes in the East Bay area, affecting several cities including Alameda, Fremont, Walnut Creek, and Castro Valley, as reported by Tribune Chrétienne.
The decision was made as part of a restructuring initiative launched in 2021, aimed at adapting the church structure to reduced resources. Oakland Bishop Michael Barber stated in an address to the faithful that the current situation is "unsustainable" and does not serve the interests of believers.
Among the reasons cited are declining mass attendance, reduced number of sacraments, and decreasing enrollment in Catholic schools. Additionally, the diocese faces a shortage of priests amid an aging clergy.
Financial difficulties are compounded by lawsuits: in 2023, the diocese filed for bankruptcy due to more than 330 abuse cases and was also required to pay $16 million in one such case. The diocese notes that this is not a direct cause of parish closures, but part of the overall crisis.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a bill about "Russia's war against faith" in Ukraine introduced in the U.S. Congress.
Read also
More than 5,000 UOC faithful took part in the procession of the cross to Kreshchatyk
Pilgrims walked about 40 kilometers to the St. John the Theologian Kreshchatytsky Monastery, offering prayers for peace in Ukraine.
Dumenko awards cleric involved in fake "transitions" and church seizures
During a visit to Chernivtsi, the head of the OCU presented Hryshchuk, known for his involvement in the seizure of Orthodox churches in Bukovyna, with a gold cross.
Motor procession with prayer for peace held in Rivne Eparchy
The faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church prayed for an end to the war during a motor procession in the Hoshcha Deanery.
Kyiv declares July 7 day of mourning following RF attack
Ukraine's capital will fly flags at half-mast and cancel entertainment events while rescuers continue searching for people trapped under the rubble of damaged buildings.
UOC commemorates His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr
Hierarchs and clergy of the UOC offered memorial prayers in Metropolitan Volodymyr's native village and at his grave at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
Ex-MP: Building a pantheon in the Lavra means destroying it
Former MP Ihor Mosiychuk stated that the construction of the National Pantheon on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will destroy the Orthodox shrine.