CAMDEN Bishop Joseph Galante's announcement regarding the reconfiguration of parishes in the six counties of the Diocese of Camden April 3 included the merger of Cape May County's 14 parishes into eight.

Bishop Joseph Galante

His plan is to reduce the number of parishes in the diocese from 124 to 66 over the next 24 months, a loss of 58 parishes.

In Cape May County the following mergers are planned:

St. Augustine, St. Frances Cabrini and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Ocean City will merge with the primary worship site at St. Augustine. St. Francis will continue to be a worship site for Hispanic liturgy. All three churches will remain as worship sites through the summer and shoulder months of fall and spring.
Maris Stella in Avalon and St. Paul in Stone Harbor will merge with the primary worship site at Maris Stella and a secondary worship site at St. Paul.
Resurrection in Marmora and St. Casimir in Woodbine will merge which includes St. Elizabeth Mission (Goshen), retaining worship sites at Resurrection and St. Casimir. Bishop McHugh Regional School remains a summer worship site.
St. Ann in Wildwood and Assumption in Wildwood Crest will merge with the worship site at St. Ann. Assumption will continue as a secondary site for summer tourists.
St. Raymond in Villas and St. John of God in North Cape May will merge retaining both worship sites for now.

The following parishes will remain:
Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cape May.
Our Lady of the Angels in Court House.
St. Joseph in Sea Isle City.

Below are Gallante's remarks:

Good Afternoon.

Soon after I was installed as bishop of the diocese, I visited every parish in the diocese to meet directly with the people to hear their concerns and hopes for our Church. They spoke and I listened. I took to heart their obvious love for the Church, how important it is in their lives, and their hope that it will continue to be a transforming presence in their families and communities.

I also heard a real longing in our people for the Church to help them grow more deeply in their faith; to do much more to reach out to our youth and young adults; to call on the gifts of the laity to assume their rights and responsibilities in the Church; to reach out with compassion to those in need, as well as to Catholics who have been away from the Church; to call forth new vocations to priesthood and religious life; and to nurture our people with well-celebrated liturgies. These are the pastoral priorities that the people of the diocese told me are most important.

Yet, these pastoral priorities do not exist in a void. We know that our church is undergoing change, presenting us with new realities and challenges. While the total Catholic population in the diocese has increased in every decade since its foundingwe serve more than 500,000 Catholics todaysurveys indicate a dramatic decline in religious observance. Five decades ago, weekly Mass attendance was 74 percent. Today it is less than 24 percent. Increasingly, meanwhile, Catholics brought up in the faith are leaving it for other faith traditions or none at all.
While the Catholic population is increasing overall, this is due in large measure to newly arriving Latino, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese and other Catholics finding a home here. This diversity is greatly enriching our Church, but these groups also require our care and attention.

While Catholic population is increasing overall, in many instances it has shifted out of former Catholic population centers into other parts of the diocese, leaving behind parish facilities that are in close proximity to each other, but are now under-utilized and aging.

This, combined with the decline in Mass attendance I described earlier, has made it increasingly difficult for some parishes to have the financial and human resources to carry on the programs and ministries that will serve the needs of the people, the needs the people themselves have said are most important.

Finally, many of our priests will be retiring, but are not being replaced in the same numbers with new priests. In 2005 we had 171 diocesan priests in active ministry. We expect that by 2015 there will be half that number. Given our present number of parishes124and the number of priests that will be available for ministry85 or fewerit is obvious that it no longer will be possible to maintain the number of parishes we have today or to maintain present parish configurations.

These are the realities we face. But I see in these realities not only challenges, but also great opportunities to revitalize and renew our church. As we consider these realities, what is not acceptable is complacency or indifference. What is not possible is to continue to do what weve always done, hoping for a different result. What is possible, with Gods grace and the collaboration of laity, religious and clergywho are the Churchis the revitalization of our Church. That is my fervent desire for this diocese and that is why we are here today.

Fifteen months ago, in this very room, I announced a major planning initiative designed to advance the pastoral priorities the people told me were important at Speak Ups, to address the realities facing the Church and, most importantly, to strengthen parish life in every area of the diocese.

