Archdiocese should take a deeper look at its woes | READER COMMENTARY

It is clear that the “Seek the City” process has been a thorough, thoughtful and prayerful one (“Passions strong as Baltimore Catholics debate city realignment plan at final town hall,” May 1). The hundreds of people involved deserve gratitude. Nevertheless, it strikes me that the resulting proposal is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

We have heard and read repeatedly what we as Catholics already know: “Our numbers are getting smaller and smaller”; “we are not replacing ourselves”; and “the participation of young people in particular is minimal.” No amount of parish reconfiguration will create a more vibrant and sustainable church unless there is also a genuine examination of the deeper, larger issues that have led over many years to the current situation. What are the root causes of disillusionment and the plummeting number of practicing Catholics, and how might they be addressed now and in the future?

And before closing historic parishes because facility maintenance is too costly, can church leaders assure us that they have trimmed all the budgetary fat? What about further empowerment of the laity to take on larger roles within the church — particularly evangelical and managerial — reducing pressure on under-staffed parishes and leading one day to married priests as the Catholic Church allowed for its first 1,000 years? Or more immediately, full accountability for priests, pastors and deacons to create the most welcoming, spiritually nourishing parish experience for all? Has there been a public accounting of church-owned property in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and a determination of what might be sold to direct more funding to parish ministry in the city?

I know so many fellow Catholics who are on a “Seek a Parish” journey, looking for a faith community with a true shepherd as pastor, meaningful and engaging celebrations of the Mass, inspiring homilies, a strong community spirit and a variety of opportunities to come together as well as to bring others in. Regrettably, most of these friends are either still searching, have joined non-Catholic churches or are no longer members of any church.

Why is that? The answer to that question cannot be determined easily, but I am confident that it does not lie in what “Seek the City” has proposed.

— Richard O’Hara, Baltimore

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