Thirteen Catholic churches in a single region in California are slated to close down due to a lack of parishioners, priests and money following a string of sexual abuse lawsuits, officials said.
Bishop Announces Closures
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bishop Michael Barber said 12 sites and a pastoral center would all be shuttered in the Oakland area, about 400 miles northwest of Los Angeles. With fewer parishioners and priests, Bishop Barber noted that not all of the parishes had the funds available to fully support and staff the buildings and their mission.
'Others are surviving on rental of parish parking lots or empty school facilities. The status quo is not sustainable nor is it serving God's people,' Bishop Barber said.
Mission Alignment Process
He added that the move came as part of the diocese's Mission Alignment Process (MAP). The process, according to Bishop Barber, seeks to engage both the clergy and parishioners in a 'process of self-reflection and renewal'.
His statement also comes just a few years after the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 due to hundreds of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. Barber addressed that in his most recent statement, saying: 'As you know, we are currently seeking bankruptcy court approval of our proposed plan of reorganization. Regardless of that outcome, we must face the realities described above and proceed with these closures.'
Financial and Legal Pressures
The move to file for bankruptcy came after a large number of lawsuits were filed against the diocese. Just last week, CBS News also reported that the diocese was ordered to pay out $16 million to an abuse survivor.
Former priest Tim Stier told NBC that he believes there is a connection between the two. 'I feel that the mismanagement of the abuse crisis has led to this, cause naturally it's causing people to stop coming to church, becoming disillusioned, collections going down,' he said.
Stier added that he stands with the victims and is grateful for them stepping forward and speaking out. 'I feel deep, deep sadness for the people who have devoted their lives to a particular parish,' he said.
Attendance and Enrollment Declines
The MAP process, Barber said, was being brought in to tackle widespread attendance declines and Catholic school enrollment numbers dropping. Currently, the diocese is dealing with an all-time low of priests assigned to the area's 80 parishes, with the average age of a priest continuing to rise.
He added: 'I deeply understand the sacrifice this will require. We cannot allow nostalgia and sentimentality to hold back the message of the Gospel. While we love our local church building, the church has never been solely a building. The church has always been a people called by God and united in faith. The faith of our people will continue, just in a different place and with new people.'
List of Closed Sites
The closures are: Mary Help of Christians, Oakland; Our Lady of Guadalupe site at Blacow Road, Fremont; Our Lady of Lourdes, Oakland; Sacred Heart, Oakland; St. Albert the Great, Alameda; St. Andrew Kim Korean Pastoral Center, Oakland; St. Augustine, Oakland; St. Barnabas, Alameda; St. Paschal Baylon, Oakland; St. Patrick, Oakland; St. Rose of Lima, Crockett; St. Stephen, Walnut Creek; and Transfiguration, Castro Valley.
