Michelle Boorstein writes about religion for the Washington Post. In this article, she explores the roots of Biden’s deep faith. This is an excerpt of a longer article.
Pitching himself as president, Joe Biden promised to heal America’s hurting soul. His experiences with suffering and healing were well known, including the deaths of his wife and two of his children, his struggle against stuttering and many political losses.
On a bigger stage than ever, Biden was trying to show the country how he did it. Through his Catholic faith.
“For me, faith, it’s all about hope and purpose and strength,” Biden said in a February video ad. “Faith sees best in the dark.” “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning,” he quoted from the Book of Psalms in October.
Now, Biden will lead a nation deeply in need of healing — with soaring coronavirus cases, thousands dying daily and millions out of work and hunkered down in isolation. But he is facing not one America but two, each claiming with new religious fervor that God and righteousness are on its side.
As divided as any are Biden’s own people, U.S. Catholics, with millions who don’t even see him as a legitimate Catholic at all, because of his support for abortion access and LGBT equality.
The question is how the country will adjust to a man whose faith doesn’t feature literal Bible-waving promises to “save Christianity” or threats that political opponents might eliminate God (all Trumpian moments).
Biden presents a less common image: a devout, churchgoing liberal. The country will soon observe for the first time a president who goes to Mass every Sunday, plus on Catholic feast days, and sprinkles conversation casually with scripture, religious hymns and references to religious history but describes faith’s purpose in general, inclusive terms — as sustenance for the weary, encouragement for the suffering and an obligation to welcome and care for one another.
Can Biden heal today’s America?
Catholicism and its structures — its poetry, humor, teachings, rituals — have always been how Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has understood healing, others and himself.
“Catholicism and family provide the substructure of his life. … That’s his whole conception of how society works,” said Evan Osnos, a writer for the New Yorker who recently published a book on Biden and his 2020 run for president. “It’s more personal than political. That’s what separates him from 2021 in Washington, D.C., where there are few ways in which religion is not part of politics. Biden doesn’t go out of his way to make it that.”
“I think he’ll try very hard like he always does at everything to bring people together and build bridges,” said Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., a Pennsylvania Democrat who grew up in the same Catholic community of Scranton as Biden. “He’ll have more patience than I would have.”
Millions of Americans hungry for a faith focused on healing and inclusion will embrace it — especially on the left, where believers have felt trampled by the religious right into nonexistence since the 1970s. Millions of others will reject Biden’s version of religiosity, one that’s less tied to doctrine, less likely to honor religious conservatives’ legal demands, less invested in America as a Christian nation. This is problematic for many on the right. A 2020 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found sharp partisan divides on the issue of religious diversity, with 43 percent of Republicans preferring the country to be made up “primarily” of Christians, compared with 16 percent of Democrats.
Some further to Biden’s left will also bemoan his unwillingness to draw a direct line from the gospels to policy changes like free higher education and universal health care.
But what makes Biden different, says Villanova University theologian Massimo Faggioli — whose spiritual biography of the president-elect is being published this month — is that he’s unapologetic. “Joe Biden is a Catholic in the public square who doesn’t take lectures from bishops about what being Catholic is about. This is totally new,” Faggioli said.
His desire to be a uniter will be tested quickly on the religious front. On Jan. 29, nine days after Biden’s inauguration, perhaps the largest annual gathering of U.S. Catholics will take place blocks from the White House: the March for Life, where tens of thousands of mostly Catholic abortion opponents rally. The march has become heavily Republican in recent years, filled with abortion opponents willing to overlook President Trump’s record-breaking number of executions and his laissez-faire approach to a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands in the United States. In 2020, Trump became the first U.S. president to speak live at the march. This year, it will undoubtedly feature many speakers and signs challenging Biden’s faith.
