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May 10-16, 2007

Diocese Announces More Parish Changes

By Luke Eggleston/ SUN staff writer

Last week, Bishop James Moynihan made personal appearances at St. Joseph’s in Oswego Thursday, May 3 and St. James in Johnson City Wednesday, May 2 to officially announce the changes brought about due to the diocese’s reconfiguration plans. At both press conferences, the bishop noted, “The purpose of today’s announcements is to give our people and priests a blueprint of the future care of their parishes. Some of the decisions do not have dates upon which the changes occur, as they are dependent on the personnel changes that will take place over time. I along with the College of Consultors have reached what we believe to be the best decisions possible in light of the current changes.” The changes represent the implementation of the diocesan policy explained in the bishop’s 2001 pastoral letter Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry. In the letter, Bishop Moynihan underscored the necessity of accelerating pastoral planning in the Syracuse Diocese brought on by demographic changes and the limits on resources. The letter encouraged parishes to work collaboratively and creatively with one another on a local level to find solutions that would meet the spiritual needs of each community. “These decisions may be difficult for some as I know our people deeply love their faith communities in which they worship,” the bishop said. “But what we are announcing today and in the weeks to come should not be viewed as a time of despair in our church history, rather one of rebirth and rejuvenation.” The announcements affecting the Southern Region of the diocese are as follows: St. Casimir Church and St. Joseph Church, Endicott will merge upon the retirement of St. Casimir’s current pastor. Christ the King Church, Endwell, and Our Lady of Angels, Endwell, will merge. Upon the retirement of the pastor of Our Lady of Angels or the pastor of Christ the King, a new pastor will be appointed with the understanding that upon the retirement of the remaining pastor, the two parishes will merge. St. Ambrose, Endicott, will be linked with Most Holy Rosary, Maine, upon the retirement of either pastor.. St. Andrew’s and St. John the Evangelist churches in Binghamton will merge in 2008.. Blessed Sacrament in Johnson City and St. Vincent de Paul in Vestal will be linked in 2008.. St. Thomas and St. Patrick in Binghamton will be linked July 1, 2008. In 2007, St. Thomas will receive a temporary administrator who will work with the pastor of St. Patrick to establish a method of linkage by March 1.. St. Catherine of Siena and St. Christopher in Binghamton will merge in 2008.. St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Paul’s in Binghamton will be linked in 2008.. St. Mary of Kirkwood, St. Joseph in Deposit, Our Lady of Lourdes in Windsor and St. Joseph in Sanitaria Springs will provide the bishop with a method to activate their plan of having two priests to serve their communities. The plan should be submitted before July 1.. The plans for the parishes of Chenango County will be announced at a later date after diocesan dialogue has been completed. The affected parishes are: St. Theresa, New Berlin; St. Bartholomew and St. Paul, Norwich; St. John, Bainbridge; St. Agnes Mission, Afton; St. Malachy, Sherburne; Immaculate Conception, Greene; and St. Joseph, Oxford. Parishes presently unchanged, which may be involved in future collaborations are St. James, Johnson City; Our Lady of Sorrows, Vestal; St. Anthony, Endicott; and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Endicott.. Father Donald Bourgeois is the pastor at Blessed Sacrament. He said that his Pastoral Care Area group investigated numerous angles before looking into the potential for working with a parish located across the Susquehanna River at St. Vincent de Paul. According to Father Bourgeois, a significant percentage of Blessed Sacrament’s parishioners are from Vestal so the fit was more natural than it might seem. According to Father Bourgeois, most of his own parishioners are relieved that Blessed Sacrament will remain open. Their main concern is in regards to how it will impact the Mass schedule and how a new pastor will be determined. The announcements affecting the Northern Region of the diocese are as follows:. St. Paul Church, Oswego, which will have a newly appointed pastor in 2007, will be entrusted with the sacramental ministry at Hall Newman Center in 2008.. St. Peter’s and its mission Sacred Heart, Scriba, will close upon the retirement of the current administrator of St. Peter’s. At that time, the people of these churches will be asked to join the community at St. Paul’s.. St. Joseph’s and St. Stephen’s will be linked upon the completion of the term of the current pastor of St. Joseph’s in 2008.. St. Mary of the Assumption in Oswego will be entrusted with the care of Our Lady of the Rosary Mission in Hannibal in 2008.. Upon the retirement of the current pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Minetto, the parish will be closed and the care of its community and people will be entrusted to the pastor of St. Joseph’s in Oswego.. Upon the next opening in the pastorate of either St. Anne, Mother of Mary, in Mexico or Christ Our Light, Pulaski, the parishes will be linked. Father James Cesta, the pastor at St. Joseph’s in Oswego, described the reconfiguration process as one in which Oswego was going from a “gas-guzzling SUV” to a sleeker, more efficient compact.. He said his own parishioners were delighted that their parish would remain open. During discussions leading up to the final decision, Father Cesta said keeping St. Joseph’s open was a priority given its considerable attendance and its location in the center of Oswego. In general, those involved in reconfiguration in Oswego sought to keep as many parishes open as possible despite the community’s dwindling population. Father George Wurz, the pastor at St. Peter’s, said that although his parishioners know their church will eventually close, they were relieved that it would not be in the immediate future. Although many have roots at St. Peter’s, Father Wurz has attempted to help his parishioners maintain a sense of perspective. “I’ve been trying to keep them on target prayerfully,” he said. “It’s not about location, it’s about worshipping in community.”

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