Archdiocese addresses parish consolidation concerns

By Paul Brooks
Times Herald-Record
November 03, 2014

http://www.recordonline.com/article/20141103/NEWS/141109810

New York Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling provided answers to the following questions about the Catholic parish consolidations and mergers announced Sunday. Several parishes in our region will be closed for regular services next August. More than a dozen other parishes will consolidate and merge, but are not required to close churches.

Are the decisions to consolidate or merge – in particular to close - parishes reversible?

 ...(T)here has been a tremendous amount of information gathering and consultation that went into this process. It is hard to imagine the circumstance under which there may be new, previously unconsidered information that would have a significant impact on a parish’s status, but if there was such information, that would be looked at. Otherwise, these decisions are final.

Will the consolidated and merged parishes take new names?

 They may choose to hyphenate the name of the two former parishes that now make up this new parish, or they may choose a new name – for instance, a parish might want to take the name of one of our new saints, like Saint John Paul II parish, or Saint John XXIII parish, or Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish.

What happens to the assets and in particular the debts of the parishes consolidated or merged?

If there is any money that comes to the archdiocese, Cardinal Dolan has made it clear that the money will be used for endowing special ministries, like religious education, which we have not been able to adequately support since we were putting so much money ($392 million in the last 10 years alone) into propping up half-empty schools and parishes. Debts and liabilities also follow the people to their new parish, but we will be working with the individual parishes in this regard.

Does the Archdiocese expect all of the parishioners of closed parishes to move to the new parish and church?

 (W)e would hope that most of the people would join their new parish, but we understand that, especially in this day and age, that some people might choose to join another parish. 

Will the Archdiocese contribute financially to the parishes under consolidation or merger?

While these mergers were not in any way driven by financial considerations, one of the outcomes of merging parishes should be larger congregations that not only will bring a new vibrancy and spirit to the parish, but would also enable it to support itself better financially. ... (W)e know that we will always have to support struggling parishes and schools.

Are further consolidations or mergers possible? When? Under what circumstances?

(T)here are a handful of situations where we have asked the clusters to take another look at their situation, ... that could result in a few more mergers. ... While there are no plans to undergo another process like Making All Things New, there is always the possibility that the Archdiocese may have to begin new parishes, expand other parishes, or possibly even merge existing parishes.