But Biden has long pushed back on the idea that, for him, faith must lead to policies. “I’m prepared to accept doctrine on a whole range of issues as a Catholic. … I’m prepared to accept as a matter of faith — my wife and I, my family — the issue of abortion. But what I’m not prepared to do is impose a rigid view, a precise view … that is born out of my faith, on other people who are equally God-fearing, equally as committed to life,” Biden told the Jesuit magazine America in a 2015 videotaped interview.
Yet Biden has bound up his promises to make significant social change in areas from health care to the environment with that to “restore the soul of the nation.” If he is a healer, Biden has an epic pastoral challenge.
The shaping of Biden’s religiosity stems from two sources — his family and his era.
He was raised in working-class, Irish-Catholic communities, where faith routines and Catholic institutions such as schools and parishes were everything. When Biden talks about his Catholic upbringing, he usually repeats the word “dignity” multiple times. The dignity of work. The dignity of the poor.
“My father would say, ‘The cardinal sin of all sins is the abuse of power,’” Biden told America editor Matt Malone in the 2015 interview. “Whether it’s a man raising his hand to a woman, whether it’s economic power being evoked and asserted over someone else, whether it is the government abusing its power. And that’s how I look at what this is all about.”
This is an interview that Oprah had with Joe Biden on Super Soul Sunday.
Former Vice President Joe Biden: “I Have Ended Up Being the Man I Wanted to Be”
Season 8
CC | tv-pg
Ever since he was a young boy, Joe Biden had a picture in his head of the kind of man he wanted to be. In their 2017 Super Soul Sunday interview, Oprah asked him the logical follow-up: “Did you live up to your own expectations? Did you fulfill the vision or exceed the vision?”
“I, by and large, believe that I have ended up being the man I wanted to be,” he says. “But it wasn’t in terms of accomplishment. Because people usually translate that into, you know, as a young guy I knew I wanted to be senator; I knew I wanted to be president. I knew—that wasn’t true. What was true was I wanted to live up to my parents’ expectation.”
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/former-vice-president-joe-biden-on-living-up-to-his-own-expectations#ixzz6k64JFD4dE
I’m not sure why we care about a president’s alleged faith in a secular country, but since you bring it up, let’s look at that so-called faith. Biden has a 48 year history of supporting wars, mass incarceration, violent immigration enforcement, bankruptcy measures that have driven millions into destitution, and for-profit health insurance that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands per year, among many other things.
Jesus had a lot to say about how we treat the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, the homeless, the naked the stranger in our midst, etc. The Catholic Church also (claims to) hold service to such “least of these” as the utmost importance – faith alone is not sufficient in the Catholic Church. How does Biden’s long (and well documented) record square with these bedrock principles of his alleged faith?
Maybe Biden (like all politicians) should go back into his closet and pray in secret instead of boasting about his “faith”. Maybe he needs to look at some of his alleged savior’s actual teachings about wealth and pride. Maybe he could give his millions to the poor (and encourage his rich donors to do the same) and put himself last, as Jesus commanded.
At the very least, he could use his new power to lift up the poor. He could pass universal single-payer healtlhcare so that all the sick can be healed, rather than the health insurance lobby written plan he is currently touting. Maybe he could pass recurring stimulus payments and encourage people to stay home during a pandemic and give them the means to survive an economic crisis. Maybe he could “forgive them their debts” as Jesus taught him to pray. Maybe he could atone for his mass incarceration and open the prison doors, especially for non-violent drug offenders. If he does those things, I’ll be the first to say he is a good Christian.
I don’t give a crap or an armpit’s sweat about a president’s faith. I care about how moral he is and how bent he is on redistribution of wealth, single payer care, progressive taxation, nominal cost higher education, and public education.
Being religious means NOTHING about being moral. NOTHING!
Enough of this ridiculous rhetoric and propaganda!
Don’t go by style and imagery. Pay attention to the details of governance! If one is literate, one should be able to.
Robert Rendo,
Is Jimmy Carter “immoral”? Not only did he profess his religion during his presidency, but he also opposed single payer care and redistribution of wealth.
