I don't know about the "decline" criterion but St John The Evangelist in Warrenton, Virginia, Pastor Fr. John Melmer, seems as though it would qualify for your consideration.

Peace,

Jakes

Here's where I have an issue.  If your parish is dwindling it needs your help. Instead of abandoning it, help revive it. Even if only one person see's the light of Christ. Because Christ seeks those who are lost, he goes into the dirt to find one lost sheep.  He traverses rivers, mountains, lakes, forests, desert to find that one lost dear sheep.

It is part of the mystical body of Christ.  They are our brothers in arms, our commrades in battle.  They need your strength.  In parishes where a problem of epidimic porportions is evident, the lay become the help.  If the lay abandon, they are no better than the clergy who have lost faith.  We Christians or Catholics do not abandon our own at least that's text book and what we are called to do, help one another so we can shine the light.

Love one another this will prove to the world that I came.

In general, I agree with bhokuto that one should work through one's local parish and, if need be, the chancellory to fix parishes that are messed up.

For those families trying to raise Godly children, there is another level of concern -- does one make the effort to get involved, break into and out from the parish politics and try to identify and then correct poor religious education and liturgical abuse during the formative years of one's children?

Or does one drive a few more miles to a parish where the teaching, preaching, and sacraments are solid?

Fishman:

Focus on the reality of life: if the first christians had problems, so will we. Never think the grass is greener somewhere else. If we as Christians do our part God is satisfied. That means all Christians in the soup, clergy, lay etc.,.

Heroes of the Church become Saints.

Just give it to us straight.

I'm convinced the vast majority of Catholics in the pews simply want (and need) to do what's right. 

We want and need the faith -- if that's Latin and chant, great.  If that's tambourines and holding hands at the Our Father, so be it. But just give it to us straight.

What we don't need is constant novelties and innovations with intermittent complaints and warnings that all is illicit because the Church disappeared after Vatican II.

As the world views it, confusion and bickering seem to be the Gospel message, but of course they are not. The good news is salvation through Jesus Christ in humble obedience to God's loving will.

Just give it to us straight.

Jakes,

Gosh, you're right.  jzaborowski was looking for "St. Joe's in Bugtussle" and I gave him philosophy.

"Blessed Sacrament in Kansas City, Kansas"

I think there are many parishes out there that are orthodox. We belong to one and know of others in our area. But we also belonged to a church that wasn't! We were trying to fight the fight and keep the pastor and liturgy committee from "changing the church from the inside out". WE LEFT!! After 10 years of being every kind of volunteer, having 3 of our children in the school and tithing, we found there was no one willing to follow the bishop or the pope! For the sake of our children (5 at the time) and for our own souls we went to the more orthodox church 3 miles away. It has been the greatest blessing to us. We now have 7 children and have lost 2 before birth, we are affirmed in our faith, we have adult education that is excellent, youth groups that are Catholic, 24 hour adoration, and our oldest child is a 2nd year seminarian for our diocese.

We loved our first parish, we still meet those parishoners with joy, but we will never go back to that parish.

Do a search for Eucharistic Adoration and see what web sites you find.

And pray, pray, pray for Godly priests and bishops!!

Nettie

First, I'll give the concrete answer,

 St. Jude's, Fort Wayne, IN. We have an Adoration chapel, daily reconcilliation, two daily masses, and a "Blue Ribbon" awarded school. Fr. Tom Schumaker, Pastor.

Next, To be philisophical, thank-you fishmanfor the clarification in terms for "orthodoxy" verses the loaded political term "conservative". Parishes where the Sacraments flourish and their is true sense of community could do more to help other struggling parishes. However, how would this be received? Hopefully charitably, but it also may serve to point out the "declining" vs. "thriving" dynamic and cause more members of the parish to leave. I don't think you can seperate the decline in certain parishs from the economic and moral declines (especially in urban area's) which effect all area's of American life. To solve this decline, fervent and constant prayer in our adoration chapel's is the best solution.

Praise Be to the Master