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	Consolidation of Catholic Parishes Had to Be Done Daily Journal April 7, 2008 http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/OPINION01/804080344/1014/OPINION The anxiety felt by many Catholics throughout the Camden Diocese is understandable. Change is never easy. But when that change is as dramatic as slashing parishes from 124 to 66 during the next two years, including several mergers in Vineland, Millville and Bridgeton, the feelings of disappointment and uncertainty are even more intense. That's especially true in parishes like Vineland's Sacred Heart, where family traditions may go back generations. The decisions could not have been easy for Bishop Joseph A. Galante either. He saw the facts, however, and had the courage to address the problems now instead of just ignoring them. And the diocese went out of its way to make the whole process as open as possible, wisely including lay members of the parishes in the decision-making process. The facts are stark. The diocese currently has about 170 active diocesan priests, but that number is expected to decrease by half by 2016 due to deaths and retirements. Although the population in the diocese has been increasing, the number of Catholics who regularly attend Mass has been falling. Only about a quarter of the 500,000 Catholics in the six-county diocese attend Mass weekly. Combine these two factors and it's obvious that some tough consolidation choices had to be made, and the diocese, under the leadership of Bishop Galante, made them for the benefit of the church's future. (In a secular parallel, after all, aren't consolidations and more sharing of services what many residents are calling on state, county and local governments to do?) The Rev. Peter Saporito, pastor of St. Padre Pio Parish in East Vineland (which still feels lingering effects of its own merger a few years ago), made the point in his homily last Sunday that worship is spiritual and not bound to the structure in which it takes place. It is the right message. Bishop Galante was upbeat when he announced the parish reconfigurations last week. Not all parishioners shared the bishop's view and, truth be told, many Catholics across South Jersey may feel a sense of loss for years to come. But no matter how disappointed some may feel, the decision to close some parishes and cluster and merge others will allow the church to use its financial and human resources more efficiently to promote the spiritual growth that is at the heart of religion.
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