Which is more moral? Spending more than 40 years continuing Ted Kennedy’s universal health care fight from 1970s (that Jimmy Carter blocked) and getting nothing, leaving Americans uninsured and bankrupt, or working to pass the flawed Affordable Care Act as a beginning to getting more expanded coverage?
Is Corey Booker “moral” because he supports Medicare for All or immoral because he supports charters and Wall Street interests?
Were the anti-war appeasers of Hitler more moral than those who wanted to go to war against Germany?
Biden obviously supports more progressive taxation. And he obviously supports getting health care coverage to everyone. Those are two things opposed by the Republicans.
Yes, NYCPSP, I agree with you.
My point was that being religious may or may not be linked to being moral and promoting the public commons. There is no “If-then”. Therefore, faith is unimportant and not very relevant to governance. Moreover, I uphold the doctrine of Separation of Church and State.
Carter also opposed single payer at a time when premiums were far more under control than they are now.
If the big idea of this post was that Joe Biden having his faith is a virtue, than that would be great if he truly followed Christ’s scorn of wealthy merchants hoarding riches. Sound familiar? But there is no rule about this, and Biden’s governance, obviously, is the ultimate action he will use to prove where he stands, not his faith. If his faith drove him to it, I don’t have to or want to know about it because it has nothing to do with the end user. If it did, we may as well be Iran.
Corey Booker also blows with the wind, so I’m sure if he is the best strength for your argument.
Paradigm shifts in society for its betterment is sort of like marriage: You kind of can’t be married to one woman and then get married to another and then say you faithfully have only one wife. LBJ, DDE, and FDR understood this when it came to the public commons.
Yet, our responsibility as civic participants certainly does not stop.
And yes, of course I am glad Trump is out. But feckless, bland, boring compromise and meet-you-half-way politics is NOT what this country needs. What we need is bold action on behalf of all three branches.
Robert,
We are so lucky to have Joe Biden right now. He beat Trump. He strikes exactly the right tone of compassion and experience and commitment for this moment in time.
I have not seen any “bland boring compromises,” but we might in light of the razor-thin Democratic majorities in both houses (and a tie vote in the Senate).
To understand Joe Biden, it is important to know that he is a man of deep faith. Knowing his deep faith helps one understand who he is and where his value system comes from.
Diane, I have said elsewhere on this post that I am glad Trump is OUT. Biden is in, and we are in a better place. I have emphasized in other posts the importance of supporting Biden to get Trump out.
I am a little surprised that a scholar of your stature is stating that I “do not like Joe Biden’s faith”. That was absolutely and unequivocally never said nor implied. Please do a close reading. Don’t get me wrong. Your error does not sum you or me up, nor is it not going to make the sky fall. But the fair import of my comment merits accuracy.
What I did say was that religiosity is not proof of whether or not a politician will or should govern well, no more, no less. Religiosity does not matter if the governance is good, because governance is what affects our lives, not Biden’s faith.
Certainly, I can see that from a critical thinker’s POV, it is important to understand the biography of a person in order to see what makes them tick, who they are, and why they behave a certain way. I am fine with that, but no one should have to even partially count on religiosity to ultimately determine the quality of governance. If that were the case, why not become a theocracy?
I edited the comment to remove any suggestion that you do not “like” his faith; that’s not what I meant.
The point I was trying to make is that we are lucky to have him; that knowing how strongly his faith affects his actions helps us understand him.
Last Sunday, Biden went to church, and Trump played golf.
The contrast was telling about Trump, I thought, a phony who plays to a religious base but has no religion at all.
I would not be so fast to condemn him for not being bold. With a 50-50 tie in the Senate, and a tiny margin of control in the House, it will be hard to be bold.
He will be lucky if he gets his Cabinet approved by the Senate. They are moving at glacial speed.
diane I also think that the more we keep digging, the more we will see what has been “going on” over the last four years . . . especially how pervasive the poison of political power and the hate that accompanies it can be . . . especially to those in our religious communities whose own love of power and possessions has over-ridden any authentic Christian values that may live, still buried in their hearts.
