Bishop Joseph Galante formally announced today that three new parishes will be established on June 23, 2010 through the consolidation of eight existing parishes, the boundaries of which extend into all six counties of the diocese.
The announcement establishing the new parishes was made in three formal decrees, which are published in this edition of the Catholic Star Herald.
• In Hammonton, Saint Joseph, Saint Martin de Porres and Saint Anthony of Padua will unite to form Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Parish. The new parish will be located at St. Joseph Church. St. Anthony of Padua and St. Martin de Porres churches also will serve the new parish as worship sites.
Father Thomas S. Donio, Priest Convener for the consolidation, has been named pastor of the new parish for a six year term.
St. Mary of Mount Carmel Parish, whose boundaries will be those of the existing parishes, will serve about 3,000 families in Camden and Atlantic Counties.
• Holy Name of Jesus (Mullica Hill), Saint Ann (Elmer) and Saint Joseph (Woodstown) will unite to form the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit. The new parish will be located at Holy Name of Jesus Church. St. Joseph Church also will be used as a worship site by the new parish.
Reverend Anthony R. DiBardino, Priest Convener for the consolidation, has been named pastor of the new parish for a six year term.
The Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit, whose boundaries will be those of the existing parishes, will serve about 2,680 families in Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland Counties.
• Saint John of God (North Cape May) and Saint Raymond (Villas) will unite to form The Parish of Saint John Neumann. The new parish will be located at St. John of God Church. Saint Raymond Church also will be used as a worship site by the new parish.
Father Ernest R. Soprano, Priest Convener for the consolidation, has been named pastor of the new parish for a six year term.
The Parish of Saint John Neumann, whose boundaries will be those of the existing parishes, will serve about 1,900 families in Cape May County.
“I am so encouraged by the dedicated work of our clergy, religious and laity in all of these parishes who have come together in a common mission to strengthen these parish communities for the sake of the faithful in South Jersey. This points to a most hopeful future for our Church,” said Bishop Joseph Galante.
“It is my fervent prayer that the enthusiasm that is so evident today and the spirit of collaboration and unity that already has been demonstrated will only grow in time, so that our people not only will be served more effectively, but will themselves be encouraged to respond affirmatively to their baptismal call to serve the mission of the Church. By doing this, we will help transform a world that so desperately needs to hear the Gospel and enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus, which is the very motivation for all we are doing at this time in the diocese,” he added.
Since last June, eighteen decrees have been issued by Bishop Galante in a diocesan-wide reconfiguration of parishes, with 20 consolidations remaining that now are being prepared for by Core Teams and their Priest Conveners.
The reconfiguration announcement in April 2008 followed more than a year of study by parish and deanery planners, who considered population and demographic trends, the number of diocesan priests available for ministry, Mass attendance and trends in religious practice.
Planners through their recommendations sought ways to strengthen parish life in each area of the diocese and to address the priorities expressed by the people at “Speak Up” sessions that were held with Bishop Galante in 2005 and 2006. The priorities identified included the need to engage laity more actively in parish ministry, more opportunities for faith formation for all age groups, expanded ministry to youth and young adults, the fostering vocations to priesthood and religious life, well-celebrated liturgies, and compassionate outreach to inactive Catholics and those in need throughout the diocese.
The study by deanery and parish planners found that while many parishes individually lacked the means to address key pastoral priorities, improved pastoral care could be achieved by uniting certain parishes through consolidation.
In conjunction with the parish reconfiguration process, additional efforts are underway to more effectively respond to the needs of parishioners. With the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI calling on lay people to assume responsibility with clergy for the life and mission of the Church, the diocese in January 2009 instituted the Lay Ministry Formation Program, an initiative formed in conjunction with nationally-recognized institutions to educate laity in parish ministry through college-level certificate and degree programs, with most delivered at satellite locations within the diocese.
More than 300 parishioners now are enrolled in the program, many of whom serve in religious education, youth and young adult ministry, adult faith formation, Hispanic and Black Catholic ministry, parish life, family life, ministry to seniors, and liturgy. Programs also are offered for lay persons involved in pastoral administration, Catholic schools, and parish business management.
The Program has been undertaken in partnership with the College of St. Elizabeth (Morristown, NJ), Georgian Court University (Lakewood, NJ), the Center for Ministry Development (Naugatuck, Conn.), the Northeast Hispanic Catholic Center (New York, NY), St. Charles Borromeo Seminary (Philadelphia, Pa.), Neumann University (Aston, Pa.) and University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio).
Additionally, Bishop Galante has worked to strengthen diocesan offices by eliminating the compartmentalization of ministry and by integrating functions and resources for greater emphasis on the key pastoral priorities. This will provide more focused support for parishes at the diocesan level so that parishes may provide more faith formation opportunities for parishioners of every age and take local steps to advance key pastoral priorities that will better serve the needs of parishioners.
Editor’s note: For more information about the Lay Ministry Formation Program, see http://lmfp.camdendiocese.org/
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”