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	Parish Reconfiguration: Video Remarks in English Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden April 3, 2008 http://www.camdendiocese.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=486&Itemid=153 Watch Video My Sisters and Brothers: I am here to speak to you today about the efforts that have been underway in this diocese to strengthen parish life and to address many of the challenges facing the Church in South Jersey. Soon after my installation as bishop here, I announced my plans to visit every parish in the diocese for "Speak Up" sessions. Over 15 months in 2005 and 2006, I met with more than 8,000 of you at more than 140 sessions in order to obtain your help, your input, your insight and your wisdom to strengthen our local Church at a time when—more than ever—the world urgently needs to hear the saving message of Jesus. Speak Ups identify key priorities I appreciate your input and your desire to see the Church in South Jersey flourish. I listened to you. You made it clear to me how much you love your faith, want to grow in it more deeply, and pass it on to others. I also heard firsthand your fears about the steady, continuing decrease in Church practice, fears that fewer are accepting God's call to priesthood and religious life; concern of parents for your children, who were brought up in the faith, but are leaving it behind; fears that we're not doing enough to reach out to our young people, to the alienated, and those most in need our care and concern. From the feedback you provided, six key pastoral priorities for our Church were identified: lifelong faith formation, compassionate outreach, liturgy, lay ministry, priestly vocations and youth and young adults. In addition to hearing from you at Speak Ups, I also at these sessions had the opportunity to share with you a vision of the Church that is articulated in Vatican II's Lumen Gentium and in our diocesan Vision, where "we envision growing ever-more into dynamic communities of faith, hope and love." In this vision, we are reminded that through baptism we are joined to one another in a sacramental bond of unity. We become Church, sharing in Jesus' mission in today's time and place. Even in our diversity, we are one body in Christ. For Catholics, then, our understanding of Church is not reduced to worship spaces where we gather, but is a far deeper and richer reality. We are the people of God. We constitute and form the Church, which is the center of formation, celebration and community. Parish representatives provide input toward revitalization With this Vision as our guide, in the fall of 2006 we began a planning process entitled "Gathering God's Gifts" that has as its goal the revitalization of parish life. To obtain the fullest possible input, I invited men and women—clergy, religious and laity—from every part of the diocese, to make recommendations to me on how to best strengthen parish life and to advance the six pastoral priorities that you, the people of the diocese, found were most needed. First, each parish planned together with its neighbors. Then parish representatives planned at the deanery level. Planners were asked to review demographic and financial data, Mass attendance, parish facilities and more. Planners then developed recommendations to strengthen parish life in their area of the diocese that was based on the realities confronting our Church. Challenges facing the Church What are these realities which confront us? First, our priests are aging. When we started the planning process three years ago, there were 171 active diocesan priests serving 124 parishes. By 2015, we anticipate and expect that there will be half that number of priests available, as many will reach retirement age between now and then. While we pray and work with God's grace for new vocations to the priesthood, we must also plan based on the numbers that will be available in the near future. Second, in many areas of the diocese, parish facilities exist in very close geographic proximity to each other. They were established in a different era to serve Catholic people that have now moved from former Catholic population centers into other parts of South Jersey or even out of the diocese completely, leaving behind under-utilized and often aging facilities. . Third, we have an increasing diversity of the Catholic people, as Catholics from other countries find a home in our diocese. Nationwide, almost 30 percent of Catholics are Latino, as are almost half of all adult Catholics under age 40. In our own diocese, in addition to our Latino sisters and brothers, we also have growing Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese populations that are bringing great diversity and richness to our church. They too must be fully served and invited into parish life. Fourth, we have declining Mass attendance and religious observance. At its peak, five decades ago, weekly Mass attendance was at 74 percent. Today, surveys in our own diocese indicate that fewer than 23 percent of Catholics attend Mass each week. Other studies reveal an alarming lack of familiarity with