In my view, Joe Biden is driven by those values which need not hail back to Christianity or any religious founder to actually BE authentic to human excellence. CBK
Diane, your acknowledgement and action are duly noted. Thank you.
“To understand Joe Biden, it is important to know that he is a man of deep faith.”
What does “a man of deep faith” mean?
Allow me to give my definition. “A man of deep faith” believes on faith alone, without any kind of substantial and rationo-logical backing, many absurd and contradictory over 2,000 year old conglomeration of Middle Eastern desert tribal myths and stories.”
Makes sense to me to be “a man of deep faith” for that makes someone above the fray, above critique, above all the heathen non-believing atheists, agnostics, and many other non-faith believers.
So, what for you does a man of deep faith mean?
Biden is deeply religious. He goes to Mass every Sunday. He frequently references his religion and quotes Catholic hymns. He is a social justice Catholic. He supports abortion rights because he doesn’t believe in imposing his faith on others. Some priests have denied him communion. He just reversed Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. The Catholics I know (such as my wife) believe that God placed him where he is now to save us from the evil inflicted by Trump. I am a secular Jew. Don’t ask me to defend or explain any religion. I respect all others and live by a code of “live and let live.”
Do you distribute fire and brimstone with your sermons?
None at all.
Well, not any more than that which was distributed when slaves were freed, women got to vote, labor unions emerged and grew, schools were desegregated, SS was created to prevent geriatric poverty, and Medicare was implemented to take care of the elderly. No more fire and brimstone than those things, Beth.
oh RR, that was meant for Dienne, sorry. I was interested in your “Being religious means NOTHING about being moral,” though, it didn’t make sense to me at first. Then I decided you meant, whether a person considers himself religious doesn’t predict whether he/she behaves in a moral way, right?
Beth,
Yes.
Ramen, Dienne77!
Yes!! I tried to post a reference to this in the post about Randy Rainbow.
For those of us who have Les Mis many times, I thought the Innkeeper and his wife were hilarious.
The day this country elects an atheist to the presidency is the day that we truly will have liberty.
Duane E Swacker: Bernie is Jewish. One doesn’t have to be an atheist to do what is right.
Didn’t say anything about Bernie. And I didn’t say anything implying that one has to be an atheist to do what is right. Now if you would like a more closer look at how I view faith belief systems:
To hell with faith belief systems as they only serve to indoctrinate the mind with specious thoughts leading to a lifetime of irrational beliefs, especially the three Abrahamic ones.
Duane E Swacker: I am a spiritualist who works and studies under the guidance of a Cherokee Shaman. You’d be shocked at the things which he knows. It goes way beyond my ability to comprehend even though my knowledge is continuing to expand.
There are truths that most people don’t understand.
Belief systems that indoctrinate with irrationality I agree are dangerous. I wouldn’t say the dangerous ones only come from religious beliefs. The internet causes all sorts of wackos to join together and think that they are on to something when it’s just a bunch of hooey.
I have met religious people who do work through their churches to help those in need. I did hospice work for around 10 years and it was sponsored by a Catholic church.
What about an agnostic?
Agnostic, atheist, spiritual, religious: IT DOES NOT MATTER.
Being moral and governing in a way that benefits all, not just the privileged, is the only way to go, and that very trait should be independent of religiosity.
POWER to the middle and working classes!
Sheesh, Duane. Your version of atheism just sounds like religious intolerance.
Beth, I am more than fine if people want to be religious. I’m not, but if that’s what they want, its fine as long as they don’t impose their religion on me or use it to influence the government.
I support religion for people who want it. All I am saying is that good governance should never depend on religiosity. It stands alone. Lines should not be blurred or boundaries crossed in this area. Unfortunately, they have been, and religion needs to be purged from the culture of D.C.
