From the Our Lady of Perpetual Help website:
“Anyone wishing to see the Church before it’s imminent closing, should probably plan to come to the only Mass for Christmas, which is the Midnight Mass (yes, Midnight). Rumor has it that the change in Mass schedule for the newly created St. Francis Xavier Parish (Corpus Christi, St. Michael’s, and Annunciation) will take effect the middle of January.” (see here)
So much for the June 2011 date that had been flying around. I wonder if the DoR is going to pull the same stunt as they did with St. Thomas, and claim that the churches have just suspended Masses and aren’t really “closed.”
How come the closing of St. Andrew and Our Lady of Perpetual Help churches is coming so rapidly for this cluster? The five Northeast Rochester churches have been clustered for less than a year. Why the rush? Are even more closings in store for 2011 that there is no time to waste?
Tip: Interstate Catholic
Tags: Bishop Clark, Church Closings, DoR If I Only Had a Hart, Northeast Rochester Cluster
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they got the wrong freakin’ saint! St Francis Xavier: 16th century spanish guy
St Frances Xavier Cabrini: 19th and 20th century american gal
OYE!
This will probably not be the first one will see this mistake made.
Just for completeness in sorting out the cluster confusion, we HAD a St. Francis Xavier parish. It was on Bay Street. It was briefly part of the short-lived Our Lady of the Americas parish, along with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Corpus Christi. It was sold, the religious artifacts were not all reverently conserved or destroyed and the attached art work — such as over the front door — was jackhammered so it could be turned into a mosque. It would be better had it been razed. Last I looked though, there was still a cross on the top of the steeple.
It is true that the Bishop has given the approval for St. Andrew’s Church and Our Lady of Perpetual Help to close, but St. Andrew’s Church will not close immediately. It will take considerable time to make the necessary renovations to Annunciation Hall to make it handicap accessible, and up to building code and fire code. Personally, I am not for closing St. Andrew’s Church and keeping Annunciation Hall open. I cannot imagine how they will accomplish that feat. Has anyone been in Annunciation Hall? (the old church building).
Yes. It’s one of the worst church buildings in the diocese. I don’t mean that in terms of aesthetics, since I much prefer the forward-facing church compared to the newer Annunciation, but the facilities are very poor.