Author Topic: SSPX and rural areas (Read 2920 times)

chichi is my cat · « **on:** June 16, 2011, 11:26:52 AM »

I seem to notice that the SSPX tends to gravitate towards rural areas. This can be shown by St Mary's, Post Falls,ID and in their Georgia Mass center among other places.

Why is it that they do not gravitate towards city centers and or their suburbs? They can attract more people to their Mass centers by doing that then being in less populated areas.

Telesphorus · « **Reply #1 on:** June 16, 2011, 11:34:06 AM »

Quote from: chichi is my cat

I seem to notice that the SSPX tends to gravitate towards rural areas. This can be shown by St Mary's, Post Falls,ID and in their Georgia Mass center among other places.

Why is it that they do not gravitate towards city centers and or their suburbs? They can attract more people to their Mass centers by doing that then being in less populated areas.

It's a deliberate policy. Supposedly it's so that people migrate to the countryside form Catholic communities. The chapel here near the city center has been relocated to a rural area 20 miles south of town.

wallflower · « **Reply #2 on:** June 16, 2011, 11:49:10 AM »

I really need to find ABL's quote on rural life. It would probably give some insight on this.

Telesphorus · « **Reply #3 on:** June 16, 2011, 11:52:04 AM »

Quote from: wallflower

I really need to find ABL's quote on rural life. It would probably give some insight on this.

Rural life is good but locating a chapel outside a major metropolitan area, even in a place like St. Mary's, is not truly "rural" in the quiet peaceful sense. You need to be over a 100 miles away from a metro area to have truly rural environment. There's nothing quite so nice and peaceful as an old house in a small town. Especially grandma's.

MaterDominici · « **Reply #4 on:** June 16, 2011, 12:46:45 PM »

I wish ours would relocate. It's in the middle of a big city and in a pretty bad neighborhood on top of it.

John Grace · « **Reply #5 on:** June 16, 2011, 01:13:09 PM »

The thread reminded me of this book.

Rural Solution, The: Modern Catholic Voices on going ‘Back to the Land’
http://loretopubs.org/index.php?target=products&product_id=81

LordPhan · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2011, 08:19:09 PM »

Quote from: jcrc1312

I can think of 2 SSPX chapels that are actually in the city...Kansas City and St. Louis :scratchchin:

And mine in Toronto which is a megacity not much different then NYC.

The school is in a rural area an hour west, the big families live around there.

That would be another reason why they goto rural areas. Better for bringing up children. When(If?) I get married I will move to a more rural environment for sure.

Vladimir · « **Reply #7 on:** June 17, 2011, 01:28:19 PM »

2 SSPX centers in Northern California (Sacramento and Los Gatos) are both in cities. Granted, the chapel in Sacramento (actually Carmichael - but same difference) is not in the center of the city but in a more suburban residential area.

I would think that the retreat center in Los Gatos is in the city as well, since there is not much rural area in that part of the state.

The FSSP has a very stable and large parish in Sacramento as well. It is located in a the middle of a poor, immigrant section of the city and is situated right in a black and mexican ghetto neighborhood. The FSSP also has a very beautiful mission style church in the Los Angeles area.

The Institue of Christ the King has a very small chapel in Santa Clara (which is near Los Gatos) - right in a business section of the town.

I do not know of any sedevacantist chapels in Northern California, although I think I may have heard of one in the Bay Area?

TKGS · « **Reply #8 on:** June 17, 2011, 02:27:11 PM »

You might consider the fact that property in cities are generally much more expensive and building a Church in a city much more regulated. Building and maintaining a Church in a suburban or rural area might be necessary due to costs.

LordPhan · « **Reply #9 on:** June 17, 2011, 02:55:25 PM »

Quote from: Telesphorus

Quote from: TKGS
You might consider the fact that property in cities are generally much more expensive and building a Church in a city much more regulated. Building and maintaining a Church in a suburban or rural area might be necessary due to costs.

Building a church, yes. Buying an old church? No.

Buying an old church is expensive. Maybe not in the US where you had a housing crash or something, but up here definately.

The chapel in Toronto is very small, it is also very old, it used to be a small baptist church. They had also the expense of renovating it.

The city won't allow us to expand it either due to regulations. If I win the lotto or strike oil or something I'd buy us a bigger church. We are quickly running out of room. It is funny, the chapel in St. Catherines is supposed to be double in size but has half or less the parioshioners we have.

LordPhan · « **Reply #10 on:** June 17, 2011, 02:56:27 PM »

To put this into perspective Tele, a small tiny townhouse near our chapel costs $560,000 or more.

Jaynek · « **Reply #11 on:** June 17, 2011, 02:59:28 PM »

Quote from: LordPhan

The chapel in Toronto is very small, it is also very old, it used to be a small baptist church. They had also the expense of renovating it.

Do you know how it compares to the chapel at the school in New Hamburg? I've been there. (This is in a rural area like the OP was talking about.)

LordPhan · « **Reply #12 on:** June 17, 2011, 03:07:31 PM »

Quote from: Jaynek

Quote from: LordPhan

The chapel in Toronto is very small, it is also very old, it used to be a small baptist church. They had also the expense of renovating it.

Do you know how it compares to the chapel at the school in New Hamburg? I've been there. (This is in a rural area like the OP was talking about.)

I've been there a few weeks ago. I think they got it rather cheap the school board was getting rid of it.

I don't actually know how much it cost them for either of them because I have never asked. What I've said is from what I remember from casual conversations about them but I don't ever remember someone actually saying how much they cost.

As for what prices of homes would cost in New Hamburg it'd be rather cheap in comparison, I can look it up. Ok I did.

You can get a small detached house in or around New Hamburg for $184,000 for $560,000 you'd be getting a small mansion or large executive home whatever they call them.

Jaynek · « **Reply #13 on:** June 17, 2011, 03:14:27 PM »

Quote from: LordPhan

You can get a small detached house in or around New Hamburg for $184,000 for $560,000 you'd be getting a small mansion or large executive home whatever they call them.

Interesting. How do the two chapels compare in terms of size? I've never been to the Toronto one.

LordPhan · « **Reply #14 on:** June 17, 2011, 03:26:06 PM »

Quote from: Jaynek

Quote from: LordPhan

You can get a small detached house in or around New Hamburg for $184,000 for $560,000 you'd be getting a small mansion or large executive home whatever they call them.

Interesting. How do the two chapels compare in terms of size? I've never been to the Toronto one.

The chapel is bigger in Toronto. The chapel part of the school is very small from what I saw, I just took a peek. I never attended mass there. I was there for a BBQ and Play that the children put on as a fundraiser. We can fit about 100 people in our chapel at a time maybe a bit more. We also have a TV feed in the basement where people can watch mass from there.

I have been told that the St. Catherines chapel is twice the size of ours. I am going to find out I think Sunday(I really should call and make sure that this is the right Sunday that we're going lol) where we're gonna have a huge High Mass with the St. Catherines Chapel. We'll still have our Low mass though in the morning.