basic teachings of the faith, and the tendency, confirmed in the recent Pew Forum study, for too many Catholics to abandon the faith of their youth when they become teenagers, go off to college or grow into adulthood. Status quo is not an option We know the realities and challenges that are before us. And yet, many of our parishes presently are ill-equipped to address these challenges. In order to advance the pastoral priorities identified by you the people and to implement the full range of ministries that will serve young and old alike, we know that we must augment our volunteer staffs—who have been so generous—with paid, experienced professionals. Many parishes, as presently configured, lack the means to do this. Dioceses in every area of the country are experiencing these challenges. And yet, we can only deal with the situation as we find it here in South Jersey. I know that these are serious challenges. But I believe far greater are the opportunities for our parishes to become dynamic, life-giving centers of practice of our faith if we take bold action together, confident that the Spirit is guiding us on our way. What is not an option is inaction. What is not an option at this time is leaving things alone and hoping for the best. We've tried that for too many years, and it doesn't work. New models of parish configuration present opportunities for vibrancy I have asked planners to consider new approaches to parish configuration, including the possibility of merging or clustering parishes, in order to combine or share resources in a way that will give people ready access to well-celebrated liturgies and the other sacraments, full opportunities for faith formation, and spiritual growth. With a merger, two or more nearby parishes join together to form one larger parish. Both the assets and liabilities of participating parishes are united and become the responsibility of the merged parish. Since the merger results in a new parish, one pastor is assigned. One budget is created with one new pastoral council and one new finance council, with representation from each of the parishes involved in the merger. The diocese itself does not benefit from the sale of property or real estate, since all assets and liabilities belong to the merged parish. Another possibility is a priest-team model, wherein the pastoral care of multiple parishes is entrusted to a team of priests, with one priest assigned as moderator of the team. While these new models of configuration in and of themselves do not guarantee vibrancy, they do provide greater opportunities for new vitality by combining human and financial resources in a way that will allow newly configured parishes, under the direction of good pastoral leadership and staffing, to better serve the needs of our people. The new models of configuration proposed by parish planners were reviewed by the Diocesan Planning commission to assess: 1) whether the Catholic people would be able to participate fully in parish life without traveling unreasonable distances; 2) whether the workload for pastors would be reasonable; 3) whether the recommendation would provide adequate resources for paid, professional staff to assist in parish ministry; 4) whether parish income could adequately sustain the new configuration; and 5) whether the advantages of the recommendations outweighed the disadvantages as it pertains to the common good and pastoral care of the people. Deanery planners demonstrate collaborative spirit Deanery planners were given feedback at meetings that I held in the fall along with members of the Diocesan Planning Commission. Having had the opportunity to consider the Commission feedback, deanery planners provided final recommendations to the diocese in January. Through it all, deanery planners were asked to put self-interest aside. They were asked in their recommendations to consider not "what's best for my own parish," but "what's best for this deanery." To the more than 400 men and women who participated in the planning process, meeting many times late into the evening over many, many months, I offer my profound thanks for your time, your talent, your dedication, your patience and your hard work. I thank you for the collaborative spirit that was evidenced at your meetings. I commend you for the way you reached across parish boundaries to embrace neighboring parishioners on behalf of the common good of our diocese. I thank also our planning chairpersons and facilitators for your leadership in guiding your planning teams through this process. In a special way, I want to thank our deans and pastors for your leadership and for shepherding the Catholic people through this challenging time with pastoral sensitivity. Finally, I thank the faithful of the diocese, all of you, for your prayers, your patience and your understanding during this time of consultation, where there has been the prospect of great change in the diocese. You have been very engaged in seeking what is best for the life of the Church. Multiple consultations provide valuable input I met in February with the Diocesan Planning Commission for three days to review the deanery recommendations