St. Louis Archbishop Burke is aborting St. Louis’ Neighborhoods
I am royally pissed off. Burke is a big bully on a power trip – threatening his followers into submission. No wonder the church is riddled with pedophiles – the Archbishop teaches power and control through his actions. If Burke were the CEO of a corporation the Board of Directors would have sent him packing already.
So where are all the Catholics in our region – rallying to save St. Stanislaus from being fleeced by the Archbishop and numerous parishes from being closed? They are kneeling in submission like the obedient slaves they are. Like the best controlling masters, he is pitting his slaves against each other in a survival of the fittest competition. The slaves of parishes remaining open and in the outlying areas of the Archdiocese see the closures as giving them strength – adding to their numbers. Never mind that a century of history will be lost all over the city as numerous parishes are closed.
So these good obedient Catholics remain silent. They are unwilling or too afraid to speak out against their master wielding his interdict whip. But, we’ve seen this silence before – during the Holocaust and recently with the whole pedophile priest scandal. Catholics – ask yourself how well that worked out? What good does your silence bring? You are the Enron employee that knows what is going on but says nothing until it blows up in your face. Speak up dammit.
So why am I so upset?
I am not Catholic.
It is not my church or heritage being destroyed, you say.
True enough.
However, I have a financial commitment to the City of St. Louis. My life is here. I care about what happens in our region. So much so, I cannot sit by and watch this power hungry man destroy decades of history and the future so many of us are building.
I earn my living as a REALTOR® and buyers get concerned when you’ve got boarded up churches down the street – it doesn’t exactly send a positive message. The proposed closures all over south City and in North County should be of concern to everyone in the region. The closures of churches on the North side in the last few decades were damaging to that part of the city. Those closings did not strengthen the remaining churches on the North side – it weakened their entire base. While I think the South side is in a stronger position going into these closings than the North side was it will still be a major setback to those neighborhoods. You weaken enough neighborhoods and you weaken the entire city. A weak city at the core creates a weak and non-competitive region.
Archbishop Burke is just a person. He does not have any divine knowledge of city building or urban planning. He can make mistakes just like any other person. And right now he if fucking up big time. Yes, I said it. The “Most Reverend” Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke is fucking up! Our city is at stake and he is doing his best to fuck it up.
Predictably, the Landmarks Association of St. Louis is taking a narrow view of the proposed church closings. They are attempting to save only the most historic of the churches. What is wrong with that you ask? Everything. Yes, St. Francis de Sales church is stunning and yes it should remain open. But what about St. Hedwig, a wonderfully warm and inviting 50s modern church just a few blocks from my house? Landmarks, as the name implies, is concerned about saving Landmarks. This is why we have things like the Old Cathedral surrounded by green grass and a highway rather than the non-Landmark context it used to have. Landmarks are meaningless without their context. I want to save our rich neighborhoods and streetscapes – not just a few select buildings here and there and let the rest go to hell. But, I’m getting sidetracked – I’ll have to post some other time about my issues with the Landmarks Association…
Burke is looking at closing 13 of the 35 parishes on the South side. This is 37% of the parishes. All at once – not a slow and gradual reduction but a big bomb. This is equal to when the highways ripped through dense neighborhoods cutting an indiscriminate path. It is massive and severe.
The worst part is the theory behind the closings. From the St. Louis Review,
“The plan recommended that to sustain vibrant and healthy parishes in South St. Louis for the next decade, the deanery should be served by 16 territorial parishes and six personal parishes.”
Imagine if you will, McDonalds saying they have some older restaurants and even though sales are good and even showing signs of increasing they are going to close nearly 40% of the locations for the long term health of the chain. Wouldn’t happen. They might close a few but they’d know the importance of keeping a strong presence in the marketplace. Cutting nearly 40% of their locations would be a death sentence. Doing so would be a strong indicator they had no faith in that market. Prospects look dismal so we are pulling out now – cutting our losses. This is exactly what Burke is doing – saying we have no faith in the future of the City of St. Louis so we are pulling out now. If he could move the new Cathedral to the flood plains of Chesterfield and place it between Sam’s and Best Buy he probably would.
The list of 13 proposed parishes closings, as of this writing, are:
• Immaculate Conception – St. Henry
It has been less than 3 years since the St. Boniface Neighborhood District was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The church & school are the literal centerpiece of this up and coming part of Carondelet. How difficult will it be to get developers to rehab properties and build new in a neighborhood where the namesake church as been shuttered?
The Archdiocese recommended to the parish at St. Hedwig that they raze their vacant school building (shown in the picture linked above). I’ve toured the entire building – it is an ideal candidate for reuse as condos like we’ve seen in other neighborhoods. Termites were cited as the reason yet I saw no evidence of current infestation and only trivial past damage. Overall, I’d say the building is in outstanding condition. This parish has done an excellent job of maintaining the school, the rectory and the main house of worship. The layout, scale, detail and feel of the main sanctuary at St. Hedwig is remarkable. This and the other parishes were built to last for generations – not to be closed by an Archbishop on a power trip.
