Bishop Mark Eckman of Pittsburgh announced that seven churches in his diocese will close March 12 due to declining Mass attendance and financial concerns.
All seven churches are part of Saint Joseph the Worker parish, which currently consists of eight churches. Five of the churches that are set to close do not currently celebrate regularly scheduled Masses.
“I recognize that this news brings a time of significant change and a sense of loss,” the bishop wrote in a letter read during Masses in the parish Feb. 7-8, according to TribLive. “For many years, you’ve poured your lives into these sacred buildings, strengthened your communities with holy faith, fervent prayer and tireless service.”
The decision follows a lengthy analysis of the parish and a series of meetings with parishioners. The letter said that the church closures are caused by declining attendance and financial strain.
The churches that will be closing are Good Shepherd in Braddock; Sacred Heart in Braddock Hills; Madonna del Castello and Saint Anselm in Swissvale; Saint Colman in Turtle Creek; Saint John Fisher in Churchill; and Saint Jude the Apostle in Wilmerding. The only remaining church building in the parish will be Saint Maurice in Forest Hills.
Some parishioners have attended Mass at the same church for all or most of their lives. Ryan McCartney, 44, who is an altar server and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at St. Anselm, said he was baptized, received first Communion, and attended his father’s funeral in that church.
McCartney says that, while he will continue to attend Mass after the church closes, it will not be at St. Joseph the Worker.
“[St. Anselm is] a building that I’ve called home, on and off, for almost 45 years, where everything has happened for me and my family,” he said, according to TribLive. “I just cannot find myself going to this other building. I just can’t do it.”
Patrick Lanigan, a 74-year-old who attends St. John Fisher Church, has experienced four church mergers and closures since moving to the area nearly four decades ago. He said that he was not surprised by the announcement.
“It’s sad,” he said, according to TribLive. “I feel badly for a lot of the people who have gone to their churches, maybe even for a good portion of their lives. It’s hard. It is hard to give up.”
Lanigan said that despite the challenges posed by church closures, there are opportunities as well.
“It’s like losing your home and moving,” he said, according to TribLive. “There’s separation. But there’s also new life. Hopefully, folks can find that and start to feel comfortable and give it a chance.”