‘Save our shrine’: Parishioners make plea as Archdiocese of Baltimore assesses future of 61 churches

By Tommie Clark

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — The Archdiocese of Baltimore is considering closing and merging a handful of its congregations as part of a larger effort to reimagine Catholic life and ministry in Baltimore City.

Parishioners whose churches are on the chopping block are speaking up ahead of any final decisions.

Archdiocesan officials said the goal is to ensure parishes remain sustainable. Officials are currently in the draft phase, working with parish leaders, looking through data and assessing the needs of the communities they serve.

When parishioners of Shrine of the Sacred Heart found out there was a possibility their parish could soon shutter, they contacted 11 News with their message: “Save our shrine.”

“To be honest with you, it was really disturbing, and I say that because I’ve gone through this before: 26 ago, my parish closed. They were merging parishes again,” Shrine of the Sacred Heart parishioner Pamela Wyatt said.

Wyatt is one of about 1,600 people who attend Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington. The congregation recently found out the almost 160-year-old parish may soon have to merge with the Cathedral of Mary our Queen.

“It’s just not going to a physical building to pray. It’s us. The whole community. We want to be noticed. We want to be taken into account,” Shrine of the Sacred Heart parish council member Tita Siozon said.

The merge would be part of a two-year-long Seek the City to Come initiative. The effort aims to reshape the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s footprint. It includes 61 congregations in Baltimore City and nearby areas of Baltimore County. Some proposals include eliminating more than 40 parishes.

“We want to make sure that everyone is weighing in, and that’s part of this process right now. So, there are no decisions that have been made,” said the director for Seek the City to Come, Jeri Royale Byrd.

Parishioners are now spreading the message “save our shrine,” and asking: Why their parish?

“We have a very strong, engaged community — Filipino, non-Filipino, young, old — it’s a generational parish with many different ethnicities,” Shrine of the Sacred Heart parish council president David Bender said.

“We don’t understand why, because this shrine is self-sufficient, it’s highly active,” Shrine of the Sacred Heart parishioner Debra Tagle said.

“The Shrine is just so alive. If we lose her, we lose all of that. We lose everything,” Shrine of the Sacred Heart youth leader Sensei Silab said.

Once the draft plan is ready to present, there will be two public feedback sessions. The first is on April 25 at Archbishop Curley High School. The next is set for April 30 at Mount St. Joseph High School. Both go from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The final decision is expected in late June.

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