Then we have the separate issue of St. Stanislaus Kostka on the near North side – the church owned and operated by a lay board of directors rather than the all knowing church leaders. Look at the evidence – the church as done such a great job maintaining buildings and membership they say they are forced to close nearly 40% of their facilities while the board of St. Stanislaus Kostka has maintained their building, built a Polish Heritage Center, and amassed a large trust fund. If Burke wants to cut the 13 parishes lose then fine – turn the buildings and remaining funds over to those parishioners and let them manage their own affairs in the manner of St. Stanislaus.
But seldom does a master willingly release his slaves. It usually takes a civil war to set slaves free…
If you believe that life begins before birth then you should take a closer look at St. Louis’ neighborhoods – North & South. They are all showing signs of life but they all haven’t yet been reborn as full & vibrant neighborhoods. By closing these 13 churches Burke is performing a massive abortion on St. Louis – yanking the growing fetus’ of revitalization from the neighborhoods and discarding them.
Aborting these parishes will nearly kill these neighborhoods and only serve to infect them with increased social ills as a result of disinvestment. Burke will be increasing problems the church claims to help alleviate. Perhaps that is his master plan – increase poverty & desolation so they have a purpose? How can they raise millions from suburbanites for charity programs if the people elevate themselves out of poverty? Sister Marie Charles would be without a job…
This is a critical time in our city and the decision rests with one man – Burke. He needs to hear from the public at large – Catholics and non-Catholics. He has already heard from me via these postings as well as from emails. I ask that you contact the Archdiocese to express your concern about the future of St. Louis:
Email the Archdiocese
Write a Letter to the Editor of St. Louis Review
Call the St. Louis Archdiocese at 314-633-2222 or via fax at 314-633-2304. For a complete list of contacts for the St. Louis Archdiocese click here.
Many have been fooled by the rhetoric Burke and mouthpiece Jamie Allman are saying but not me. Burke is an evil man hellbent on destroying the City of St. Louis thirteen churches at a time. Please take action!
– Steve
I don’t think you realize the situation here. All of these church’s in S. St. Louis can not continue to stay open. Many are financially in the red, and have been so for years. Mass sizes are small. Something like this planning should have been done several years ago, but it was not. Now we have to face the reality of having to do 13 at once, instead of 1,2,3,5 at a time. We will be better off with less parishes, because we will have parishes that can actually support themselves. Everyone blames the Archbishop for this, but he had nothing to do with it except giving the final ok. People are thinking on emotion, not rational thought. I can understand some of your points, but I don’t necessarilly agree with them.
St. Stanislaus is another story.
[Matt – thank you for your response. I’m not convinced these parishes cannot stay open. Let’s see the books and numbers. Where is the plan to increase attendance and donations? I’m told St. Francis de Sales has a good renovation fund but the clergy have not moved forward on renovations – this money raised in the name of this parish will likely go to other uses. The pattern will likely continue – additional churches neglected only to have the clergy cite the needed repairs as a reason to close them. – Steve]
Matt/Jamie Allman,
I would have to say you are wrong on most accounts of your recitative above. I am lifelong Catholic and know people in most of these parishes. I can honestly say I have not met a person in the Archdiocese who has spoken positively of Burke. There is agreement with the Catholic community that this person is a horrible and evil person, a kind of anti-bishop. Many people are leaving the Church for other brands of Christianity, such as Episcopalian and Lutheran. Burke has high jacked our beloved Church the same way the he is to the people at St. Stan.
1. The Archbishop has to take on the accountability for the decisions being made here since he is the sovereign for this diocese. The laity presumably has no voice in the decision to keep open or the closing of churches. Therefore he and only he must take on responsibility for the decision to close the churches and the impacts to the Catholic Communities and neighborhood where they reside. Most of the churches being closed have survived the worst down turns in the neighborhoods. Upon the upswing with a lot of redevelopment in these areas he is delivering the second of a one-two punch.
2. The main reason for closing the churches is not have enough to act a CEOs for these parishes. What the Archbishop does not understand, in the next 10 years he will need to close all of the parishes since all priest will either be retired, dead or in jail. For some reason the Archbishop does not trust the laity to manage and run its own parishes. Priest could be brought in weekly, monthly or annually to perform the sacraments. Consecrated host could be produced in a single location and shipped to churches for communion. I find many lay people to be more spiritually guided and skilled in preaching than most of our priest.
3. Most of these parishes have not been operating in the red. Have they being paying huge sums of money to their franchiser on Lindell, no? To name a few St. Boniface, Holy Family, Immaculate Conception, are not in the red but are being closed still the same. They are simply getting by trying to remain viable and as community. Most of these properties have long ago been paid off. The cost is in the maintenance and upkeep.
4. People will not be better off with fewer churches since their local community will be decimated with the loss of their local parish. Visit anyone of these parishes and you will find people angry, feeling betrayed and lacking in trust for any of its leaders. The priests remain silent because of their vow of obedience. They too are not in support of Burke. Take a look at North City for the example. When this should be all about people and community the decisions have been about control and power.
