Miami archdiocese closes 10% of parishes

August 17, 2009

Archbishop John Favalora of Miami announced that he would be closing 13 of the archdiocese’s 128 parishes. Among the churches slated for closure are two Haitian parishes, a Brazilian parish, and two of the archdiocese’s three black parishes.

“He says he wants the black Catholics to move over to other parishes so we won’t feel as though we’re segregated,” said one parishioner. “But we as black Catholics have our own culture and we should be able to express our own black culture in song and dance and the way we do the liturgy.”

Archbishop Favalora, 73, has led the archdiocese, which has 791,000 Catholics, since 1994.

 

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Further information:

• Archdiocese of Miami finalizes plans to close 13 churches (Miami Herald)