Tuesday, September 28, 2004
There goes the neighborhood
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=46898
Having lived in city neighborhoods as a child and young adult, I never heard concerns such as this. Where I live now, having a parish Catholic school as a neighbor can add up to 20% to the value of a home. What happens if a parish wanted to emphasize another ministry, a half-way home for troubled youth or a hospice home -- traditions with more pedigree than a prep school? What if they wanted to get out of the education business entirely?
One commenter suggested the reason for the opposition to a residence of religious women is what becomes of the place when they sell the property. Does it become an apartment house or a motel, heaven forbid? (If there was nearby land, it could become a country club, but I don't know how much that development would affect property values.)
We own our home again these days. Property values are up and we got a nice refi deal at the end of last year, paying off some debts and lowering our monthly payments. Maybe if a religious motherhouse had sold their property to Motel 6, the deal wouldn't have been as sweet. Or if the local Catholic school closed its doors.
Does this start getting into the territory of this past Sunday's gospel reading? Unlike most of the world's citizens, I do own a home. What if the neighboring Catholic parish decided the gospel demanded outreach to the poor was called for -- a far less sexy response than educating children in white polo shirts and navy shorts? The realities of home values are a given, but what if they conflict with gospel values? If my parish or a group within my parish decided it was a good idea to house a handful of black foster children in the neighborhood, send them to the parish school, give them a fresh start in their young lives, would I be bound in good conscience to support it? I think I would.