5. The people are rational thinkers and should receive the respect they are due. They have committed their labors and monies in building these churches and the communities. Their reaction of this is their reality and no one should minimize their reality of this matter,
6. Finally, during the yearlong assignment to this Archdiocese I have not heard Burke utter one word that would begin to heal the suffering he has imposed upon the people of St. Louis. I do not think he is a spiritual being or being directed by our Lord and Savior.
[Wow, thank you for your comments. – Steve]
1. I am not Jamie Allman. I live in St. Joan of Arc Parish. That’s as far as I’ll go unless you want more. I don’t think Jamie Allman has a slu.edu email address. Check my name, even email me. I will respond. Oh hell, I’ll go as far as saying I moderate on the urbanstlouis.com forum. Now you can’t confuse me at all.
2. I was in no way defending Burke. I dislike him as much as everyone else. I don’t know about calling him evil, that is rather harsh, but he hasn’t been good for St. Louis by any means. I used to complain about Rigali, but I would take him back in a heart beat.
3. Seriously, some things have to change. I was on my parish council last year as a youth rep, and I got to hear some interesting discussions. I really trust my pastor, and like him a lot, and he is all for this. He is not the type of person to mislead us. And don’t say he is just following what Burke says, because he isn’t.
Missed your reply steve.
Some particular churches could probably stay open, but still not all.
As for St. Francis De Sales, I hope that renovation fund can go into that church. It is such a beautiful building. The worst thing that could ever happen is for it to be torn down.
I don’t think Burke is influenced by phone calls or public opinion, which is what makes the situation so frustrating! What does he care about? Money. He (or his superiors) will pay attention when the money starts drying up.
On the one hand, I believe it IS important for non-Catholic city residents to take heed of the impending parish closings, as the vacancy of their prominent neighborhood buildings will most certainly send profoundly negative messages about urban vitality.
On the other hand, c’mon. This is not the time (..is there ever one?..) for an anti-clergy, anti-Catholic diatribe. It weakens the potential for effective alliances among constituencies sharing otherwise common interests in urban living as a valid alternative to the prevailing sub-urban existence.
Finally, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese on its own (laity and clergy alike) would do best to rise to the challenges of the 21st century with NEW approaches to the structure of faith-communities, rather than clinging to models from the 19th century.
Why stop at the archbishop (funny how his name has the word arch in it). Write a letter to the pope instead.
Here is some contact info.
Papal E-mail/Fax/Phone:
The Vatican Press Office is considered the “official” means of email contact for the Holy Father.
The following email address does gain a response.
e-mail: av@pccs.va
phone: +390669881022
fax: +390669885373
Press Office Mailing Address where the email (listed above) and incoming calls/faxes are received:
Pontificio Consiglio delle Comunicazioni Sociali
Palazzo San Carlo – 00120 Città del Vaticano
Side note: When contacting the Holy Father, people should be advised to NOT place the word ITALY anywhere on the envelope. If they do this, the mail is re-routed because the Vatican is it’s own nation and Italy is of course completely separate, especially as it has to do with postal mail. Italy is notorious for mis-routing mail addressed to the nation of Vaticano. Just thought you might like to know.
the above was gleaned from the internet. Please verify if you feel the need.
As for my 2C- The roman catholic view has always been a narrow one, and antiquated. While many of their parishoners do not follow the strict guide of the church they still attend church because that is what their parents did. Now these peoples kids are growing up asking their parents why they go to church and the parents cannot give them a reason other than its what they are supposed to do. So the kids decide that they dont need to go to church to believe in God. I do not want to make this into a religious post, but what it seems that the church needs to do is to invest a little more money back into its neighborhoods and give back more to the community than a bunch of empty buildings. And I believe this needs to start at the top.
As a former resident of Tower Grove South, I can’t believe that Holy Family is slated for closure! Closing HF would leave a tremendous hole in the heart of the neighborhood. Have the parishoners made any effort to save their church and school?
[Yes, they are trying. Holy Family was not on the original closure list but St. Pius was. They protested and got their parish to stay open at the expense of Holy family and another one to the East. Parish vs. Parish! – Steve]
Archbishops are human beings before they are ordained and promoted. God uses the normal distribution curve for vocations, and, as an equal opportunity employer, God does not discriminate on the basis of IQ or personality.
Perhaps our Archbishop Burke has been faced with the temptations Jesus turned down (Luke 4:5-7): “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he [Satan] said to him [Jesus], “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus came to take away our sins, not our minds. Burke is neither deity nor devil. It is up to us to think clearly and not inadvertantly give Burke more power than he deserves.
TO STEVE,
WHAT A BIGOTED BASTARD,YOUR ONLY INTEREST
IN ST.LOUIS IS HOW MUCH MONEY YOU CAN MAKE ON THE SLUM PROPERTY THAT YOU QWN. A– H—
Jack, you are a TROL. Shut up.
Burke is a mennace. The sooner he departs, the better.
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