Cleveland and Toledo Dioceses went through this a few years ago. I presume you are referring to closures and mergers?
Our Priest covers two Parishes and the reason there are two Parishes three blocks apart is because back in the day, the German Catholics and the Irish Catholics couldn’t get along. The Bishop, at the time, told them to learn to get along. Well, they didn’t listen and one split off from the other. This made the Bishop annoyed or upset so he did not recognize the new Parish as being a valid Parish under the diocese (good for him). Years go by and the rogue Parish petitioned the Bishop (not sure if it was the same Bishop or someone different), but he brought them back into the fold.
Do we need two Parishes three blocks from one another? No. Would it be sad to see St. Anne’s close? Sure. Is there a concern for what could happen to the Church building? Absolutely. These are consecrated spaces and what often happens is they get bought up by night clubs or music venues to profit off debauchery. Or the buildings just sit vacant like the former Presbyterian Church several blocks over that has been on the market for years!
My Parents used to give to a Baptist Pastor in Cleveland who would come around every year looking for donations. He invited our family to visit his Church in the hood one Sunday morning and his Congregation was extremely small. We’re talkin’ like a dozen people. This was a predominantly black church and one crazy white lady who broke out in random song in the middle of the two-and-a-half-hour Service. But, my point of this story is that the inside of this Church was stunning! It was once a vibrant Catholic Christian Parish. You could tell that the Church was deteriorating, but it was still very beautiful.
Mergers are not all bad, if the Congregations learn to get along. It can even be a good thing if all trust in God and view it as a new start. A lot of times it is all in the perspective. Do we focus on what we are losing or on the blessings (because there will be blessings).
As far as yelling between individuals who are upset, something similar happened at last Week’s Men’s Bible Study that I attend. The gentleman who started the group wanted to implement a poem that he believe God gave him the words to, which got him through some serious struggles in his life. But, our group (with the exception of this man’s minion side-kick) are opposed to making our group about this poem, which may be a gift to him, but we are there to reflect on God’s affirmed Word (The Bible). So, I walk in last week and the minion and another man are yelling at each other. And they were getting louder and louder. I think had someone else not chimed in and calmed the situation, one of these two men would have walked out and never returned, which would have been sad, because we are there to grow closer to God and be community for one another. Not to bicker about some silly poem (I know, I know, it is not silly to the founder of the group, but to many of us, it is something more private and less about public adoption).
I will Pray for you St. Anne’s, that you will follow Jesus wherever He may lead your church faithful. And that, by the grace of God, you may learn to get along and accept the fact that we have a Priest shortage and less individuals tithing during these difficult financial times of inflation through no fault of their own. Trust in Him and I Pray that good will come of this, even if it isn’t a comfortable thing to have to go through. Or you could do what the German Catholics and disobey your Bishop and excommunicate yourselves, which I would not encourage ; )
myself!