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CV NEWS FEED // As Catholic churches across Baltimore prepare to close by December 1, parishioners have until October 11 to appeal the decisions directly to the Archbishop in a final effort to keep their churches open.
According to a report from Baltimore local news WMAR, under the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s guidelines, any parishioner who has “been aggrieved” by a closure has the right to request the decree’s revocation. Appeals can be hand-delivered or postmarked by the Friday deadline.
The closures are part of a broader downsizing effort as church attendance declines, according to the report.
“I want the history to tell the story of the new and exciting initiatives that were made possible because we got out from underneath the maintenance and care, and management of buildings and property,” Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, vicar for Baltimore City, told WMRA.
St. Ann’s Catholic Church on Greenmount Avenue, a historic Black Catholic parish, is among the churches fighting to remain open after a decree ordered its closure and merger with the nearby St. Francis Xavier Parish.
“We’re going to respond with all the assets this church has brought to the community. It needs to stay here,” parishioner Erich March said, according to the report.
St. Ann parishioners argue their church is self-sufficient and plays an essential role in the Greenmount community. The church is 150 years old and operates a food pantry for families in need each month.
Bobby Jackson, a member of St. Ann’s committee to appeal the closure, told WMAR that the church is a vital part of his life.
“It’s a family member of mine,” he explained. “It’s part of me.”