I called on the men and women of this diocese to take responsibility for the future of our church through a collaborative planning process. Planning teams were formed for each geographic region or deanery of our diocese. Planners made recommendations to me on how to strengthen parish lifenot parish by parishbut in each area or region of the diocese. Planners in their recommendations provided for the hiring of new, paid professionals to carry out critical ministries to all age groups. Planners also considered new models of parish configuration, including the merging or clustering of parishes, placing parishes under the care of a team of priests, and other parish configurations .

I profoundly thank the more than 400 planners, our chairpersons, our deans and our pastors, who have given so freely of their time and who have given me the benefit of their wisdom and experience. Their input has been extremely important as I have weighed what is best for this diocese and common good of our people.

After having consulted extensively with parish planners, after having consulted with the Diocesan Planning Commission in February and the Presbyteral Council in March, after prayerful deliberation and much study, I intend to reconfigure parishes in the diocese in the following manner:

In Deanery I, it is my intention to:

Merge the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Camden), Holy Name (Camden) and Our Lady of Mount Carmel/Fatima (Camden), with the primary worship site at the Cathedral and a secondary worship site at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/Fatima Church.

Merge St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral (Camden), St. Cecilia (Pennsauken) and St. Veronica (Delair), with the worship site at St. Joseph-Pro Cathedral.

Merge St. Joan of Arc (Camden) and St. Bartholomew (Camden) with the worship site at St. Joan of Arc.

Cluster the new parish at St. Joan of Arc (Camden) with Sacred Heart (Camden).

St. Anthony of Padua (Camden) and St. Joseph Polish (Camden) will remain as stand-alone parishes.

In Deanery II, it is my intention to:

Merge Holy Saviour (Westmont), St. John (Collingwood) and Transfiguration (West Collingswood), with the primary worship site at St. John and a second worship site at Holy Saviour.

Merge St. Aloysius (Oaklyn) and St. Vincent Pallotti (Haddon Township) with the worship site at St. Aloysius.

Merge Annunciation (Bellmawr), St. Anne (Westville) and St. Maurice (Brooklawn), with the worship site at Annunciation.

Merge Sacred Heart (Mount Ephraim) and Holy Maternity (Audubon), with the worship site at Sacred Heart.

St. Stephen (Pennsauken), St. Mary (Gloucester), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Woodlynne) and St. Peter (Merchantville) will remain stand-alone parishes.

In Deanery III, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Peter Celestine (Cherry Hill) and Queen of Heaven (Cherry Hill), with the worship site at St. Peter Celestine.

Merge St. Pius X (Cherry Hill) and Holy Rosary (Cherry Hill), with the worship site at St. Pius X.

Cluster St. Mary (Cherry Hill) and St. Thomas More (Cherry Hill)

Christ the King (Haddonfield) and St. Andrew (Gibbsboro) will remain stand-alone parishes.

In Deanery IV, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Lawrence (Lindenwold), St. Luke (Stratford) and Our Lady of Grace (Somerdale), with the primary worship site at St. Lawrence and a second worship site at St. Luke.

Merge Mary Mother of the Church (Bellmawr) with St. Francis De Sales (Barrington) and St. Gregory (Magnolia), with the primary worship site at Mary Mother of the Church and a secondary worship site at St. Francis De Sales.

Merge St. Teresa (Runnemede) and St. Maria Goretti (Runnemede), with the worship site at St. Teresa.

St. Rose of Lima (Haddon Heights) will remain a stand-alone parish.

In Deanery V, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Agnes (Blackwood) and St. Jude (Blackwood), with the worship site at St. Agnes.

Merge St. Mary (Williamstown) and St. John Neumann (Sicklerville), with the worship site at St. Mary.

Merge Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Berlin) and St. Edward (Pine Hill), along with its mission of Mater Ecclesiae (Berlin), with the primary worship site at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Mater Ecclesiae will remain a worship site, continuing its mission.

