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	Catholic Churches Must Decide Future By Gabe Osterhout WBNG February 22, 2008 http://www.wbng.com/news/local/15888517.html Dozens of Catholic Churches are close to a deadline to decide their future. The Syracuse Diocese picked parishes to merge or link. Their plans are due next month. Our Lady of Angels Church in the Town of Union was built in the 1960s, as an offshoot to Christ the King Church. Now the two parishes will again be one. Due to a priest shortage, and declining population in the area, the Diocese has asked some area churches to merge. The Diocese wants the parishes to be involved in choosing a the place to worship and name. "As I understand it, we'll maybe pick out a half dozen different names that we think are suitable and present them to the bishop and let him decide," says Rev. John Roock of Our Lady of Angels. Not all churches in the area will be merged. Some churches, like St. Ambrose here in Endicott and Most Holy Rosary in Maine will be linked, meaning they'll share the same pastor. "A linkage is easier because the parish remains open and the building remains open and essentially, the traditions remain more sacrosanct, more intact," says Rev. Charles A. Currie of St. Ambrose Church. Those two parishes have already made plans to combine many programs, like youth sports. But they don't get to pick a pastor. That decision will come from the Syracuse Diocese. And the Diocese may be forced to make other choices for its churches. "Some groups have refused to participate in the plan so they're sitting in that situation where they're going to probably be told what to do," says Brother Ed Falsey of the Syracuse Diocese. Recommendations from the parishes on how they want to link or merge must be submitted by March 20th. Falsey says the Diocese hopes to complete its reorganization by 2010. There is currently no set date for each merger or linkage to start. Falsey says that should be part of each proposal. Once approved, the Diocese will give the parishes involved 6 months to a year to follow through.
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