Aug 2, 2009 10:54 am US/Eastern
Parishioners Pray For Help To Keep Churches Open
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Parishioners of a dozen or so South Florida churches are praying for a miracle that would keep their houses of worship open.
Earlier this year the Archdiocese of Miami announced that 14 area churches and missions would be closed because they were not able to financially support themselves. The diocese said its move is based primarily on two factors: Donations are down and so is attendance at some churches as people are moving out of certain communities. Parishioners of the closed churches have been asked to merge with other nearby Catholic churches.
One of the churches slated for closure is St. Cecilia, known as the third-oldest church in Hialeah. It is a parish of mostly poor immigrants who have been asked to merge with St. John the Apostle.
"A lot of people in this neighborhood are unemployed," said Fr. Louis Garcia. "You can't ask them for any more than what they give."
The parishes, missions and apostolates on the current closure list are:
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Resurrection
St. Cecilia
St. Charles Borromeo
St. Francis Xavier
St. George
St. Luke
St. Philip Neri
St. Rober Bellamine
Sr. Vincent de Paul
The Divine Mercy Mission
The St. Josepth Haitian Mission
Our Lady of Aparecida Mission
Vietnamese Apostolate
Parishes that will receive those displaced by the merger include St. Maurice, St. James, St. John the Apostle, St. Mathew, Gesu, Our Lady of Martyrs, St. Vincent, St. Monica, Corpus Christi and Immaculate Conception. The missions will be merged with St. Clement, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent and St. Helen.
On Saturday, members of the churches slated for closure gathered at the Torch of Friendship in Miami for a two-hour candlelight vigil.
The Archdiocese of Miami says the list of churches to be closed will be finalized in the next few weeks.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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