Robert Rendo Hmmm . . . People have always asked religious questions and developed religious institutions. And “D.C.” is not an abstraction? I don’t think that’s a good idea . . . it’s even disturbing for many reasons, but even if you could, how are you going purge religion from the culture of DC and still be okay with people being religious?
Also, in the moral political-sphere, political, moral, and religious ideas are often identical, though not always conceptually. For instance (and these are only four), the Christian notions of truth and its relationship to freedom, caring for the poor, and loving your neighbor as yourself; or the narrative in First Corinthians about what love that I posted earlier in another thread is . . . . There’s no opposition there? CBK
Catherine, without a doubt, the moral precepts of Christianity drives many people, actions, behavior and even policy, even if these precepts’ presence is not overt.
But my only answer to your comment is five simple but powerful words:
Separation of Church and State.
I strongly believe in separation of church and state. Trump added three Justices to the Supreme Court who do not, adding their voices to those of Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who also do not believe in separation.
Robert Separation of Church and State remains music to my political ears, even though the language of the First Amendment doesn’t use “separation,” but rather says: “no law respecting establishment of religion or prohibiting free exercise thereof.”
How that works out in circumstance is up to us. Perhaps, to me, “purge” has too much horror in its use in history. But even in its more innocuous interpretation, . . . doesn’t work. CBK
Yes, Bethree, I am against religious faith belief systems due to the indoctrination that it forces on children. And I am certainly against it as a foundation for governing in a pluralistic society.
I couldn’t care less what a person believes for him/herself, but when one uses those false beliefs to attempt to govern/direct others’ behaviors and beliefs, I have a serious problem, especially when those faith beliefs are chock full of contradictory absurdities as are the three Abrahamic religions.
We had an atheist: Trump.
Really? Got proof?
I’d love to see an answer to that . . . .
I answered in a previous comment
Diane, Trump was immoral, whether he believes in God or not. Do you agree?
Trump is a liar, a fraud, a grifter. He has no morality or ethics of any kind.
I repeat my question: Got proof?
Hitler was an atheist. He never again attended Mass or received the sacraments after leaving home. One biography quotes him as saying “after a hard inner struggle” he had freed himself from the religious beliefs of his youth, so that he felt “as fresh as a foal in the pasture.”
No he wasn’t an atheist. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_of_Adolf_Hitler
heehee, that’s exactly where I got the info above! Of course I wasn’t counting the period where he switched new-agey beliefs every few months. Maybe that counts him out as atheist.
Duane Your note confirms the point that a-theism is also a “religion” in the sense that, like all other religions, in its manifestations over history, it reflects the limited horizons of those persons who live it, yes you, and also the rest of us.
On a practical note, I won’t miss the daily outrage; and I am relieved to be able to welcome Biden’s secular view. By secular I do not mean secularism but rather the sense of separated-but-related. We all live in the light of the U.S. Constitution, but not in the light of all-the-same religious viewpoint–we are oh-so-lucky that the Founders recognized this crucial point.
But Biden’s view reveals a humility in understanding the meaning of the U.S. Constitution and in knowing and respecting other human beings in terms of it, with his religious Catholic moral/ethical understanding at its background. Nothing shows this secularity and humility than his view of the abuse of power and on abortion.
“But Biden has long pushed back on the idea that, for him, faith must lead to policies. ‘I’m prepared to accept doctrine on a whole range of issues as a Catholic. … I’m prepared to accept as a matter of faith — my wife and I, my family — the issue of abortion. But what I’m not prepared to do is impose a rigid view, a precise view … that is born out of my faith, on other people who are equally God-fearing, equally as committed to life,’ Biden told the Jesuit magazine America in a 2015 videotaped interview.” CBK
No, atheism is not a religion.
“Why then do the religious so often claim atheism is a religion? We don’t know, you’ll have to ask religious people that question. Perhaps it is an attempt to drag atheism down to the level of a religion—a set of unsubstantiated beliefs, in a landscape where beliefs are held only on faith. If so, they would be completely wrong about that too.”
