While I agree with you, consolidating parishes -- leaving some parishes in the consolidation without resident priests -- isn't really the answer to the drop in eastern parishes, I also believe the Catholic population percentage-wise in the East is shifting to the south and southwest. And that is not the fault of Pittsburgh. For example, the Catholic population in the South (from Virginia to Texas) has grown from 17% to 24%; and if one includes the southwest, to 30%. That region of the US church is increasing while the east is decreasing (although southern New England is still around 35% Catholic; and NY and New Jersey have large numbers of Catholics). But can any eastern parish, for example, match St. Monica's parish in Santa Monica, CA, with 7,000 on a weekend? Anyway, I just hope the beautiful stained glass windows in the Pittsburgh churches (if later closed) are given or offered at a low price to new southern churches like a parish church soon to be dedicated in Viera, FL.