and obtain the Commission's input from a broader, overall diocesan perspective. Then on three days in March, I consulted with the Presbyteral Council, an advisory group of priests, to obtain their feedback on how new configurations might provide better opportunities for the pastoral care of the Catholic people in South Jersey. While planning decisions ultimately are mine, the in-depth input provided over these last 15 months by these multiple consultations have helped form, shape and refine the decisions that are before me. Indeed, the wisdom and experience of our people has been absolutely essential to me. Intended parish configurations for parish revitalization After prayerful reflection and study, and extensive consultation, and in order to address our pastoral priorities by calling back those who have abandoned the faith, by providing compassionate outreach and offering lifelong faith formation, by giving nourishment through good, sound liturgy, by reaching out to our youth and young adults, my goal and desire always has been to revitalize parish life by improving care to the people of God. Therefore, I intend the following reconfigurations for the Diocese of Camden: In Deanery I, it is my intention to: * Merge the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Camden), Holy Name (Camden) and Our Lady of Mount Carmel/Fatima (Camden), with the primary worship site at the Cathedral and a secondary worship site at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/Fatima Church. * Merge St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral (Camden), St. Cecilia (Pennsauken) and St. Veronica (Delair), with the worship site at St. Joseph-Pro Cathedral. * Merge St. Joan of Arc (Camden) and St. Bartholomew (Camden) with the worship site at St. Joan of Arc. * Cluster the new parish at St. Joan of Arc (Camden) with Sacred Heart (Camden). * St. Anthony of Padua (Camden) and St. Joseph Polish (Camden) will remain as stand-alone parishes. In Deanery II, it is my intention to: * Merge Holy Saviour (Westmont), St. John (Collingwood) and Transfiguration (West Collingswood), with the primary worship site at St. John and a second worship site at Holy Saviour. * Merge St. Aloysius (Oaklyn) and St. Vincent Pallotti (Haddon Township) with the worship site at St. Aloysius. * Merge Annunciation (Bellmawr), St. Anne (Westville) and St. Maurice (Brooklawn), with the worship site at Annunciation. * Merge Sacred Heart (Mount Ephraim) and Holy Maternity (Audubon), with the worship site at Sacred Heart. * St. Stephen (Pennsauken), St. Mary (Gloucester), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Woodlynne) and St. Peter (Merchantville) will remain stand-alone parishes. In Deanery III, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Peter Celestine (Cherry Hill) and Queen of Heaven (Cherry Hill), with the worship site at St. Peter Celestine. * Merge St. Pius X (Cherry Hill) and Holy Rosary (Cherry Hill), with the worship site at St. Pius X. * Cluster St. Mary (Cherry Hill) and St. Thomas More (Cherry Hill) * Christ the King (Haddonfield) and St. Andrew (Gibbsboro) will remain stand-alone parishes. In Deanery IV, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Lawrence (Lindenwold), St. Luke (Stratford) and Our Lady of Grace (Somerdale), with the primary worship site at St. Lawrence and a second worship site at St. Luke. * Merge Mary Mother of the Church (Bellmawr) with St. Francis De Sales (Barrington) and St. Gregory (Magnolia), with the primary worship site at Mary Mother of the Church and a secondary worship site at St. Francis De Sales. * Merge St. Teresa (Runnemede) and St. Maria Goretti (Runnemede), with the worship site at St. Teresa. * St. Rose of Lima (Haddon Heights) will remain a stand-alone parish. In Deanery V, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Agnes (Blackwood) and St. Jude (Blackwood), with the worship site at St. Agnes. * Merge St. Mary (Williamstown) and St. John Neumann (Sicklerville), with the worship site at St. Mary. * Merge Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Berlin) and St. Edward (Pine Hill), along with its mission of Mater Ecclesiae (Berlin), with the primary worship site at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Mater Ecclesiae will remain a worship site, continuing its mission. * Holy Family (Sewell), St. Charles Borromeo (Sicklerville) and SS. Peter and Paul (Turnersville) will remain stand-alone parishes. In Deanery VI, it is my intention to: * Merge Corpus Christi (Carneys Point), Queen of the Apostles (Pennsville), St. Mary (Salem) and St. James (Penns Grove) with primary worship sites at Corpus Christi and Queen of the Apostles, and, because of its historical significance, St. Mary will remain a secondary worship site. * Merge Holy Name (Mullica Hill), St. Joseph (Woodstown) and St. Ann (Elmer), with worship sites initially at both at Holy Name and St. Joseph, as Holy Name is in the process of building a new church. * Merge St. Michael (Gibbstown), St. Joseph (Swedesboro) and St. John the Evangelist (Paulsboro), with worship sites at St. Michael and St. Joseph. In Deanery VII, it is