realities, you can hardly assign a priest to a parish with 80 families when there s one a half mile away. how did you choose how you would consolidate? it wasn t easy. we ve got some outside professionals who have a good track record of helping other diocese do this. they met with our people and looked at the demographics of the archdiocese and divided at that time the 370 or so parishes that we had. one of the churches that the archdiocese closed was this one. our lady of peace on the upper east side of manhattan said good-bye to its priest, had the locks changed, and is now holding services outside. as worshippers refuse to give up on their 100-year-old parish. it s the kind of scene that reflects what s been going on across the nation. let s face it, religious practice is down. why is that? i don t know. it s tough to graph.
you will patly decided which churches closed and which did not. you can hardly assign a priest to a parish with 80 families when this s one-half mile away. how did you choose how you would consolidate? it wasn t easy. we got some outside professionals who have a good track record of helping other diocese do this. they met with our people and looked at the demographics of the arch diocese and divide it had 370 or so parishes that we had. one that closed was this one, our lady of peace said good-bye to its priests, had the locks changed and is now holding services outside as worshippers refuse to give up on their hundr hundred-year-old parish. it s the kind of scene that reflects what s been going on across the nation. let s face it, religious practice is down. why is that?
you. reporter: as we sat on a couch outside view of the camera, phar-morian insisted he knew nothing about the allegations against father francis markey, but the dioceses told cnn father markey was sent from this church to treatment because parents were concerned he had an unnatural attraction to minor males. he never came back to the parish. markey s attorney has not returned calls to cnn. granite falls, those who did know him now wonder if there are more secrets. to this day i wonder only people wondering whatever happened to him. only people that had encounters with him, i can just imagine how many victims. reporter: now it seems likely some of them will see their priest again. not in the pews of his old parish, but the benches of an irish courtroom where markey is
you will patly decided which churches closed and which did not. you can hardly assign a priest to a parish with 80 families when this s one-half mile away. how did you choose how you would consolidate? it wasn t easy. we got some outside professionals who have a good track record of helping other diocese do this. they met with our people and looked at the demographics of the arch diocese and divide it had 370 or so parishes that we had. one that closed was this one, our lady of peace said good-bye to its priests, had the locks changed and is now holding services outside as worshippers refuse to give up on their hundr hundred-year-old parish. it s the kind of scene that reflects what s been going on across the nation. let s face it, religious practice is down. why is that? i don t know, bill.