This Congregation deems it opportune to write to you regarding the closure of parishes in the dioceses of the United States, since in recent times certain dioceses have wrongly applied canon 123 CIC and stating that a parish has been "suppressed" when in reality it has been merged or amalgamated.
Dom over at Bettnet followed up with commentary on the letter about parish closings in Boston, many of which he claims have been "suppressed".
Down below this post, we see in the comment box Tim's lead to the Detroit Blog.
Every time I head to Assumption Grotto, I look at all of the old homes, with their beautiful brick work.....empty, boarded up, burned out, etc. Every now and then, amidst a row of homes that look like they had been through a war, is an oasis. It will have a neatly manicured lawn, nice looking trim and painting. Most often it has grates over the windows, but sometimes just thick security glass.
There's actually a piece of me that would love to have one of those old homes. But, I have to wonder, what happens when the sun goes down? How long will it take police or EMS to get to my home if I call? How long will trash sit out in the street? I have seen the same TV sitting at a curb for probably 6 weeks in front of one house, along with much smaller items that just kept getting passed-up on garbage day. Other homes were in need of a large trash bin. What is sickening are the poor children who must play around these things because they are not being dealt with by the city. Why not use inmates?
This blog is rather interesting - especially the opening shot in this archive post with the trees growing on top of the old abandoned building. Click the picture to go there.
The text is rather interesting to read....
Dogs and cats aren’t the only animals roaming the city; true wildlife has made its way back into Detroit after being pushed to the edges of the suburbs years ago. Pheasants have become commonplace in areas like Brush Park and Woodbridge, along the East riverfront, and in grassy parts of Highland Park. Even foxes, opossums, turkeys, roosters and raccoons have been spotted deep inside the city, some animals even roaming downtown where very little street-level brush exists as places to hide.
This is sssoooooooooooo true. I almost spit my coffee out while driving to one of the automotive plants downtown upon seeing my first pheasant ever. I didn't know what it was and wondered if something had gotten loose from the zoo. Areas are indeed prairie-like as the author suggests.
Its very saddening that the neighborhoods have to look like they do. I give credit to the many residents who work hard at keeping their property up nicely, which on many streets I cross, is the greater number. On others, there might be only one or two decent houses, and the rest...well, you know.
Who knows - if the economy keeps going the way it is, we may all end up repopulating the place. I hear you can get a home quite cheap there nowadays. I can't imagine why.
Go to the June 29, 2006 entry and you will see some of the most beautiful building work anywhere. It just breaks my heart when I see many of these kinds of buildings abandoned, rather than being gutted on the inside and renovated. These buildings are real classics and remind us of the skillful artistry of those who did such work long ago.