Holy Family (Sewell), St. Charles Borromeo (Sicklerville) and SS. Peter and Paul (Turnersville) will remain stand-alone parishes.

In Deanery VI, it is my intention to:

Merge Corpus Christi (Carneys Point), Queen of the Apostles (Pennsville), St. Mary (Salem) and St. James (Penns Grove) with primary worship sites at Corpus Christi and Queen of the Apostles, and, because of its historical significance, St. Mary will remain a secondary worship site.

Merge Holy Name (Mullica Hill), St. Joseph (Woodstown) and St. Ann (Elmer), with worship sites initially at both at Holy Name and St. Joseph, as Holy Name is in the process of building a new church.

Merge St. Michael (Gibbstown), St. Joseph (Swedesboro) and St. John the Evangelist (Paulsboro), with worship sites at St. Michael and St. Joseph.

In Deanery VII, it is my intention to:

Merge Our Lady of Lourdes (Glassboro) and Queen of Peace (Pitman), with the primary worship site at Our Lady of Lourdes and a secondary site at Queen of Peace.

Merge St. Patrick (Woodbury), St. Matthew (National Park) and Most Holy Redeemer (Westville Grove), with the primary worship site at St. Patrick and a secondary site at St. Matthew.

Merge Nativity (Franklinville), St. Bridget (Glassboro) and St. Catherine (Clayton), with worship sites at Nativity and St. Bridget, particularly for the Spanish community.

Merge St. Margaret (Woodbury Heights) and St. John Vianney (Deptford), with the worship site at St. Margaret.

Incarnation (Mantua) will remain a stand-alone parish.

In Deanery VIII, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Teresa of Avila (Bridgeton), Immaculate Conception (Bridgeton), St. Michael (Cedarville) and St. Mary (Rosenhayn), with primary worship sites at St. Teresa and St. Mary. Worship sites will remain at Immaculate Conception, particularly for the Hispanic Community, and at St. Michael.
Merge St. Francis Assisi (Vineland) and Immaculate Heart of Mary (Vineland), with the worship site at St. Francis.

Merge St. Mary Magdalen (Millville), St. Anthony Mission (Port Norris), and St. John Bosco (Millville), with the worship site at St. Mary Magdalen.

Merge St. Isidore (Vineland) and Sacred Heart (Vineland), with the primary worship site at St. Isidore and a secondary worship site at Sacred Heart.

St. Padre Pio (Vineland) will remain a stand-alone parish.

In Deanery IX, where we have so many of our shore parishes, shore worship sites will remain in order to continue to serve large summer populations. However, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Augustine (Ocean City), St. Frances Cabrini (Ocean City) and Our Lady of Good Counsel (Ocean City), with the primary worship site at St. Augustine. St. Francis will continue to be a worship site for Hispanic liturgy. All three churches will remain as worship sites through the summer and shoulder months of fall and spring.

Merge Maris Stella (Avalon) and St. Paul (Stone Harbor), with the primary worship site at Maris Stella and a secondary worship site at St. Paul.

Merge St. Ann (Wildwood) and Assumption (Wildwood Crest), with the worship site at St. Ann. Assumption will continue as a secondary site for summer tourists.

Merge Resurrection (Marmora) and St. Casimir (Woodbine), which includes St. Elizabeth Mission (Goshen), retaining worship sites at Resurrection and St. Casimir. Bishop McHugh Regional School remains a summer worship site.

Merge St. John of God (North Cape May) and St. Raymond (Villas), retaining both worship sites for now.

Our Lady Star of the Sea (Cape May), which includes St. Agnes Mission (Cape May), Our Lady of the Angels (Cape May Court House) and St. Joseph (Sea Isle City) will remain stand-alone parishes.

In Deanery X, it is my intention to:

Merge Our Lady Star of the Sea (Atlantic City) and Holy Spirit (Atlantic City) at Our Lady Star of the Sea.

Cluster Our Lady Star of the Sea (Atlantic City), St. Michael (Atlantic City) and St. Monica (Atlantic City) under the care of a Priest Team. All of the worship sites will be retained.

