Parishes, schools realigned in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey

Published: 2007-01-23

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Faced with rising costs and shifting populations, several dioceses in the Northeast United States announced reorganization plans in mid-January that involve closing or merging many of their parishes and schools. "For the past three years, the Department of Catholic Education has been engaged in an effort to right-size our Catholic elementary school system," said Bishop Edward U. Kmiec of Buffalo, N.Y., as he announced Jan. 20 that 14 Catholic schools in the diocese would close at the end of the school year. In the nearby Diocese of Scranton, Pa., Jan. 17, Bishop Joseph F. Martino announced a final reorganization plan for Catholic high schools and elementary schools in Lackawanna, Wayne and Luzerne counties. The next day, he received preliminary recommendations for reorganizing schools in Lycoming, Bradford, Monroe and Pike counties. Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York outlined his parish realignment decisions Jan. 19, saying that 10 parishes will close and 11 will merge with other parishes. Five new parishes will be established and new churches are planned for nine existing parishes. In Camden, N.J., Bishop Joseph A. Galante said Jan. 18 that his diocese would begin a comprehensive planning initiative on two tracks -- one for parishes and the other for Catholic elementary schools.

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