One parish to replace six

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard has accepted nine recommendations from the six Catholic parishes of Watervliet on closing all six and creating one new parish that will use three of the churches as "worship sites."

The recommendations include:

* officially closing the six parishes, but using three churches as worship sites -- St. Joseph's in Green Island, and St. Brigid's and St. Patrick's in Watervliet -- for one new, combined parish community. (Two more churches, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Immaculate Conception, may be used for liturgies until June 2006; Sacred Heart of Mary will close this June);

* ending the terms of the four pastors and one parish life director currently covering the parishes;

* choosing a new name for the newly formed parish community (and possibly a new name for St. Brigid's School, as well);

* developing a new budget for the 2005-'06 fiscal year;

* establishing the new parish community as of July 1;

* welcoming a new leadership team of two priests and a parish life director to serve there as of the same date;

* appointing new trustees, pastoral council members and finance committee members;

* conducting a facilities study of the 21 buildings owned by the parishes to determine future use; and

* creating and implementing a combined program for prayer and worship, social outreach, administration and faith formation (including the Catholic school) for the parish community.

Consolidation

Diocesan officials cited several reasons for the consolidation, including the populations' moving to the suburbs and the shortage of priests available to serve in parishes.

There are currently 175 parishes in the Diocese, but only 100 priests are expected to be available to serve them by 2011.

About 1,900 people currently attend Mass each weekend at the six churches, although St. Patrick's alone could seat 1,200 at a liturgy.

In addition, the six parishes were spending 40 percent of their collective income on upkeep of their 21 buildings, even as funerals far outnumbered baptisms.

Planning process

In his pulpit letter to the parishes, Bishop Hubbard thanked the parishes' current leaders and the six-parish planning team that created the plan.

"For the past 18 months, the members of the core planning team have been working very diligently to develop a pastoral plan which will ensure a vibrant and vital Catholic presence in Watervliet and Green Island," he stated. "The members of the core planning team have grappled with difficult issues and have made decisions which in some cases meant letting go of their own individual desires for the good of the whole community. I am deeply grateful to each one of them for the work they have done."

The formation of the new parish community is expected to secure the future of the Catholic Church in Watervliet.

(Read a previous story on this by searching for "Parishes changing to solve problems" at www.evangelist.org.)

(3/17/05)