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Catholic priest shortage gives rise to California “megachurch” as parishes expand
Visalia, California — For Catholics in Central California, bigger means better — and St. Charles Borromeo Church feels heaven-sent. The largest Catholic parish church in North America has 3,200 seats, sprawls nearly an acre and cost $21 million to build.
“This is a Catholic megachurch,” said Bishop Joseph Brennan, who leads the Diocese of Fresno.
Father Alex Chavez, a pastor at the church, is still struck by its massive scale. And as big as it is, it could be even bigger.
“There’s room for growth. I could always add masses,” Chavez said.
The Catholic Church is facing a labor crisis decades in the making. Over a half-century, the average size of a parish increased by 60%, while the number of priests dropped by 40%, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
“It’s huge, and it’s really across the board,” Brennan said. “It’s complicated, but there are all kinds of issues.”
Among them are inadequate recruiting of young men, societal issues including materialism and career success, family issues such as broken homes and the legacy of the church’s sex abuse scandals, according to Vocation Ministry.
The Fresno Diocese recently ordained six new priests — their most since 1968. But Brennan says he could use 25 every year.
“I think nowadays, especially for my generation, commitment’s a strong word,” said Jimmy Millan, one of the new priests at St. Charles Borromeo.
Joseph Klinge, another newly ordained priest, says the Catholic Church’s history of sexual abuse have marred the image of the priesthood.
“I’ve had people call me a pedophile, just for wanting to become a priest. There’s wounds or scars, because that’s a horrible thing,” Klinge said.
Still, the new priests are hopeful things could turn around.
Until it does, this megachurch merges four parishes into one behemoth. Across three Sunday masses, 8,000 parishioners in total fill the pews.
“We’re responding to a very real need. So Jesus would walk through the door and say, ‘Well it’s not what I had in mind, but way to go, guys. It’s a creative approach.'”
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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