Parish, School Realignment Proposal Released

After more than two years of intensive consultation, study and review, the Archdiocese of New York has announced the completion of the second phase of its planning to realign parishes and schools in order to effectively meet the needs of the Catholic people it serves.

Although no final decisions have been made, and parishes and schools involved will have an opportunity for discussion, the preliminary proposals released March 28 include establishing five new parishes, closing 15 parishes and transitioning 16 to missions or chapels affiliated with larger parishes nearby. New church buildings, in most cases larger ones, have been recommended for nine other parishes.

The preliminary plan also calls for the closing of 14 schools and combining four others into two through merger and sharing of resources.

One of the schools recommended to close, St. Joseph's in Greenwich Village, will reopen as a Catholic academy, according to the preliminary plan.

The preliminary plan, impacts all 10 counties of the archdiocese, which includes three New York City boroughs and seven counties to the north.

The realignment process, under the direction first of Auxiliary Bishop Timothy McDonnell, who is now bishop of Springfield, Mass., and currently of Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Sullivan, vicar general, was guided by a set of principles for evaluating parishes and schools to assess the level of activity and service provided by each.

The proposals generated by the Archdiocesan Realignment Staff were reviewed by a group of laity, religious and clergy with respect to recommended changes in the number and location of parishes and schools.

The pastors and principals of these parishes and schools have been informed of the proposals, an archdiocesan spokesman said. They and their parish and school communities will then have an opportunity to offer input on the proposed changes in meetings with the realignment staff over the next several weeks.

The first phase of the process utilized the best available information about population shifts and demographic trends. Bishops McDonnell and Sullivan held numerous discussions to gather input and solicit advice as each area of the archdiocese was studied.

Then the Archdiocesan Realignment Advisory Panel (ARAP) met to review each of the proposed changes, and studied the proposals parish-by-parish and school-by-school to offer insights and counsel.

Cardinal Egan will consult with the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council, and then announce the realignment plan.

With the release of the preliminary recommendations, Bishop Sullivan thanked all those "who worked most closely with me for their dedication throughout the realignment process."

"I would also thank Dr. Catherine Hickey, secretary for education, for the work she and her colleagues did concerning the schools, and especially the vicars, members of the local clergy, religious and laity throughout the archdiocese for the countless hours of consultation and discussion in which they engaged to offer their invaluable input about what was needed in their local communities," he said.

The bishop extended a "special word of thanks to the professional advisors and the Archdiocesan Realignment Advisory Panel for reviewing these proposals with great care."

"The advisory panel also helped to remind us that our decisions, however necessary, will have an impact on the lives of people," he said.

"We must always be mindful of this, as we do all that we can to make the transitions that lie ahead proceed as smoothly and as sensitively as possible for all concerned."

PARISHES

The proposals released this week call for intensive planning to establish five new parishes: one on Staten Island, two in Dutchess County, and two in Orange County-one of which, Our Lady of the Assumption Mission in Bloomingburg, will be monitored closely to determine if it should eventually become a full parish.

New churches are proposed for nine existing parishes in the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess counties.

One of the nine parishes, St. John Nam, a Korean national parish in the northeast Bronx, will relocate to a site not yet determined. Another, St. Peter's in Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park, will relocate to the chapel on the grounds of the former Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie, where new housing is expected to be built.

Under the proposal, 16 parishes will have a change in status: 12 parishes will become missions and thereby become closely associated with neighboring parishes. In the case of the four other parishes, a chapel will be established in the area currently served by the parish.

These transitions in status will enable the archdiocese to continue to serve the Catholic community in those neighborhoods, while reducing the overall number of fully functioning parishes. Eight of these 16 transitioning parishes have, over the years, already effectively begun to function as missions.

With the change in status of these 16 churches, neighboring parishes will assume responsibility for overseeing the new missions or chapels, to ensure that the needs of the faithful continue to be met, the archdiocese's statement said.

Fifteen other parishes have been recommended for closure. Eight of the 15 are in the three boroughs of New York City, and seven are in Westchester, Orange and Dutchess counties.

In each case, an in-depth review of the parish situation and consultation with the local laity, religious and clergy confirmed that the people from the area would be effectively served by nearby parishes.

In addition, eight current missions will cease to function and will be reunited with their territorial parish.

Finally, two parishes in Manhattan will merge and two churches in Ulster County will also merge. At each newly merged parish, Mass will be offered at both church sites.

