They were responding to two announcements made recently by the bishop Christchurch Paul Martin.

On 9 June he announced a proposal to close 13 churches in the diocese

On 4 August the bishop revealed that the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the cathedral church of the diocese, damaged in the Christchurch earthquake, would not be restored.

With the help of facilitators, the participants followed a process that involving prayer, personal reflection and sharing what they hoped the discussion would achieve.

They collated issues raised under the following headings: Schools, Finance, Sacred Heritage, Consultation, Good Process, Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing, Laity, Alternatives, Good Plan.

Those attending were then asked to select a group to discuss one of these topics.

A summary report of the meeting highlighted the following issues:

Proposed closure of churches
1. Closure of churches will weaken the interface between schools and the Catholic Community. There are 10 Catholic primary schools next to churches marked of closure.

"Our primary school children, our young families (who often re-engage via our schools), their grandparents, others and our older religious - those 65 years and older who have time for prayer and to help pastoral.

2. First-generation migrants and tertiary students are communities most adversely affected by the 9 June proposal because the two big student churches, St Teresa's and Christ The King, are among those that are to proposed for closure.

3. Those least affected by the proposal are the most mobile groups:

• Secondary school students. Three of the primary five proposed hubs are near the five Catholic Secondary schools
• Those with no children or dependents
• Those who can easily afford and sare able to drive long distances to Mass.

The decision to build a new cathedral

Most who addressed this topic wanted the Basilica to be recognised as the place of pilgrimage.

They wanted the ruins made accessible and safe so they can be a place where people can walk, pray, celebrate Mass, sing and remember.

Cathy Harrison and Trish O'Donnell facilitated the meeting.

A second gathering will take place on Sunday 25 August 3.00 - 5.00pm at St Peters Hall, 11 Fisher Ave Beckenham.

For further information about the proposed changes click here

Source

• Supplied: a report complied of 15 August
• Image: christtheking.org.nz

Last year, the Archdiocese of Chicago had more than 2.1 million Catholics, according to statistics from the archdiocese.

However, changing neighborhood demographics, fewer parishioners and priests, and a lack of funding have led dioceses across the nation to announce plans for closure or consolidation with nearby congregations.

In 1975, there were 477 parishes in Chicago. As of July 1, 2019, there will be 316, according to Susan Thomas, a spokeswoman from the archdiocese.

Recently, the archdiocese announced that St. Adalbert Catholic Church in Pilsen will hold its last Mass in July.

Thomas said the process to decide parish closures will continue through at least 2023.

"It is a reality that at some point we do have to draw the ministry of these areas to a close," the Rev. Jason Malave, coordinator for the Renew My Church program, a campaign aimed at structural change and spiritual renewal of the Catholic Church in the Chicago area.

Here's how a church ceases to be a Catholic place of worship:

Closing a church or a parish?

According to canon law, the guiding statutes for the Catholic Church, procedure differs for closing or restructuring a parish, which is defined as a community of worshipers, and closing a church, the building itself.

The closure of a parish does not necessarily imply the closure of a church. St. Adalbert Parish, St. Ann Parish and St. Paul Parish were consolidated into one parish in 2016, but each church remained in use.

Bishops alone have the power to "erect, suppress, or alter parishes" but can only do so after speaking to the presbyteral council, made up of diocesan priests — and consulting parishioners, as stated in canon 515.

However, the bishop is not obligated to follow their advice.

When a church stops being a church

If a bishop determines that a "grave cause" exists — dire financial burden, a dwindling number of faithful or extreme physical disrepair, to name a few — the church can be relegated to "profane but not sordid use," according to canon law.

The bishop must also prove that parishioners won't be abandoned — that they will have access to another nearby place of worship.

The bishop will then issue a formal decree that removes the consecration of the church.

Parishioners can appeal the decision to close a church or parish based on either procedural grounds, finding issue with the particularities of the way the specific case was handled by the bishop, or on substantive grounds, ultimately disagreeing with the reasoning for the closure. Continue reading

• Image: Interiorholic

The RNZ report says they accuse him of being high-handed and autocratic.

But Dew denies this. He says he has simply asked congregations to consider the issues and think about ways of handling the challenge.

He says people have to be realistic about the number of churches the archdiocese can afford to retain and maintain.

Since 2013 the number of parishes in the archdiocese has been reduced from 47 to 22.

"If we have a parish with four churches, can we actually afford to maintain [all of them]? Can we afford to insure [them]?" Dew asks.

Another element of the problem is that five churches, including the cathedral church in Thorndon, are closed because of their earthquake risk.

Nine more require significant work.

Stephen Neal is the parish council chairman of the Wellington South parish which was formed by combining 4 parishes in the area.

The new parish has retained all four churches and Neal says there could be some problems with reducing that number.

He points out that Wellington is geographically challenging.

"Brooklyn's high up and St Francis de Sales is down in Island Bay and there's also St Anne's in Newtown, so if we were to consolidate there would be accessibility questions, particularly for the elderly.

"There are also questions about loss of identity and ways of acting or operating that a particular community has had for a long time."

Dew hopes some of the money freed up from consolidating the number of church buildings could be used to meet new priorities identified by Pope Francis.

"To look and see where there might be poor people, or where there might be people who are struggling."

Parishes have until the end of October to deliver their proposals for reducing church numbers.

Source

• www.radionz.co.nz
• wellington.scoop.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: anglicantaonga.org.nz

"They need to become aware of their role in the transmission of the faith. Many still come to church as consumers."

The Archdiocese of Albi is following a general trend among France's 93 dioceses, two-thirds of which have already made major changes to parish boundaries and structures. Read more