Merge Blessed Sacrament (Margate), St. James (Ventnor) and Epiphany (Longport), with the primary worship site at Blessed Sacrament and summer worship sites at St. James and Epiphany.

St. Nicholas of Tolentine (Atlantic City) will remain a stand-alone personal parish for hospitality workers and visitors.

In Deanery XI, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Bernadette (Northfield) and St. Peter (Pleasantville), with St. Bernadette as the worship site.

Merge Assumption (Pomona) and St. Nicholas (Egg Harbor City), with the primary worship site at Assumption and a second worship site at St. Nicholas for Hispanic parishioners.

Merge St. Katharine Drexel (Egg Harbor Township) and St. Vincent DePaul (Mays Landing), including St. Bernard Mission (Dorothy), initially maintaining worship sites at St. Katharine Drexel and St. Vincent DePaul until a new church is constructed at the St. Katharine Drexel site.

St. Joseph (Somers Point), St. Thomas the Apostle (Brigantine), St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Absecon) and Our Lady of Sorrows (Linwood) will remain stand-alone parishes.

In Deanery XII, it is my intention to:

Merge St. Joseph (Hammonton), St. Martin de Porres (Hammonton) and St. Anthony (Hammonton), with a primary worship site at St. Joseph, and a second worship site at St. Martin de Porres.

Merge Assumption (Atco), Blessed John XXIII (Blue Anchor), along with its missions of St. Lucy and Sacred Heart (Cedarbrook), and St. Anthony (Waterford), with the primary worship site at Assumption, and a second worship site at Sacred Heart Church.

Merge Queen of Angels, Landisville (which includes the churches of St. Michael, Minotola and Our Lady of Victories, Landisville), St. Rose of Lima (Newfield), Our Lady of the Lakes (Collings Lakes) and St. Mary (Malaga) with primary worship sites at St. Rose of Lima and St. Michael (Minotola), which is a church of Queen of Angels parish (Landisville), and a secondary worship site at Our Lady of the Lakes.

As a result of the reconfiguration I have just described, there will be 38 merged parishes, three clustered parishes (involving six parishes) and 22 stand-alone parishes, resulting in an overall reduction from the current 124 parishes to 66 parishes. I have tried to honor the intentions of the deanery planners where possible. While in some cases precise configurations may differ from their recommendations, I would note that deanery planners themselves recommended a significant reduction in the number of parishes in the diocese through mergers.

While the number of parishes will decrease, my prayerful hope is that we will have an increase in energy and in enthusiasm as we work to carry out the Churchs mission in todays time and place. While we will have fewer parishes, by joining parishes together we will have more resources and increased opportunities to serve our people better.

We know that Church is a much deeper reality than the buildings and physical structures where we gather. The Church is the people of God, who share a bond through baptism that transcends parish boundaries, worship space and all other considerations. Even so, I realize that the hope that we feel at this time in our Churchs history will be mingled with apprehension and feelings of loss over what was. For this reason, we will be reaching out with the assistance of over 100 trained facilitators in a multi-phased process to help parishes and parishioners deal with the sense of loss these changes inevitably will bring and to help pastors respond to the needs of their parishioners in this regard. As we move forward now, I thank our parishioners for their courage and patience as we work together to bring about these necessary and beneficial changes.

Of course, it will take time to implement these changes and every parish situation will be different. However, we expect that these changes will be accomplished within one to two years. We will work closely with parishes to guide them through the transition to new models of configuration and to respond to questions that will arise. We will also be working in the months ahead to ensure a timely process for the naming of new pastors for the new parishes created through mergers, as well as in other open parishes.

In my announcement to the people of the diocese, which is being made today through a webcast on our diocesan website, I noted the comments made by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, when he announced last November that Pope Benedict XVI would visit the United States later this month. He said he hoped the Holy Fathers visit would provide a new springtime for the Church.

It is my prayer and desire that by continuing to work closely with the people of the diocese, we will together bring about a new springtime in the Church of Camden, a renewed enthusiasm, a fresh sense of wonder and deep gratitude for the great gift of our faith and the opportunity to live it.

Thank you.