Visit Courierpostonline.com/churchforum to Start the Conversation with Neighbors about the Changes
By Kim Mulford
Courier-Post
April 3, 2008
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080403/NEWS01/804030379/1006/news01
The announcement today that is expected to consolidate some South Jersey parishes is part of a trend sweeping across the Catholic Church in this country.
 |
| Bishop Joseph Galante |
Pressed by shifting demographics, a severe priest shortage and declining Mass attendance, Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Galante is to announce a major restructuring of the Camden Diocese that will likely led to the closing of some parishes in six South Jersey counties.
Across the country, and especially the Northeast, bishops facing similar problems are cutting parishes -- with sometimes contentious results.
Between 1995 and 2007, nearly 700 parishes were closed nationwide, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. More cuts are on the way. Within the next two decades, the number of active diocesan priests in the United States is expected to drop in half to 11,500.
"This is just the beginning," said Sister Christine Schenk, executive director of FutureChurch. The Cleveland-based Catholic coalition is pushing for solutions in response to the priest shortage, such as optional celibacy for priests and ordaining women.
"We have 19,000 parishes," Schenk said. "How are we going to keep those parishes open? We're not."
In six South Jersey counties, 124 parishes serve an estimated 450,000 Catholics, or about 33 percent of the population. However, just a quarter of Catholics in the diocese attend Mass regularly, officials say.
Within the next four years, the diocese expects the Catholic population will decline in the northernmost parishes, especially Camden County, where many churches are tightly clustered. At the same time, growth is expected in underserved areas that were once undeveloped farmland, such as Gloucester County and parts of Atlantic County.
In Camden County, there are 49 parishes and a mission church, where Mass is celebrated in Latin. In Gloucester County, there are 23 parishes.
Most pressing is the impending priest shortage. The diocese expects it will have fewer than 85 active priests by 2015, a 50 percent decline.
The Camden Diocese, which also serves Catholics in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, is not alone.
The Diocese of Trenton is merging eight parishes into four in northern Burlington County. A ninth parish will share a pastor with one of the merged parishes as part of that restructuring, which is to be completed by July.
A similar restructuring is planned for the future in southern Burlington County.
And dioceses across the country are making deep cuts:
The Boston Archdiocese has closed 59 parishes since 2004. Ten parishes are pursuing appeals in Rome; five have filed civil lawsuits against the archdiocese.
In Detroit, Cardinal Adam Maida announced the closure or consolidation of more than 100 parishes over the next several years.
In Buffalo, N.Y., 41 parishes merged to 19, with more reductions expected.
Cleveland parishioners have been warned 48 parishes may close or merge.
FutureChurch offers a free crisis kit for parishes facing closure. While some struggling parishes should be closed, Schenk said, creative solutions are available to keep others open, even without a resident priest.
Galante's reconfiguration will undoubtedly include some of those solutions.
Planning committees weighed options such as merging parishes into a new parish and clustering two or more parishes so they can share a priest. Others may be led by a "director of parish life" instead of a priest, and some parishes may be grouped together under a team of priests.
Still, others in the diocese could face closure.
Joe Franchetti, a 68-year-old devout Catholic in Cherry Hill, anticipates a 30 percent reduction in the number of parishes. But whatever decisions are made, Franchetti hopes they result in a stronger, more vibrant diocese. He'd also like to see some threatened parishes get a second chance.
"There are some (parishes) that are still viable, if parishioners are given a chance to contribute and do more," Franchetti said.
In other parts of the country, reactions from closed parishes have ranged from resignation to outright refusal to obey.
In Boston, the National Catholic Reporter has said, five closed parishes have been occupied by protesters for at least 40 months.
Recent studies have found the American Catholic laity is more willing than ever before to challenge the authority of the church, according to William D'Antonio, a fellow at the Life Cycle Institute at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Women, who make up the majority of active parishioners, are more aggressive about protecting their church rights than they were 20 years ago, D'Antonio said.
"They've decided they want their voice heard," said D'Antonio, a sociologist who co-authored the book, "American Catholics Today: New Realities of Their Faith and Their Church."
Schenk, of FutureChurch, said Galante has a reputation for being a fair person and praised his work to involve the laity. More than 500 parishioners participated in the planning process, according to the Camden Diocese.
"He's to be congratulated for that," Schenk said. "I think this is the only way bishop can work (with) this situation because American Catholics love their parishes. They weren't born yesterday. They want to be part of the decision-making structures of the church. They feel these parishes are their birthright."
Some unhappy parishioners think their input didn't make a difference in Galante's decisions.
Kathy Creary of Winslow attended the Speak Up session at St. Anthony's, where parishioners aired their concerns before Galante. She even took notes. Now, the 61-year-old thinks it might have been a waste of time.
"Right now, there is no shortage of priests," Creary said. "There is no reason to close and consolidate and merge parishes, in my opinion. Who knows what can happen in the next 10 to 15 years?"
Andrew Walton, spokesman for the diocese, has said the reconfiguration would be needed, "even if there were no priest shortage."
Planning members examined Mass attendance, financial records, demographics and facilities, as well as the number of priests available.
Creary believes her parish and three others in Winslow will be closed or consolidated into nearby parishes.
"When he came here, our bishop already knew what he was going to do and his Speak Up sessions were just "fluff' to let the parish planning committees and the parishioners think they had a say in the planning process," Creary said. "No matter what our planning committees recommended, the handwriting was already on the wall."
Still, the lifelong Catholic said she will remain loyal to the church, and will abide by whatever decision Galante makes.
"Everybody's talking about what we can do," she said.
"At this point, there's nothing we can do. The decision has already been made. I'd like very much to surround the church with the members of our parish, but we are committed to the Diocese of Camden and the bishop. We have no choice but to follow his direction."
Reach Kim Mulford at (856) 251-3342 or kmulford@courierpostonline.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.