By: Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ
Dear brother priests and faithful of the Diocese of Oakland,
In 2021 we began the Mission Alignment Process, (MAP) a diocesan-wide effort to engage our clergy and our parishioners in a process of self-reflection and renewal.
I write to you today regarding the next phase of MAP and the important role each one of us must play in aligning our operations with our sacred mission. With God’s help and with the resilience of our common faith, we press on in making our parishes places where people encounter Christ in the celebration of the Sunday liturgy, in our living the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and in our witness as missionary disciples.
We do this important work not in a vacuum, but in light of the diocesan-wide trends in declining Mass attendance, participation in the sacraments and Catholic school enrollment began in the early 2010s. We are also at an all-time low of priests assigned to our 80 parishes, and the average age of our priests continues to climb. Some parishes and schools are struggling with financial sustainability. Meanwhile, some parishes are seeing growth, as demographics in the East Bay are changing.
While many of our parishes were built to serve the Catholic Church of 1965, we now have far fewer priests and parishioners. Not all parishes can afford to pay for a support staff to fully serve the parish and our missionary aspirations. Others are surviving on rental of parish parking lots or empty school facilities.
Our parishes were not created to be monuments to the past. As described in Evangelii Guadium (The Joy of the Gospel), “The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community” (No. 28).
Our clergy and lay parish leaders participated in 2021-22 in a deep and extensive MAP consultation, looking at parish data that revealed where our parishes are struggling most.
The results of that consultation require significant change, change which is challenging for all involved. And, if we are open to the Holy Spirit, this change can also bring new life and blessings. Our Savior tells us, “See, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). We rest in that promise as we remind ourselves that, “if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be ‘the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters”‘ (Evangelii Gaudium, No. 28).
This renewal begins with an effort to refocus on missionary work, therefore aligning our daily work with our divine mission. We must focus on the activities that foster prayerful celebrations of the Mass, prioritize works of mercy, and form missionary disciples.
The status quo is not sustainable nor is it serving God’s people.
We have successfully closed worship sites in the past. With considerable consultation and sustained prayer, I have determined it is necessary to close the following parish sites and pastoral center, and provide welcoming accommodation of all affected parishioners at another convenient location.
- Mary Help of Christians, Oakland
- Our Lady of Guadalupe site at Blacow Road, Fremont
- Our Lady of Lourdes, Oakland
- Sacred Heart, Oakland
- St. Albert the Great, Alameda
- St. Andrew Kim Korean Pastoral Center, Oakland
- St. Augustine, Oakland
- St. Barnabas, Alameda
- St. Paschal Baylon, Oakland
- St. Patrick, Oakland
- St. Rose of Lima, Crockett
- St. Stephen, Walnut Creek
- Transfiguration, Castro Valley
As I have full responsibility for the pastoral care of every Catholic in our diocese, it is my priority to ensure all affected parishioners are welcomed at a nearby parish. Many of these parish sites are already currently merged with or clustered with another parish. I am committed to working with all to find the best solutions in each situation.
In addition, I want to say the following regarding MAP and the bankruptcy process. As you know, we are currently seeking bankruptcy court approval of our proposed plan of reorganization. Regardless of that outcome, we must face the realities described above and proceed with these closures.
I deeply understand the sacrifice this will require. We cannot allow nostalgia and sentimentality to hold back the message of the Gospel. While we love our local church building, the church has never been solely a building. The church has always been a people called by God and united in faith. The faith of our people will continue, just in a different place and with new people.
I ask all to join me in praying for those immediately affected by these changes. I also make a heartfelt plea to the “receiving” parishes to open your hearts wide to your fellow Catholics who will be joining you. Love them, make room for them not only in the pew alongside you, but in the activities of your parish. Welcome them as your own, for we are all one as Christ’s body.
Together, we will fulfill Christ’s mission to go and make disciples, to the ends of the earth, as we rely on His promise that He will be with us always.
With the assurance of my prayers and blessings, I am
Yours sincerely in Christ,
The Most Reverend Michael C. Barber, SJ
Bishop of Oakland
Frequently Asked Questions
A diocesan bishop is responsible for the pastoral care of all people who live within his diocese. Therefore, he must ensure that people have access to the sacraments, to a Catholic community. If a church building is closed, or a parish is suppressed, those who once used that church building or were members of a suppressed parish must be given the opportunity to celebrate their faith in another location and within another parish.
Bishop Barber is committed to working with the pastor, pastoral council and finance council of each affected parish and pastoral center to find the best solution for their community, so that they can continue to have a place to worship and experience Catholic fellowship.
Civil and canon (or church) law provide clear guidance on this. The parish carries out its work in the name of the Church. Consequently, the property and goods managed by the parish cannot belong to a private individual. In canon law, the pastor oversees both the pastoral work of a parish and the management of its temporal goods. He is appointed by the diocesan bishop.
The bishop is recognized by both civil and canonical law as a juridic person and the head of the Diocese. Pastors of local parishes share in the ministry of the bishop for the care of the souls of their local parishes.
Bishop Barber will work in collaboration with the “receiving” pastor(s) on the disposition of the sale of church property.
While most of the parishes being affected have minimal or no lay staff, every effort will be made to assist those who are employed by the parishes in finding new work.
That will be unique for each site. We’ll begin now with meetings of leadership from the communities and the Chancery. We are all committed to finding solutions that will work for the majority of our parishioners.
Our Vocation Office, Bishop and many others continue to encourage and support people discerning a vocation to the priesthood. However, even if we had more priests tomorrow, there are other concerns regarding how we can be the best stewards of the gifts and talents of parishioners.
Having more priests in a parish, while an essential element, is not the only factor necessary for a parish to flourish. Our focus is to renew a vibrant parish life. When a community becomes so focused on basic maintenance of facilities, or having to depend upon outside income, the diocese or the generosity of vendors to meet basic financial obligations, it becomes difficult for a parish to fulfill its primary mission.
Pope Francis eloquently describes that mission in No. 28 of Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel): “In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers. It is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a center of constant missionary outreach.”
To continue doing as we are, is a bit like burying our head in the sand. Times change, and in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church we have always adapted to the times so that the mission of the Church can be relevant and thrive. This is one of those times, as the Mission Alignment Process (MAP) conducted in collaboration with representatives from all our parishes has indicated. The Diocese of Oakland is not alone adapting to our time and circumstances. Many dioceses in the US and around the world are realigning their parishes for the mission of the church, including merging and closing some churches.
Pope Francis again reminds us that we cannot be so burdened with the past that we cannot birth the future Church: “The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be ‘the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters.’” (Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel, No. 28).