Diocese of Antigonish Announces More Church Closures

Cape Breton Post
May 27, 2012

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-05-27/article-2989318/Diocese-of-Antigonish-announces-more-church-closures/1

SYDNEY — Four Sydney area Catholic churches are slated for closure over the next two years following an announcement by the Diocese of Antigonish, Sunday.

St. Anthony Daniel Church on Alexandra Street and Sacred Heart Church on George Street will close in June 2014. St. Joseph's Church on Cabot Street will remain open and will absorb the congregations from those two churches.

In a letter by Bishop Brian Dunn to parishioners, the rationale for this change has to do with the fact St. Joseph's is the newest of the three buildings, it's large enough to accommodate the two other parishes, and it has level access, plenty of parking and office space in the church.

Next year, Immaculate Heart Church on Mira Road will close and Sunday services at St. Anne's Church in Membertou will be discontinued. Those parishioners will relocate to the three operational Sydney churches before St. Anthony Daniel and Sacred Heart are shut down in 2014.

As a result of the amalgamation, St. Joseph's parish will be renamed, said Rev. Donald MacGillivray, spokesperson for the diocese's planning committee.

"A new parish will be established," MacGillivray said, Sunday.

"Three parishes are closing. It's not that unusual. It's what they did in New Waterford, they named a new parish."

MacGillivray, who is the parish priest at St. Anthony Daniel, said his congregation expressed mainly sadness at the diocese's decision, but there were also those who were angry at the prospect of losing their house of worship.

The diocese blames its attendance issues on outmigration from Cape Breton and an increasingly secular society as fewer Catholics attend church regularly.