WATERTOWN — Parishioners are expected to find out in November how two other Catholic churches in the city will be connected with Holy Family Church.
Faced with shifting and dwindling populations, along with fewer clergy, the Diocese of Ogdensburg has instructed the three parishes to come up with a pastoral plan to connect Holy Family with St. Patrick’s and St. Anthony’s churches, Monsignor Robert H. Aucoin said.
The three parishes were directed to come up with a plan so they “could be linked in some way” under the direction of one pastor, an assistant pastor and adequate pastoral staff, including deacons and lay pastoral associates, said Monsignor Aucoin, pastor of St. Anthony’s and St. Patrick’s churches.
While he stressed the plan would provide appropriate pastoral care for all three churches, the plan will depend on the availability of clergy and would not take effect until it is needed, he said.
An 11-member “Living Stones” committee, consisting of representatives from the three Catholic parishes, already has begun looking at “various options,” which would include merging, Monsignor Aucoin said. But he dispelled rumors that merging the churches was already decided.
“The church moves slowly and people jump to conclusions quickly,” he said.
In 2009, St. Patrick’s and St. Anthony’s churches consolidated and started sharing priests, at a time when the number of clergy already was dwindling.
In 2014, the diocese, led by Bishop Terry R. Lavalley, formed a visioning process to ensure that all parishes throughout the diocese have appropriate coverage.
The plan for the three churches will be presented to parishioners before going to Bishop Lavalley for approval, Monsignor Aucoin said.
The Living Stones committee — made up of Monsignor Aucoin, the Rev. Steven M. Murray, pastor of Holy Family, and three representatives from each of the parishes — has already met three times, as recently as Thursday.
“This committee was tasked to design a pastoral plan specific for the three areas now served by the three parishes with an eye toward the current situation and the potential for future growth of the Catholic community,” Monsignor Aucoin said.
At some point, there will be meetings for parishioners so the work of the committee can be presented to and input taken from them.
It will be important for parishioners to know the Sunday and daily Mass schedules, he said. It is unclear whether current clergy will lead the three parishes.
While he did not know the specifics of the situation, James D. Crowley, the diocese’s director of communications, said it would take time to implement the plan.
“It’s not the case of happening any time soon,” he said. “It could be one year or five years.”
There are also several issues to explore before a plan is formed, Monsignor Aucoin said. The committee will consider consolidation of staff. Some staff members are already shared.
Since March, church officials have kept track of attendance at the churches. The number of marriage ceremonies and funerals and attendance of children’s religious classes are among factors that will be considered.
As is the case with St. Patrick’s and St. Anthony’s, those two churches and Holy Family will have separate finances, Monsignor Aucoin said.
But the churches will share common expenses. For instance, one of the churches would be responsible for a roof replacement, while shared personnel would be the responsibility of all three churches.
A survey will go out in the next 10 days or so to the parishioners of all three churches to see what they think about the situation. They will be distributed at all three churches and online.
The Living Stones committee will continue to meet monthly.