SCHOOLS

Changes are also under consideration for some of the 235 Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese.

Fourteen are being recommended for closure. However, every child in a Catholic school that may close is guaranteed a place in a nearby Catholic school.

In order to continue excellence in Catholic education, several of the closed schools will be used for new and creative purposes. St. Paul's on Staten Island will be used as an expansion facility for St. Peter's Girls High School nearby; Our Lady of Solace in the Bronx will serve as an archdiocesan catechetical center; and St. Joseph's, Greenwich Village, will become a Catholic academy.

Two schools in Manhattan will merge, and two in Dutchess County will work together to share resources, with one school building educating students in grades K-4 and another school building educating students in grades 5-8.

Each of the parishes and schools that are considered for realignment will have the opportunity to meet with Bishop Sullivan or Dr. Hickey to discuss these proposed changes. Final decisions concerning schools will be made by April 24.

After the parish communities have met with Bishop Sullivan, the proposals will be presented to the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council so as to offer Cardinal Egan the members' advice and counsel.

Only after all of these consultations are complete will Cardinal Egan conduct a review of all of the recommendations and announce the final realignment plan.

Reflecting on the task of realigning the archdiocese, Cardinal Egan noted that the Church needs to minister to its people wherever they are.

"Our commitment to serving the Catholic faithful of the archdiocese is the same now as it was 200 years ago when the Church in New York was founded," he said.

"The Church must be with its people, taking care of their religious, educational, sacramental and spiritual needs," the cardinal said.

"This realignment will enable the archdiocese to do that now, and in the years to come, as we continue to build and maintain strong, vibrant communities of faith."

The Archdiocese of New York serves the pastoral, religious and educational needs of 2.5 million Catholics in the 409 parishes located in the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties.

Currently ministering within the archdiocese are 686 archdiocesan priests, 812 priests of religious communities and 271 priests from other dioceses, as well as 354 permanent deacons. There are 287 Catholic elementary and secondary schools educating approximately 110,000 students, making the

Archdiocese of New York the largest Catholic school system in the United States.

"The Church must be with its people, taking care of their religious, educational, sacramental and spiritual needs. This realignment will enable the archdiocese to do that now, and in the years to come, as we continue to build and maintain strong, vibrant communities of faith."

Cardinal Egan

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Principle of Unity

All parish communities should manifest, support and encourage unity in the local Church of the Archdiocese of New York.

The Principle of Mission

The mission of the Church should be advanced in archdiocesan parishes and vicariates particularly through responsible stewardship of the Church"s spiritual and material resources for the needs of all.

The Eucharistic Principle

The centrality of the Eucharist, vibrant sacramental life and growth in holiness are crucial to sustaining parish viability.

The Proportionality Principle

The number and size of parish communities in the archdiocese should reflect the size of the Catholic population and the manner in which this population is dispersed throughout the territory.

The Economy Principle

The Archbishop of New York has primary responsibility for the management of the Archdiocese as the "household of God."

GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING PARISH VIABILITY

To help guide the process of assessing parish viability within the Archdiocese of New York, the following guidelines have been established:

• Actual number of registered parishioners who live within the parish boundaries.
• Number of parishioners attending Sunday Mass. (Has there been growth or decline in the last five years? Does Mass attendance fluctuate?)
• Size of the parish church in comparison to the number of parishioners attending Sunday Mass. (Is it meeting parish needs?)
• Trends in sacramental viability. (Do baptisms, weddings and funerals of parishioners in the last five years indicate growth or decline?)
• Recognizing the Church"s commitment to the poor, does this parish serve the poor?
• Enrollment in parish religious education program.

• The continuing necessity for the parish to meet ethnic/linguistic needs. (If the parish was established to fulfill these needs, do they still exist? Can these needs be served at another parish site?)
• The existence and vitality of a Catholic elementary school.
• Distance between the parish and others in the same vicariate. (Do parishioners walk or drive to church? Is there easy access to the parish by public transportation?)
• The number of parishes in a particular city, town or region. (Are there more parishes than the Catholic population needs?)
• The need for parish clergy to serve hospitals, nursing homes, colleges and prisons in the area.
• Are parish mission churches a convenience or a necessity?

