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	Twin Cities' Catholic Parishes Merge By Stephanie Grinnell Courier Connection May 15, 2008 http://blog.biddefordsacooobcourier.com/2008/05/15/twin-cities-catholic-parishes-merge-may-15-2008.aspx Beginning July 1, Biddeford and Saco Catholic churches will merge under one name, Good Shepherd Parish, as part of Bishop Richard Malone of the Portland Diocese call for a church reorganization. Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Lyman form Cluster 25. During the first phase of reorganization, the Biddeford and Saco churches, including St. Andre, St. Joseph, St. Mary, Most Holy Trinity and Notre Dame de Lourdes, will fall under the larger umbrella of Good Shepherd in respect to finances, Business Coordinator Paula Moses said. She said instead of each church having its own funds and finance manager, all will be managed as one under Good Shepherd. Monsignor Rene Mathieu will be named pastor of the Good Shepherd Parish. His current title is administrator. The other two churches, St. Margaret Parish in Old Orchard Beach and St. Philip in Lyman, will remain independent until the final phase of the reorganization in 2010 when they will become part of Good Shepherd as well, Moses said. Moses said portions of the original reorganization plan have been stricken due to feasibility. The original plan was approved by Malone in October 2006 and called for expansion of St. Luke in Old Orchard Beach, otherwise Notre Dame, the convent and rectory would be sold, along with Our Lady of Victory Hall in Camp Ellis. The portion of the plan to physically expand St. Luke, a summer chapel, to accommodate year round church services was removed because of a study that revealed extensive wetlands in the proposed expansion area, Moses said. The original plan also suggested selling the St. Joseph rectory and purchasing property in Biddeford for construction of a new church and possibly a new school. If land were purchased, the remaining churches, with the exception of Most Holy Trinity, would be sold as well. Most Holy Trinity would be converted into central administrative offices. The plan also suggested expanding parking at St. Philips as needed. The plan notes artifacts from each defunct parish would be displayed in remaining cluster churches. Because the expansion to St. Luke is not feasible, most other options are still being considered, Moses said, including proposed church closures. "Over time, there will be some churches closed," she said. The roposed closure of St. Mary and Notre Dame de Lourdes is still expected to happen, Moses said. She said the Cluster Transition Committee has yet to finalize a closure plan or determine a timeline for any closures. The two Catholic schools, Notre Dame de Lourdes in Saco and St. James in Biddeford, will be incorporated with the Good Shepherd Parish, Moses said. "If Notre Dame church were to close, that doesn't mean Notre Dame school will close," she said. The Cluster Transition Committee is made up of members of each of the seven churches in the cluster and three priests, Moses said. "The cluster transition team continues to look at all parts of the plan," she said, adding there will be more information available in coming months. Director of Parish Planning for Evangelization Bill Schulz said all 29 clusters in the state must implement their merger plans by 2010. He said Cluster 25 has been doing an outstanding job moving ahead with their proposal. "There are a lot of moving parts, churches, cemeteries and schools," he said. "In typical Maine fashion of seeing a challenge and not spending a lot of time talking about it, they're just doing it." Contact Stephanie Grinnell by calling 282-4337 ext. 213 or email news@inthecourier.com.
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