my intention to: * Merge Our Lady of Lourdes (Glassboro) and Queen of Peace (Pitman), with the primary worship site at Our Lady of Lourdes and a secondary site at Queen of Peace. * Merge St. Patrick (Woodbury), St. Matthew (National Park) and Most Holy Redeemer (Westville Grove), with the primary worship site at St. Patrick and a secondary site at St. Matthew. * Merge Nativity (Franklinville), St. Bridget (Glassboro) and St. Catherine (Clayton), with worship sites at Nativity and St. Bridget, particularly for the Spanish community. * Merge St. Margaret (Woodbury Heights) and St. John Vianney (Deptford), with the worship site at St. Margaret. * Incarnation (Mantua) will remain a stand-alone parish. In Deanery VIII, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Teresa of Avila (Bridgeton), Immaculate Conception (Bridgeton), St. Michael (Cedarville) and St. Mary (Rosenhayn), with primary worship sites at St. Teresa and St. Mary. Worship sites will remain at Immaculate Conception, particularly for the Hispanic community, and at St. Michael. * Merge St. Francis Assisi (Vineland) and Immaculate Heart of Mary (Vineland), with the worship site at St. Francis. * Merge St. Mary Magdalen (Millville), St. Anthony Mission (Port Norris), and St. John Bosco (Millville), with the worship site at St. Mary Magdalen. * Merge St. Isidore (Vineland) and Sacred Heart (Vineland), with the primary worship site at St. Isidore and a secondary worship site at Sacred Heart. * St. Padre Pio (Vineland) will remain a stand-alone parish. In Deanery IX, where we have so many of our shore parishes, shore worship sites will remain in order to continue to serve large summer populations. However, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Augustine (Ocean City), St. Frances Cabrini (Ocean City) and Our Lady of Good Counsel (Ocean City), with the primary worship site at St. Augustine. St. Francis will continue to be a worship site for Hispanic liturgy. All three churches will remain as worship sites through the summer and shoulder months of fall and spring. * Merge Maris Stella (Avalon) and St. Paul (Stone Harbor), with the primary worship site at Maris Stella and a secondary worship site at St. Paul. * Merge St. Ann (Wildwood) and Assumption (Wildwood Crest), with the worship site at St. Ann. Assumption will continue as a secondary site for summer tourists. * Merge Resurrection (Marmora) and St. Casimir (Woodbine), which includes St. Elizabeth Mission (Goshen), retaining worship sites at Resurrection and St. Casimir. Bishop McHugh Regional School remains a summer worship site. * Merge St. John of God (North Cape May) and St. Raymond (Villas), retaining both worship sites for now. * Our Lady Star of the Sea (Cape May), which includes St. Agnes Mission (Cape May), Our Lady of the Angels (Cape May Court House) and St. Joseph (Sea Isle City) will remain stand-alone parishes. In Deanery X, it is my intention to: * Merge Our Lady Star of the Sea (Atlantic City) and Holy Spirit (Atlantic City) at Our Lady Star of the Sea. * Cluster Our Lady Star of the Sea (Atlantic City), St. Michael (Atlantic City) and St. Monica (Atlantic City) under the care of a Priest Team. All of the worship sites will be retained. * Merge Blessed Sacrament (Margate), St. James (Ventnor) and Epiphany (Longport), with the primary worship site at Blessed Sacrament and summer worship sites at St. James and Epiphany. * St. Nicholas of Tolentine (Atlantic City) will remain a stand-alone personal parish for hospitality workers and visitors. In Deanery XI, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Bernadette (Northfield) and St. Peter (Pleasantville), with St. Bernadette as the worship site. * Merge Assumption (Pomona) and St. Nicholas (Egg Harbor City), with the primary worship site at Assumption and a second worship site at St. Nicholas for Hispanic parishioners. * Merge St. Katharine Drexel (Egg Harbor Township) and St. Vincent DePaul (Mays Landing), including St. Bernard Mission (Dorothy), initially maintaining worship sites at St. Katharine Drexel and St. Vincent DePaul until a new church is constructed at the St. Katharine Drexel site. * St. Joseph (Somers Point), St. Thomas the Apostle (Brigantine), St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Absecon) and Our Lady of Sorrows (Linwood) will remain stand-alone parishes. In Deanery XII, it is my intention to: * Merge St. Joseph (Hammonton), St. Martin de Porres (Hammonton) and St. Anthony (Hammonton), with a primary worship site at St. Joseph, and a second worship site at St. Martin de Porres. * Merge Assumption (Atco), Blessed John XXIII (Blue Anchor), along with its missions of St. Lucy and Sacred Heart (Cedarbrook), and St. Anthony (Waterford), with the primary worship site at Assumption, and a second worship site at Sacred Heart Church. * Merge Queen of Angels, Landisville (which includes the churches of St. Michael, Minotola and Our Lady of Victories, Landisville), St. Rose of Lima (Newfield), Our Lady of the Lakes (Collings Lakes) and St. Mary (Malaga) with primary worship sites at St. Rose of Lima and St. Michael (Minotola), which is a church of Queen