The church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Port Elizabeth, N.J., was blessed in 1845. “In May 1879, the framework, altar, pews and accessories were floated down river and creek to Goshen. Within weeks, a church stood, new on the outside but with the character and identity of Port Elizabeth on the inside.”
The story of that small church is recorded in a history of the Camden Diocese, “Building God’s Kingdom” by Msgr. Charles Giglio, printed in 1987.
Since its first “reconfiguration” 130 years ago, St.Elizabeth, now a mission of St. Casimir, will be part of the new parish community that will be formed by the merger of St. Casimir Parish Resurrection Parish, Marmora.
The “humble church” described by Msgr. Giglio will close its doors as the diocese moves forward with a restructuring plan to strengthen and renew the local Catholic Church.
In his remarks announcing the parish reconfigurations in April, Bishop Joseph Galante said “our understanding of church is not reduced to worship spaces where we gather, but it is a far deeper and richer reality.”
Facing Reality
In the reconfiguration of 124 parishes, about two dozen will retain their current status and parish name. While no parishes are closing outright, in every one of the six counties of the diocese, the merging and clustering of congregations will forge new entities and new relationships.
There is no shortage of emotion and some have been vocal in their complaints, writing to the diocese and the media, and protesting at the chancery and at diocesan events. Parishioners at St. Vincent Pallotti Parish, Haddon Township, for example, gathered in prayer on June 29 and covered the parish grounds with handmade crosses in protest. They’ve appealed to the bishop and asked him to reconsider the designated worship site for the new parish once the merger is formally established by decree.
“It is sad that parishes have to close,” said Paul Wilkes, author of “Excellent Catholic Parishes,” “The Good Enough Catholic” and other books.
Wilkes was the project director for the Parish/Congregation Study at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He has visited religious congregations around the country, seeking to discover the approaches and programs that make a faith community vibrant. Two parishes of the Camden Diocese, St. Andrew the Apostle, Gibbsboro and St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral are included on Wilkes’ list of 300 “excellent” Catholic parishes.
But as Wilkes travels through the Catholic dioceses around the United States where transitions are taking place, he asks, “How many of these churches are truly viable? How many are living on sentimentality?”
“We are losing Catholics because of the lack of vitality in our parishes, because of our lack of ability to evangelize — not only new people, but our own people.”
The closure of churches because of a lack of priests is the hardest reality of all to accept. But Wilkes points to the “dynamism” of the laity.
“I see a powerful movement of lay people who are looking to cooperate, and to be led by strong leaders,” said Wilkes. “We must keep in our hearts the vision of Vatican II, and the priesthood of all believers. It is time for the laity to take ownership — with responsibility. A responsible Catholic will say that there’s missionary work to be done, in Camden, New Jersey or wherever I am. People need the Gospel. They need the Eucharist. They need comfort. That is our job. It is exactly what Jesus Christ did.”
In one of his books, Wilkes wrote, “Blessed are the risk takers for they have once again revealed the kingdom of God.” He doesn’t see parish clusters and mergers as a risk. “It’s a great opportunity to bring a freshness to our faith life,” Wilkes said. “The kingdom of God will be revealed.”| < Prev | Next > |
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The World Seen From Rome
Catholic News Service