From: https://www.atheistalliance.org/about-atheism/is-atheism-a-religion/
From the same article: “Let’s spell this out, atheists have no beliefs in common, no gods of any kind, nothing they worship, no scripture, no shared values, and no dogma. They have no clergy, no schools, and no sacred buildings. The only thing all atheists share is a lack of belief in gods.
Duane Atheism is a RESPONSE to the same religious question. Different persons and religions over the centuries have different answers to that question. Atheists say NO, but it still reveals the presence of the question and, for many, an awareness of mystery. CBK
One can understand the there are many “mysteries” in mankind’s ability to discern and describe the world in which they find themselves. That’s nothing new.
Atheism is not a religion. You religion loving folk/apologists just can’t seem to understand that fact. Ay ay ay ay
Go Donny Go
Jan 7, 2021
An open, farewell letter to Donald Trump in the form of a music video. This is a light-hearted mash-up with original lyrics and music production. Boogie-woogie piano blues tune roughly patterned after Johnny B. Goode (C. Berry) and Don’t Mess Around With Jim (J. Croce). Donny Be Gone, Goodbye Donny.
This is off topic but is one of importance. I support the teachers. Who wants to work in unsafe conditions? I was a sub for Sub Center South years ago and those schools are not in good condition.
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Chicago Teachers Union to members: Refuse in-person teaching
Chicago Teachers Union members have until Saturday to vote on a collective action to defy Chicago Public Schools and refuse to report to school buildings starting Monday, continuing remote learning for as long as they have access to their online platforms.
The district’s reopening plan requires elementary school teachers to start working in person Monday for the first time since March, in preparation for the return of 70,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The union estimates 10,000 educators are affected, in addition to the prekindergarten and special education staff who have already been working in schools.
The union’s governing body, a 700-member House of Delegates, passed a resolution with 84% support after two hours of discussion Wednesday, sending the action to their 25,000 members. It’s not yet clear if showing up to school would constitute crossing a picket line, but depending on how CPS handled the absences, it could evolve into a more traditional strike. The resolution authorizes remote work only starting Monday “or on whatever date Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handpicked Chicago Board of Education requires educators teaching kindergarten through eighth grade to appear in person,” and a strike if CPS locks members out of their accounts or otherwise retaliates.
“Only the mayor can force a strike, and if it comes to that, that’s her choice,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said in a prepared statement. “We choose safety.”…
http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=93a54aa8-09db-4894-a809-71e38fb1b9e3
Stuck in Modi again:
The Washington Post
Alert
Politics Aler
Jan. 21, 3:39 p.m. EST
President Biden designates acting heads of FCC and FTC
Jessica Rosenworcel, currently a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, is a staunch supporter of net neutrality who believes the government should invest heavily in broadband Internet.
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, has urged the agency to be more aggressive in probing and punishing abuses by Big Tech.
Biden obviously knows how to work the system. Finally, this country has a LEADER!!!
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The Washington Post
Alert
News Alert
Jan. 21, 5:14 p.m. EST
Biden is targeting at least 60 of Trump’s more than 200 environmental rollbacks and adding protections.
The Post tracks the moves.
A new Washington Post tracker chronicles President Biden’s progress in unraveling Donald Trump’s policies while forging his own. The new president has rejoined the Paris climate accord, nixed the Keystone XL pipeline, and on Thursday, his administration imposed a 60-day pause on all leasing, permitting and other major Interior Department decisions unless approved by a top Biden appointee.
I am not a follower of sports, but Hank Aaron is a man to admire. This information comes from Mike Klonsky’s blog.
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Hank Aaron, one of the greatest of all time, died today at 86…
In 1974, as Aaron attempted to surpass Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs, he was showered with racist hate mail and shockingly specific death threats. It was seen as an affront to white supremacy that anyone other than Babe Ruth might hold the home-run record. The Atlanta Journal even wrote a preemptive obituary of Aaron in case he was killed. Aaron could have remained silent. But instead he chose to go public with what he was facing and the pressures being put on his shoulders. By going public, he was in effect holding up a mirror to this country. In other words, in Aaron’s comment that in this White House, “There’s no one there that I want to see,” his stance is not only unsurprising. It is who he is…
Catholic schools in Illinois aren’t doing very well.