of Angels parish (Landisville), and a secondary worship site at Our Lady of the Lakes. New opportunities for improved service to the People of God Certainly, the number of parishes will be reduced, but I am hopeful and prayerful that the opportunities for improved care and service of our people will be greatly increased. I pray that the range of ministries and services that will benefit people of every age in our diocese also will begin to be experienced. While the number of worship spaces will be reduced, I am convinced that our sense of community will grow, as will our fervor for the Gospel, and our opportunities for sharing the Good News with others. These must be a hallmark of who we are as Catholic Christians. Yes, worship space, Mass schedules and priest assignments will change in many areas of the diocese. What does not change is our faith. What does not change is Jesus, in Word, in Sacrament, and in our believing community. Jesus is the very reason we take these steps toward new life in this diocese. Transitions to new configurations will take time These new parish configurations which I intend will not take place overnight. These configurations will take time. Some parishes, because of their planning together and through their collaboration, will be able to transition to new configurations more quickly than others. In some cases, parish boundaries may require further study for possible modification. Transition issues will be different from parish to parish, but the transition to new parish configurations we hope will be accomplished within one to two years. We will be working also in the months ahead to ensure a timely process for the assigning of new pastors for all the new parishes created through mergers, as well as in other parishes where there will be openings. New pastoral leadership is expected to be in place in these locations by early fall. In addition, the diocese will provide assistance to help guide parishes through the change that is ahead. More details regarding the process for implementation will continue to be provided to our parish communities in the weeks ahead. Change is difficult, but necessary for new life In the meantime, I recognize that these changes will require sacrifice. The giving up of the familiar and comfortable is never easy for any one of us. Yes, on an intellectual level we know that the Church is the People of God, not the buildings and facilities where we come together to worship and carry out the mission of the Church. We know also that the Church is not confined to one particular parish or place, but is a larger and more profound reality in which there is a relationship and connectedness among people, whose baptismal bond transcends all others. That bond of baptism is greater and deeper than the neighborhoods in which we live or the parish buildings in which we gather and celebrate. Given the challenge that change inevitably brings, the diocese has invited more than 100 trained facilitators to help parishes and parishioners deal with feelings of loss that will occur through these changes. My prayer is that all of us will have the patience and courage that is necessary to bring about this renewal and new life in our Church. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his most recent encyclical on hope (Spe Salvi), said, "The present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey." Here in the Diocese of Camden, we are not changing for the sake of change. We are changing so that we may have new life. We are changing for the sake of more dynamic, more vibrant, more alive parish communities of faith, hope and love wherein, as our Vision says, the mind and heart of Jesus may be revealed. We want Jesus to live in us. We want Jesus to be seen and experienced in us. We change so that we can become more closely and more deeply united to Jesus and His mission. It has been and continues to be my heartfelt desire that we as a Church recover and reclaim what the Lord has invited us to be and to do. This surely is a necessary and worthwhile goal. Yes, change is difficult, even when we know that something better lies ahead. Like the disciples, we may want to retreat or scatter, when faced with the events of our own Good Fridays. And yet, we keep our focus fixed firmly on the Jesus of Easter, the Risen Jesus, who is the source of our hope for new life. A new springtime for the Church In November, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced that Pope Benedict XVI would visit the United States in April. At that time, he said to all the bishops gathered in that meeting that he hoped that the Pope's visit would provide a "new springtime" for the Church in the United States. It is my prayer and desire that all our efforts will bring about a new springtime in the Church of Camden. We must have a renewed enthusiasm, a fresh sense of wonder and a deep gratitude for the great gift of our faith, the opportunity to live it and the opportunity to share it. May God bless all of us and strengthen our efforts to bring this about. To God be the praise and the glory forever. Amen
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