13 East Bay Catholic churches to shutter due to low attendance, financial woes

OAKLAND, Calif. - More than a dozen places of worship in the East Bay belonging to the Diocese of Oakland will close due to a lack of parishioners, priests and funds to keep the institutions afloat. Not enough priests or parishioners What they're saying: Bishop Michael Barber said in a statement that the decision to close the 13 churches comes as part of the diocese’s Mission Alignment Process (MAP), which seeks to engage clergy and parishioners "in a process of self-reflection and renewal" by consolidating worshippers from churches with low attendance or staffing to refocus on missionary work. "We must...