• Is there a parish cemetery?
• The physical condition of the parish church and other parish buildings. (Does the church need extensive repairs? Are parish buildings rented? Does the parish own unimproved land? Are other parishes in the area larger or in better repair? Where are the best parking facilities?)
• The parish capacity to meet ordinary operating and capital expenses. (Does it receive any archdiocesan support?)

Parishes and Schools Recommended for Realignment

PARISHES

New Churches for Existing Parishes		Vicariate
1. St. John Nam (Relocate)		Northeast Bronx
2. St. John Neumann		Staten Island
3. St. Joseph, Croton Falls		Northern Westchester
4. Holy Spirit, Cortlandt Manor		Northern Westchester
5. St. Lawrence O'Toole, Brewster		Northern Westchester
6. St. Margaret, Pearl River		Rockland County
7. St. Gregory Barbarigo, Garnerville		Rockland County
8. St. Peter (Relocate)		Dutchess County
9. St. Anthony		Dutchess County

Parishes to Close		Vicariate
1. Nativity Church		South Manhattan
2. Mary Help of Christians		South Manhattan
3. Our Lady Queen of Angels		East Manhattan
4. St. Rita of Cascia		South Bronx
5. St. Dominic		East Bronx
6. St. Mary		Northeast Bronx
7. St. Paul		Staten Island
8. St. John Baptist de LaSalle		Staten Island
9. Our Lady of the Rosary		Yonkers
10. St. Margaret of Hungary		Yonkers
11. Holy Cross, Tarrytown		Central Westchester
12. St. Stanislaus, Hastings-on-Hudson		Central Westchester
13. St. Mary, Newburgh		Orange County
14. Most Sacred Heart, Port Jervis		Orange County
15. St. John the Baptist, Poughkeepsie		Dutchess County

Parishes to transition to Missions or Chapels		Vicariate
(Territorial Parish listed in parentheses)
1. St. Brigid** (St. Stanislaus) (Chapel)		South Manhattan
2. St. Veronica** (OL of Guadalupe)		South Manhattan
3. Sacred Heart of Jesus**		East Manhattan
(St. Stephen) (Chapel)
4. St. Vincent de Paul		West Manhattan
(Chapel)
5. Guardian Angel (St. Columba)		West Manhattan
6. Our Lady of Esperanza		North Manhattan
(St. Rose of Lima)
7. Resurrection** (St. Charles Borromeo		Central Harlem
8. St. Augustine (Chapel)		South Bronx
9. St. Francis of Assisi** (Sacred Heart)		South Bronx
10. St. Anthony** (St. Frances of Rome)		Northeast Bronx
11. St. Francis of Assisi		Northeast Bronx
(St. Frances of Rome)
12. Assumption, Tuckahoe**		Central Westchester
(Immaculate Conception)
13. St. Stanislaus, Pine Island		Orange County
(St. Joseph, Florida)
14. St. Francis of Assisi, Newburgh		Orange County
(Sacred Heart)
15. St. Francis de Sales, Phoenicia		Ulster County
(St. John)
16. St. Thomas Aquinas, Forestburgh		Sullivan County
(St. Peter)

**Indicates parish has already been functioning as mission but canonical process has not yet taken place

Missions reuniting with parishes		Vicariate
(Territorial Parish listed in parentheses)
1. St. Benedict the Moor		West Manhattan
(Sacred Heart of Jesus)
2. St. Michael, Goldens Bridge		Northern Westchester
(St. Joseph, Croton Falls)
3. St. John, North Salem		Northern Westchester
(St. Joseph, Croton Falls)
4. St. Edward Mission, Florida		Orange County
(St. Stephen, Warwick)
5. Blessed Sacrament Mission, Ft. Montgomery		Orange County
(Sacred Heart, Highland Falls)
6. Our Lady of Lourdes, Allaben		Ulster County
(St. Francis de Sales, Phoenicia)
7. Our Lady of LaSalette, Boiceville		Ulster County
(St. Francis de Sales, Phoenicia)
8. St. Augustine Chapel, West Shokan		Ulster County
(St. John, West Hurley)

Mergers		Vicariate
1. St. Joseph-Monroe and St. James		South Manhattan
2. Presentation, Port Ewen		Ulster County
and Sacred Heart Mission, Esopus

SCHOOLS

Mergers		Vicariate
1. Guardian Angel-St. Columba		West Manhattan
2. St. Peter, Regina Coeli, Hyde Park		Dutchess County

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