Catholics Fear Possible Church Closures in SJ, by Jim Walsh, Courier-Post, March 26, 2008

Catholics Fear Possible Church Closures in S.J.

By Jim Walsh
Courier-Post
March 26, 2008

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/NEWS01/803260365/1006

An announcement of dramatic changes in the Diocese of Camden, including a cutback in the number of parishes, could come "as early as next week," a diocese spokesman said Tuesday.

Bishop Joseph Galante is preparing to decide the fate of each parish in the six-county diocese after soliciting input from parishioners, priests and others over a 15-month period, said spokesman Andrew Walton.

Members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima Church in Camden want the diocese to spare their church. Preparing for for a rally are (from left) Yolanda Aguilar de Neely, Julianne Jaquez, Carmen Quiles, Kevin Quiles, Wanda Garcia, and Iris Maldonado, all of Camden, and Angie Feliciano of Woodlynne.
Photo by Chris Lachall

"It's clear that the status quo is insufficient," said Walton, who noted the diocese must cope with a priest shortage and other concerns. "The traditional model of one pastor, one parish, will be impossible to sustain in every area of the diocese in the future."

At least one parish isn't waiting to hear from the bishop, however. Members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima plan to march Thursday from their Camden church to Galante's office in the city's downtown.

"This is home," Julianne Jaquez, 17, of Camden, said of the 101-year-old church, which rises above an impoverished neighborhood in the Bergen Square section. "They'd be taking a piece of us when they close this building."

Wanda Garcia of Camden has been a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima Church all her life.
Photo by Chris Lachall

"We'd like to be left alone," added Yolanda Aguilar de Neely, a parishioner who works as an aide to Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison. But, she says, "They've already let us know we could not be a stand-alone. We know they're thinking about that (merger)."

Parish members plan to give Galante a letter outlining the case for saving the predominantly Hispanic parish. They note many parishioners, including children and the elderly, walk to the neighborhood church, which has bilingual and Spanish-language services.

"This church has activities going on every day, every week," said Angie Feliciano, a state employee who lives in Woodlynne. "Are we going to lose our name, which is our tradition?"

She also notes the parish's name reflects another merger 30 years ago when a Hispanic church, Our Lady of Fatima, was merged into Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which at the time served a dwindling congregation of Italian-Americans.

"We feel the diocese has already put us through this once," Feliciano said.

Walton says the diocese sees a distinction between church buildings and the congregations they serve.

"The Church — with a capital C — is the people of God," Walton said. "The Church is fundamentally not about individual buildings because that's something that can change."

Without a change, the diocese eventually would have more parishes than priests, Walton said. The diocese, which has 124 parishes, expects to have only about 85 priests by 2015. It has about 170 priests now.

Changes also are needed to strengthen parishes "by combining resources," Walton said.

While some parishes may keep the traditional single-pastor model, others could be merged or clustered, the diocese says. In some cases, parishes would be run by a team of priests or by a parish life director.

"Right now, many stand-alone churches do not have the ability to provide a full range of services and ministries," Walton said.

Galante has received input from planning teams at each parish, as well as from an 18-member diocesan planning commission. He met this month with the Presbyteral Council, a group of priests whose advice is needed when a parish may be "altered notably" through merger, boundary change or some other configuration.

"In the end," Walton said, "we're confident this long process will bring about stronger, more vibrant parishes."

Reach Jim Walsh at (856) 486-2646 or jwalsh@courierpostonline.com