There’s not much hope of the novus ordo selling to a traditional group other than maybe the FSSP. It would have to be arranged secretly through a third or fourth party.
There is also not much desire for a church in an urban area. Most of these churches are located in what were once thriving immigrant communities with families, businesses, schools, shops, parks, municipal offices, manufacturing areas, walkable or a short tram ride from homes. Sadly, the blue collar work has vanished from American cities along with the ethnic communities. Many churches are left behind in what is now ghetto or deserted wasteland, home to vagrants, drunks, drug addicts, criminal elements. While these people need to become Catholic, they are not places where fathers want to bring their families for Mass. They’re often unsafe, have no parking, prone to vandalism, in an area with no jobs, no schools, no stores, not family friendly. Furthermore, the buildings require a huge investment of money beyond purchase and a coat of paint. They aren’t up to modern fire and safety code, often require things like asbestos abatement, removal of lead paint and lead-lined pipes, replacement of plumbing and electrical wiring, installation of restrooms, sprinklers, ramps, etc. Catholic families are not going to buy up homes in equally poor condition to live in. That would be wonderful, but the costs are prohibitive. The churches and neighborhoods are not in condition to be renovated in, say, even a year, and be in usable condition. That’s why I’m suggesting already existing chapels now meeting in homes, hotels, rented facilities look for less expensive buildings, smaller, easier to make into a chapel. It can be decorated and worked upon while already in use. There needs to be a parking lot because many people come from widely scattered areas and drive long distances. It’s 2025 reality. Few, if any parishioners are going to be walking or taking non-existent public transit to Mass.
Have you been to Baltimore recently? Except for the harbor area and the immediate vicinity of John’s Hopkins, the city is pretty much a drug-riddled slum.
But again, it’s quite possible there are treasures to be had tucked away in storage in some of these formerly magnificent churches.
Topic: Old Baltimore Catholic churches for sale (Read 8472 times)