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	Catholic Churches to Learn Their Fates Diocese of Allentown Forced to Restructure As Number of Priests, Parishioners Declines. By Daniel Patrick Sheehan Morning Call May 30, 2008 http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5diocese.6432941may30,0,3559638.story This Sunday promises to be an emotional one for Catholics in the Diocese of Allentown, as they learn the fate of their churches during liturgies that will be tailored to ease hard feelings and encourage unity. An unknown number of churches will vanish as the five-county diocese restructures itself to deal with shifting populations, fewer priests and other demographic pressures that have left some churches virtually empty. The announcements are expected to hit especially hard in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, home to dozens of ethnic churches founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to serve immigrant populations. Their prevalence, proximity and small membership relative to suburban parishes make them especially vulnerable to closure. Catholics in the Schuylkill County borough of Mc-Adoo, for instance, already know their Polish, Italian, Slovak and Irish churches will be folded into a single parish. They'll find out Sunday which building will survive to serve the community. Pastors at affected churches will read a letter from Bishop Edward Cullen detailing the restructuring plans. These can include mergers, meaning several parishes are joined to create a new parish with a new name; or consolidations, meaning several parishes are absorbed into an existing parish that retains its name. Restructuring has been carried out across the Catholic Church in America, for the same reasons confronting the Allentown diocese: too many buildings, too few priests and parishioners. The decline in clergy is especially problematic. By 2010, projections show, the number of priests in active parish ministry in Allentown may fall from 129 to 111. The diocese, with 151 parishes serving 272,000 people, is aiming for a structure in which most pastors would oversee no more than one parish; the ratio of priests to people would be about one to 2,400; and the parishes with the weakest finances and infrastructure would be absorbed by the strongest. The restructuring plans are the culmination of a process begun in the fall of 2005 when "listening sessions" were held across the diocese, attracting about 1,500 people. Last summer, parishes were grouped into 33 deanery regions, and committees of clergy and laypeople were formed to make recommendations on restructuring. In the letter to be read at unaffected parishes, Cullen urges the faithful to pray for the success of the project and to welcome new members from closed churches, who will be experiencing "a deep and personal loss." Spokesman Matt Kerr said "the bulk" of the decisions will be announced Sunday, but the process is not finished. Some restructuring plans have not yet been submitted and others remain under review. Sunday's readings and music have been changed to anticipate the likely impact of the announcements. For example, the suggested offertory hymn -- played while the communion bread and wine are presented to God before consecration -- is "Be Not Afraid." The Rev. William Seifert, pastor of St. Stephen of Hungary in central Allentown, said the distress of the faithful -- who stand to lose churches where generations have been baptized, confirmed and married -- is understandable. But he likened the process to pruning in a vineyard: cutting off some branches so the vine can remain fruitful. "The sense of desolation can't be separated from the consolation that what is being done is for the good of the church," he said. daniel.sheehan@mcall.com 610-820-6598 CATHOLIC CHURCH RESTRUCTURING What's happening: On Sunday, the Allentown Catholic Diocese will announce which churches will close, consolidate or merge as part of its restructuring plan. About the diocese: It serves 272,000 Catholics in 151 parishes in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties. The diocese's goal: To have pastors oversee no more than one parish.
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