The Meaning of Church?

So there's this article in the NYT about rebelling Catholics in Boston. (No, there wasn't any tea involved.)

You can read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/us/06vigil.html?hp

They are rebelling because the diocese, which is practically bankrupt after all the sexual abuse scandals, is trying to close their parish churches.

According to the article, this struggle has given them a renewed faith. They are keeping vigil 24-7, so the diocese can't come in and lock them out. They are demonstrating commitment that most pastors would believe could only exist in heaven. There are a bunch of comments from parishioners about how they've discovered whole new dimensions to their faith and all that.

There is something about this that bugs me. The article does mention that they have opened their ministries up, and they are doing helpful things; they're not just sitting around making sure the doors don't get locked.

But isn't it a little sad that what got people so passionate about their faith was primarily the threat of re-structure, that is, of closing a particular building and presumably merging certain congregations with others? Are particular buildings and particular groups of people really that crucial to the practice of faith?

Now, obviously, part of my problem is that I'm definitely not a sentimentalist. I can get attached to buildings as much as anyone. And I believe in historic preservation and all that. But it's not like the diocese gave them an "F" and kicked them out of heaven. Times are tough; cuts happen. Sometimes things have to be given up. God knows the money required to keep up all the facilities the Roman Catholic Church owns is an unholy waste of resources. (Have you been to the Vatican lately? If that guy had a good pawn shop, Catholics wouldn't have to tithe for another 1000 years!)

Probably, they could have gone along with the cuts and adjusted and been just fine. But instead, they got riled up about the buildings, and now things are different. People are more excited and engaged. I find it a little strange.

To really illustrate my Protestant bias, let me add this: There was also a hint from the article that what they really found exciting was rebelling against the hierarchy. They were having services without priests and having women lead worship and all sorts of heretical things. And they were enjoying it. To which I just say, welcome to the rest of the church, brothers and sisters!