By Leslie Richardson
Republican Herald
May 30, 2008
http://www.republicanherald.com/articles/2008/05/30/news/local_news/
pr_republican.20080530.a.pg1.pr30churches_s1.1714471_top3.txt
The wait may soon be over.
On Thursday, the Diocese of Allentown announced that details of the long-awaited consolidation of parishes will be released this weekend.
Starting Saturday evening at Masses across the diocese, priests will read letters from the Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, bishop of Allentown, according to Matt Kerr, director of communications for the Roman Catholic diocese.
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| The Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, speaks to the congregation at the 150th anniversary Mass at St. Mauritius Church in Ashland in 2006. Photo by John E. Usalis / Staff Photo |
Each restructuring plan was developed by one of 33 Deanery Region Committees across the diocese and reviewed by the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Council of Priests. Restructuring plans were made on a region-by-region basis and not all have been approved, so it was unclear what parts of Schuylkill County will be discussed in the bishop's letters. The bishop is not expecting recommendations from some regions for several months.
However, in those churches that have been marked for closure, parishioners will learn the date this weekend. Cullen directed every Mass this weekend to include special scripture readings and prayers to help worshippers with the process.
"The reason we are doing it this way is that the diocese thinks it is important that the people hear this in a pastoral setting," Kerr said Thursday. "They should hear it at Mass from their pastor."
A press release issued Thursday stated the restructuring is part of a response to a growing shortage of priests. The diocese projects that by June 2009, there will be 115 priests available for parish work. There are 151 parishes in the diocese.
In April 2007, the Diocese of Allentown released a timeline for planning consolidations and making recommendations to the bishop. One of the points in the recommendations was that each pastor in the diocese would be assigned to only one parish. Given the number of priests currently assigned to the county, it would mean 36 parishes in the county would close and each parish would have about 1,800 parishioners by 2009.
Parishioners have been writing letters, staging protests and praying the Rosary at several locations hoping to sway the decision regarding the closures.
"I would rather wait and see what the letter says before commenting," Stephen Babinchak, New Boston, a parishioner of St. Joseph Church, Mahanoy City, who has spearheaded several efforts to contact the bishop, said Thursday.
"We know churches have to close. What we heard is there will be one church in each town. What we hope is that there will be two, that would help the people. We just wanted him (Bishop Cullen) to slow down and think about it, not to make the decisions so fast. All we asked is for him to come into town and talk to us first before the decisions were made."
Babinchak and his group never got to meet with Bishop Edward Cullen, although they chartered a bus and prayed the rosary outside his office on Tilghman Street in Allentown.
On another weekend, they walked 49 miles to the office from Pottsville.
"That's why we tried to go where he worked and get into his office. They said the bishop was never there," Babinchak said.
Will Pelko, Frackville, said he was hoping for more time.
"We were hopeful for a reprieve," Pelko said. "If the decision could wait until next year, the current bishop ... should retire and maybe the new bishop would be more flexible. This is a battle and we are only a small part of the church but banded together we are a great deal. We are the foundation of the church."
Meanwhile, parishioners in McAdoo, Kline Township and Tresckow are expected to learn that only one church will serve their area.
In January, Monsignor Edward Zemanik told parishioners at Immaculate Conception Church in Kelayres that his deanery's six parishes would merge into one after restructuring is complete.
It is unclear which church will remain open but parishioners will find out this weekend, according to the Rev. Thomas Shanfelt of St. Bartholomew's and St. Michael's Roman Catholic Churches in Tresckow.
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