by Tablet Staff
On Dec. 10 and 11, diocesan officials held information sessions with parishioners from 19 parishes in Brooklyn and Queens that will enter into a reconfiguration process ahead of potential mergers in the future.
The meetings were led by Bishop Robert Brennan and co-facilitated by Msgr. Joseph Grimaldi, vicar general for the diocese. They were opportunities “to discuss the potential of parishes coming together to collaborate more and share resources,” according to a diocesan spokesperson, which is an early stage of the process.
At each session, Bishop Brennan explained challenges the diocese faces, including shifting demographics, fewer new priests, and the retirements of experienced priests.
“We’ve been combining parishes for years and years and years,” Bishop Brennan told parishioners in opening remarks at the Dec. 11 session. “It’s a part of the story of who we are in Brooklyn and Queens … But we’re always alive.”
“We are a church that is constantly shifting but always alive.”
There were eight parishes in Queens and 11 in Brooklyn involved in the discussions.
In Queens, the collaborating parishes were: St. Rita and St. Patrick in Long Island City; St. Thomas the Apostle in Woodhaven and St. Elizabeth in Ozone Park; Holy Trinity in Whitestone and St. Fidelis in College Point; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in South Ozone Park and St. Teresa of Avila-St. Anthony of Padua in Ozone Park.
In Brooklyn, the collaborating parishes were: Holy Name of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Windsor Terrace; St. Rose of Lima in Kensington and Holy Spirit in Brooklyn; Holy Cross and St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise in Flatbush; St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Catherine of Genoa in East Flatbush; and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dyker Heights, St. Athanasius-St. Dominic in Bensonhurst and St. Finbar in Bath Beach.
The recent meetings were a part of the first of three “reconfiguration stages,” as described by the Office of the Vicar General. The first two stages typically last about a year, after which the possibility of a merger follows.
The first stage is the “collaboration process.”
In this stage, the diocesan officials meet with the pastors of the involved parishes, followed by meetings with the parish communities. From there, formal collaboration begins — joint religious education programs and other ministries, and evaluation of Mass schedules to combine where possible.
The second and third stages are the “partnership process” and “merger process,” respectively. In the second stage, a shared pastor is assigned to both parishes, while the other is relocated, and a shared coordinating parish council is established. Lastly, in the third stage, a petition to merge is submitted for approval.
The Office of the Vicar General’s information sheet on the reconfiguration stages acknowledges that “mergers do not always lead to church closings; however, some closings might be necessary.”