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Archdiocese to shut 4 schools, merge parishes
Officials at the Archdiocese of Chicago say mounting debt and declining enrollment will lead to the shuttering of four suburban Catholic schools and the consolidation of dozens of parishes in the months ahead.
The downsizing is part of the Renew My Church initiative that started in 2018 amid financial pressures.
The closing schools are Christ Our Savior in South Holland, Sacred Heart in Melrose Park, St. Ann in Lansing and St. Joseph in Summit.
St. Benedict School in Blue Island and St. Walter School in Morgan Park will merge, with upper-grade students at St. Benedict and lower-grade students attending St. Walter.
Cardinal Blase Cupich made the school closure decisions based on what officials described as “low and steadily declining enrollment levels” and large financial deficits. At the four schools that are closing, enrollment has plummeted an average of 31% the last four years, adding up to a total deficit of around $1.12 million this school year.
The merger of St. Benedict and St. Walter schools is happening alongside the Renew My Church initiative, which is anticipating the merger of the two parishes in the future, officials said.
“The bringing together of these two schools helps stabilize them financially,” Jim Rigg, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said in a Thursday statement. “School closures are always difficult because we recognize the impact they have on students, their families and our staff.”
On Friday and Saturday, the archdiocese announced more city and suburban parish consolidations. Among them:
*St. Helen, St. Mark and Holy Rosary parishes in Chicago will unite as a new parish with a new name. St. Helen will become the main worship site for the newly formed parish, and officials said Masses at St. Mark will end by Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022, with the future of the Holy Rosary site still under review.
“As a pastor, I feel a connection to my parishioners so I understand this is painful and there will be a grieving process, but it is what is best for us all,” the Rev. Thomas Baldonieri, the pastor at Holy Rosary, said Saturday.
*Three other West Town parishes — Holy Innocents, Santa Maria Addolorata and St. Malachy + Precious Blood will be joined as a new parish with a new name. While Holy Innocents and St. Malachy + Precious Blood will both be worship sites for the newly formed parish, Masses at Santa Maria will be halted by Ash Wednesday in 2022.
*On the Northwest Side, St. Edward Parish and School, Resurrection Parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and Our Lady of Mercy Parish likely will be consolidated into two parishes, but officials said a final decision is pending.
*On the North Side, St. Mary of the Lake Parish and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish will merge. St. Mary of the Lake will serve as the main ministry center, with the future of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and campus still under review, officials said.
Our Lady of Lourdes’ school building on the east side of Ashland Avenue will be sold “as soon as possible,” with the proceeds used to fund the ministry in the new parish, officials said.
*In the west suburbs, St. Hugh Parish in Lyons, St. Mary Parish and School in Riverside, and Mater Christi Parish in North Riverside will become one parish.
While both St. Mary and Mater Christi are expected to continue to offer worship services at their sites, St. Hugh Church will cease Masses by Ash Wednesday in March 2022 and will move toward a formal closure.
*In the southwest suburbs, St. Louis de Montfort Parish in Oak Lawn will be shuttered July 1. Our Lady of the Ridge Parish in Chicago Ridge and St. Linus Parish and School in Oak Lawn will unite this summer, continuing to use both churches for Mass.
Earlier in the week, archdiocese officials announced other closures and consolidations, including:
*Christ Our Savior School in South Holland, which officials said has seen a 24% decline in enrollment during the past four years and now faces a $300,000 deficit.
*Sacred Heart School in Melrose Park, which has seen a 33% drop in enrollment in recent years and faces a $207,000 deficit. Parents on Friday were awaiting information about other Catholic schools where they can enroll their children…
http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=6e37dc48-7a8d-4230-a8b0-90678640f5de