BishopAccountability.org
	Empty Churches Breed Concerns Fears Include Blight, Rebuilding Hurdle By Michelle Krupa The Times-Picayune April 10, 2008 http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1207805569142670.xml&coll=1 In the two years since the Archdiocese of New Orleans mothballed Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, neighbors have wondered what would become of the massive church building and school at the edge of the Freret section of Uptown. Apart from the loss of worship services and social programs, the absence of activity at the Napoleon Avenue site caught the attention of parishioners and non-Catholics alike as the once- bustling space reverted to a quiet compound predisposed to blight. "It's like having a big shadow cast over your neighborhood," said Greg Ensslen, president of the Freret Business and Property Owner Association. "It's not necessarily malevolent, but it's also not contributing anything to daily life." With the announcement Wednesday by Archbishop Alfred Hughes that Our Lady of Lourdes, along with 32 other parishes across the region, will be closed in a broad reorganization of Catholic life in the New Orleans area, Freret denizens weren't alone in fretting about what would become of an empty church. They joined residents and civic leaders across the region who reacted to the archdiocese's plan with deep uncertainty about what the changes will mean for neighborhoods surrounding the affected parishes, especially those still recovering from the Hurricane Katrina flood, and whether any part of the decree could be reversed. "You're losing more than religion in a church," City Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson said. "You're losing what's been a center of influence, of social gathering and where people have felt the most comfort in coming home after Katrina." Broad plans Hughes said the archdiocese will assume control of all shuttered real estate, and church leaders will try to recast the spaces to serve the local Catholic mission, such as by providing health centers or senior housing complexes. If such plans cannot be worked out, the archdiocese will seek renters or buyers who would use the properties "for the common good," he said. Selling them on the commercial market would be a last resort. Beyond that broad scheme, however, the archbishop offered few hints of what could occur at each site, and he declined to estimate how soon plans will be set. If charitable uses cannot be found quickly, New Orleans City Councilwoman Stacy Head said she hopes the archdiocese will move to find commercial buyers, noting that in the city, nonprofits are exempt from property taxes. "The worst case to me would be if they were derelict, not on the market and not on the tax rolls," she said. C. Elliott Perkins, executive director of New Orleans' Historic District Landmarks Commission, said leaving empty churches vacant for months or years could yield a pair of harmful effects. In recovering neighborhoods, a long lag could hinder rebuilding of adjacent blocks, particularly if the building is large, such as St. Maurice in Holy Cross, he said. "They control a significant portion of land there, and if it sits empty, it will weigh down the neighborhood and its recovery," Perkins said. Second, churches of architectural and historical significance that are left to fester could quickly fall into disrepair, threatening the city's cultural fabric. Two churches on the closure list -- St. Maurice and Our Lady of Good Counsel in the Garden District -- are in historic areas, while St. Frances de Sales, considered the place New Orleans rhythms fused with ancient works to create the "jazz Mass," is a landmark. In St. Bernard Parish, where five churches mothballed in a post-Katrina triage are being shut down permanently, Parish Councilman Mike Ginart said he fears the buildings will deteriorate. "The Catholic Church unfortunately has not (done) a good job of cleaning those properties, keeping the grass cut and making them secure," Ginart said. A spokeswoman said the archdiocese has maintained all closed properties by cutting grass and removing trash, and will continue to do so. Future repopulation Beyond buildings, some New Orleans leaders worried that the plan may not dovetail with repopulation predictions. For instance, with St. Raymond Parish in Gentilly closing, the return of as many as 600 families in 2010 to a rebuilt St. Bernard public housing complex may strain neighboring St. Leo the Great Parish, City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell said. "I can't question the archbishop, but it seems to me that they're not really looking ahead," she said. Meanwhile, City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis, like many Catholics across the region, said she hopes the archdiocese will reconsider its decisions in light of revised census figures, especially in eastern New Orleans, which makes up the bulk of her district. "When you say closed, that's such a death knell," she said. "My hope is that a prudent plan responds to the determination of the people who want to go back to their original churches." Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3312.
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