DECREE – For Publication to Each and Everyone

Greetings In The Lord

Among the most important responsibilities of the Bishop’s pastoral office is assurance that there is suitable provision of divine worship and Catholic community life for Christ’s faithful people who are committed to his care.  At the same time the pastor of each parish needs to be able to satisfy without undue difficulty the parochial responsibilities assigned to him by his Bishop.

The following just causes support the establishment of a consolidated parish in the Franklinville and Clayton areas of Gloucester County, New Jersey:

1)            to provide more effectively for the pastoral needs of the faithful of the R.C Church of the Nativity in Gloucester County, New Jersey and St Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church in Gloucester County, New Jersey

2)            to assure the vitality of parish life in this area;

3)            to provide for a better stewardship of resources; and,

4)            to provide for the optimum use of clergy, religious, and lay personnel.

For the reasons listed above as well as the belief that the two parishes, recognizing the benefits of reconfiguring their parish  communities, have become a new Catholic community  prepared to address key pastoral priorities more effectively; because of the communality of the parish communities of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, 49 W. North Street, Clayton and  the R.C. Church of the Nativity, 2677 Delsea Drive, Franklinville; in response to the  request of the pastor of these communities, Reverend Jaromir Michalak, to unite these parishes; the favorable advice of the local Vicar Forane; and having listened to the opinions of the Presbyteral Council about the needs of the Catholic Faithful in this area of Gloucester County, I have determined  that the pastoral care of these communities will be fostered best by consolidating these individual communities and uniting them as one new parish.

Accordingly, in virtue of the prescripts of canon 121 and canon 515, §1 of the Code of Canon Law, in order to provide more effectively for the spiritual welfare and the salvation of souls, having judged that sufficiently just causes are present, and having consulted the Presbyteral Council in accord with canon 515, §2, I hereby DECREE, ANNOUNCE and PUBLISH:

The merger of Saint Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, 49 W. North Street, Clayton and the R.C. Church of the Nativity, 2677 Delsea Drive, Franklinville and the establishment of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel.

Reverend Jaromir Michalak will serve as the Pastor of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel for a term of six years commencing on the effective date of this decree.

The parochial church of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel, which retains its proper title and the name R.C. Church of the Nativity, is located at 2677 Delsea Drive, Franklinville, New Jersey.  St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church will retain its own proper title and will be maintained as a worship site to be used by the merged community.  The offices for the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel will be located at 49 W. North Street, Clayton.

The territorial boundaries of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel will be the same as the combined boundaries of the former parishes of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church and the R.C. Church of the Nativity.  The establishment of these parish boundaries is duly recorded at the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Camden, as:

Start at the point where the Clayton-Glassboro line intersects Fries Mill Rd

1. South on Fries Mill Rd (Co. Rt. 655) to Grant Ave

2. East on Grant Ave to Lincoln Ave

3. South on Lincoln Ave and an imaginary (straight) line drawn to extend Lincoln Ave to Coles Mill Rd (Co. Rt. 538)

4. East on Coles Mill Rd to Pennsylvania Ave

5. Southwest on Pennsylvania Ave to Rt 47

6. North on Rt 47 to Leonard Cake Rd

7. West on Leonard Cake Rd to the point it intersects Still Run

8. South along Still Run to the point it intersects the Gloucester – Salem county line

9. Northwest along the Gloucester – Salem county line to the point it intersects Willow Grove Rd

10. Northwest on Willow Grove Rd (Co. Rt. 667) to Monroeville Rd (Co. Rt. 604)

11. West on Monroeville Rd (Co. Rt. 604) to Swedesboro Rd (Co. Rt. 666)

12. West on Swedesboro Rd (Co. Rt. 666) to Richwood – Hardingville Rd (Co. Rt. 609)

13. North on Richwood Hardingville Rd (Co. Rt. 609) to Whig Lane Rd (Co. Rt. 619)

14. East and then a short distance north on Whig Lane Rd to Stanger Ave

15. Northeast on Stanger Ave to Academy St (Co. Rt. 637)

16. South on Academy St (Co. Rt. 637) to the Clayton-Glassboro line

17. East on the Clayton-Glassboro line to Fries Mill Rd (Co. Rt. 655) (point of origin)

The goods and property of the parishes of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church and of the R.C. Church of the Nativity, including their real estate and buildings, as well as their debts and obligations, shall be assigned to the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel.  Further, the voluntary offerings of the faithful, as well as other grants, pledges and gifts which have been or will be made to either of these predecessor parishes will constitute revenue to the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel for the benefit of the pastoral life of this community of the faithful as well as the rightful support of those who minister to them.

As of the effective date of this DECREE, the sacramental registers of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, 49 W. North Street, Clayton and the R.C. Church of the Nativity, 2677 Delsea Drive, Franklinville will be closed and moved to the offices of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel.  All sacraments administered from that date forward will be recorded in new sacramental registers of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel.

I approve the statutes of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel as submitted.

As of the effective date of this DECREE, the financial accounts of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, 49 W. North Street, Clayton and the R.C. Church of the Nativity, 2677 Delsea Drive, Franklinville will be closed and transferred to the financial account of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel.

As of the effective date of this DECREE, St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, 49 W. North Street, Clayton and the R.C. Church of the Nativity, 2677 Delsea Drive, Franklinville will be civilly consolidated under the laws of the State of New Jersey as the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel, Franklinville, N.J.

This DECREE becomes effective on September 29, 2010.

I instruct that this DECREE be communicated immediately to the parishioners of the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel by Reverend Jaromir Michalak whom I have herein named their Pastor. This DECREE is likewise to be published immediately in the Catholic Star Herald   and on the diocesan website.

Given in Camden, on this 27th day of August 2010, at the Diocesan Center.

Joseph A. Galante

Bishop of Camden

In cujus fidem…

David J. Klein

Chancellor