Parishes in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties will be affected
TRENTON -- The Diocese of Trenton announced this week plans to merge or link more than two dozen parishes, a reorganization church officials say is necessary to help revitalize Catholicism in the area amid changing times.
In all, 17 parishes will be merged to create 8 new parishes, reducing the total number of parishes to 98 from 107 by 2020. Another 15 parishes will be linked up to neighboring ones, sharing resources and one pastor.
"Change and adaptation has always been necessary for our faith not only to remain strong but also, and more importantly, for our faith to grow stronger," Bishop David O'Connell said in a pastoral letter. "I believe that it is not so much a case of growing smaller or 'becoming less' as a church, a diocese or a parish; I believe it is a case of 'doing more with less.' The challenge before us all is to figure out 'how.'"
The reorganization is the culmination of a planning process that began almost 18 months ago.
Trenton, which covers Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties, suffers from the same demographic and other trends that have plagued dioceses across the country for years. Among them are fewer priests as retirements outpace ordinations, fewer Catholics attending Mass or receiving the sacraments, changing populations and shrinking finances.
Only about 18 percent of the diocese's estimated 673,500 to 774,000 Catholics regularly attended Sunday Mass, according to annual parish reports.
"With these sobering spiritual realities confronting us in the Diocese of Trenton and beyond ... it simply does not make any sense to cling to sentimental memories of the 'way we were;' or to nostalgically fantasize about a return to the 'good old days,'" O'Connell said. "We must forge ahead to meet and embrace the future with a living, dynamic and active faith."
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Under the plan, the following parishes will be merged:
- St. Andrew, Jobstown, with Assumption, New Egypt, by July 1, 2018
- Sts. Francis and Clare, Florence, with St. Mary, Bordentown, by July 1, 2018
- Divine Mercy, Trenton, with Sacred Heart, Trenton, by July 1, 2017, then the following year, Sacred Heart will merge with Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd, Trenton
- St. Joseph, Keyport, with Jesus the Lord, Keyport, by July 1, 2018
- St. Jerome, West Long Branch, with St. Mary, Deal, by July 1, 2018
- Ascension, Bradley Beach, with St. Elizabeth, Avon, by July 1, 2019
- St. Catherine of Siena, Seaside Park, with Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Seaside Heights, by July 1, 2018
- St. Mary of the Lake, Lakewood, with St. Anthony Claret, Lakewood, by July 1, 2020
Officials say the aim is to create a new parish that is stronger and better equipped to minister to the community.
Both churches in the combined parish will remain open, but all of the staff, councils, organizations, ministries, programs, finances, assets and liabilities will become one.
Under linkage, two or three parishes remain distinct, but are served only by one pastor and are encouraged to do as many things cooperatively as possible.
That theme of collaboration is also carrying over into the rest of the diocese. In all, 25 "cohorts" -- or groups of three to six parishes -- were formed and the diocese is asking that they work together and make more efficient use of each other's resources, whether it's in ministries and religious education or outreach programs.
Diocese spokeswoman Rayanne Bennett says the diocese wants to avoid having small, inactive parishes.
"We can do a lot more if we're pulling our resources than if we stay separate and limited by individual parishes," she said. "It's not just about saving money or surviving. It's about being robust and living up to our Gospel mandate. We serve God better when we position ourselves to be stronger and this lays out the way to do that."
Different parishes were also designated as "centers for ministry" to help meet the needs of the diocese's increasingly diverse populations. There will be 18 centers for Hispanics, two for Portuguese and two for Haitians.
As part of the reorganization, the diocese plans to stop using two churches for regular services. Jesus the Good Shepherd in Riverside will no longer use St. Peter Church and St. Raphael-Holy Angels in Hamilton is expected to suspend operations at Holy Angels Church as early as July 1.
The diocese says more changes could follow as it continues to review some parishes.
More information can be found at dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-in-our-future.