Closing churches cannot possibly bring people back to the Church. Further distancing the flock from the sacraments will, of course, result in a net loss of souls and is contrary to the mission of the Church. The same tragic fate will unfortunately occur by “proactively” withdrawing the physical presence of the heritage, beauty, and majesty of our cherished places of worship in our communities. In doing so you violate the very natural and undeniable marketing principle of “out-of-site, out-of-mind.” Removal of the tangible reminders of our faith, therefore, works the same as a broken home–it serves only to further obscure our identity and our self-confidence as Catholics.
Novelties such as this are folly, and will only further separate us due to the inevitable inconsistencies that will arise through reliance on our imaginations following loss of critical physical cues. This is not a recipe for success. Please consider another approach for our churches not currently in exremis, and guide us in prayer for real solutions. The Holy Spirit will provide. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini!