St. James Catholic Church Demolition
The parishioners of this church fought the good fight, to no avail.
The archdiocese's decision: This historic old church had lost too much membership, was generating too little money from collections, and was costing too much in upkeep to survive. Knock it down. That's been the fate of many a beautiful old church building over the last 50 years, victims of the Catholic church's suicidal inability or unwillingness to adapt to changing demographics.
Over the years, the neighborhood surrounding this church went from middle-class and wealthy to slum to housing projects, which were themselves torn down as this neighborhood slowly gentrified. But very few of the middle-class and wealthy residents in the South Loop, Lake Meadows, Prairie Shores, South Commons or the condos that have sprung up here in the last 20 years made this their church home.
And as if to rub salt in an already gaping wound, the Baptist church a few doors south on the SAME STREET is thriving. Maybe church leadership needs to talk to St. Columbanus and St. Sabina to see how they do it.
St. James Catholic Church Demolition
The parishioners of this church fought the good fight, to no avail.
The archdiocese's decision: This historic old church had lost too much membership, was generating too little money from collections, and was costing too much in upkeep to survive. Knock it down. That's been the fate of many a beautiful old church building over the last 50 years, victims of the Catholic church's suicidal inability or unwillingness to adapt to changing demographics.
Over the years, the neighborhood surrounding this church went from middle-class and wealthy to slum to housing projects, which were themselves torn down as this neighborhood slowly gentrified. But very few of the middle-class and wealthy residents in the South Loop, Lake Meadows, Prairie Shores, South Commons or the condos that have sprung up here in the last 20 years made this their church home.
And as if to rub salt in an already gaping wound, the Baptist church a few doors south on the SAME STREET is thriving. Maybe church leadership needs to talk to St. Columbanus and St. Sabina to see how they do it.