My parish is fine; why do we need to be part of this Ten-Year Mission Plan?
All parishes have experienced a significant drop in attendance and participation.
Our Church as the body of Christ and a family that supports and cares for each other. The Diocese as a whole, made up of all our parishes, is interdependent. The future of every parish relies on the Diocese being able to continue to support and fund vocations to the priesthood, our clergy in active ministry, and priests who have retired after long committed service, as well as all the other functions and services that are part of our Catholic life.
Is this all about closing churches?
No, the primary is to revitalise our mission, enable each of us to grow in holiness, and ensure our parishes and diocese are equipped for the challenges of contemporary ministry and ready for a long future of bringing people closer to Jesus Christ through His Church.
By staying, as we are over the next 10 years, we could commit over £30m to buildings for fewer people and fewer priests to support those communities, spreading themselves ever more thinly to keep going.
Releasing some of our estate that is no longer needed will alleviate the burden on parishes and will enable the resources to be used for the mission of the church.
How many churches might close? Has this all been decided?
This has not yet been decided. From January 2023 to July 2023, parishes in a Pastoral Area will work together to develop their local plan. As part of this, they will consider their structure going forward and look at what to maintain and what needs to close. A set of criteria will be provided to help parishes to consider these decisions.
Next summer, Bishop Philip and his strategy team will meet with each lead pastor and pastoral area leadership team representatives to discuss and approve local plans.
How were the new parishes defined?
The new parishes have been defined based on geography and critical indicators such as Mass attendance, change in Mass attendance, financial position, and the current number of churches to ensure that each new parish is sustainable.
Each existing parish has been asked to reflect on the shape of parish groupings as part of the consultation.
What does it mean when parishes are combined or unified?
Unifying two or more parishes is a process called “extinctive union.” For example, when Parishes A, B, and C are merged, they form a new parish, parish D. This act of union automatically extinguishes A, B, and C as parishes, creating the new united Parish D. All the properties, goods, finances and liabilities are assumed into this new parish. Once the new parish is formed through this union, the Decree of Merger will name one of the churches from A, B, or C to be the parish church.
If a parish is no longer viable, what are the rights of the Bishop in Canon Law to direct what happens?
Parishes are considered unviable when they cannot support themselves financially, and they are experiencing an exponential decline in congregation numbers. This means they rely on the support of other authorities, such as the Diocese, to continue.
In such a situation, the Bishop may take the decision, for the sake of the good of souls, to direct that a parish may either be subject to the type of extinctive union as described above or another kind where, for example, Parish A is subsumed by another parish, B and only Parish B remains having obtained all the goods of former parish A.
As described above, it is the function of the consultation process to determine the best solution for a parish to be self-supporting and engage in dignified worship and an effective mission.
In Canon Law, what decrees are required for the amalgamation of parishes?
Only one decree is required, which is a Decree of Merger. The issuing of a decree, however, is the end of the canonical process, stating the decision the Bishop has taken and how this decision is to be observed and implemented.
The decree must contain the reasons specific to each of the parishes involved as to why a merger is taking place, primarily for the good of souls, as well as list all the steps that have been taken in making this decision: the consultation process, the investigation that interested parties are not adversely affected, and the responses of the Council of Priests and the Diocesan Board of Trustees.
The decree must specify which parishes have been merged and why and declare that all their goods and liabilities are to be obtained by the newly created parish. This parish is also to be named. The date of the decree must be given, and the time from when the decision is to take effect (usually one calendar month after the order has been issued unless the bishop expressly states another timeframe).
In Canon Law, what decrees are required for the closure of churches?
Only one decree is necessary: a Decree of “the reduction of a church to secular but not unbecoming use.” This equates to closure, where the faithful no longer have the right of access to any form of worship. It is for this reason that, whereas mergers should take place for ‘just causes,’ closures take place due to ‘grave’ reasons where there is no alternative. This is because, in law, a church is presumed to be permanently withdrawn from secular use. Grave reasons include:
- The impossibility of using the church for Divine Worship due to structural disrepair, which can in no way be restored due to extensive damage or where there are no funds for restoration work
- Evidence that the parish cannot afford the maintenance of a church, particularly in a parish where there are two or more (this is particularly common in merged parishes).
- Its architecture is unsuitable for liturgical norms
- The church building has been occupied by a schismatic group risking reputational damage to the local Catholic Church through scandal.
The process: the Bishop will usually receive a request from the Parish Priest, who has already consulted his Parish Finance Council, Pastoral Council, EST Group, and the congregation in general. He will give his reasons, from the need for the closure of the church to a secular but not unbecoming use. The Bishop must be informed of the structural condition of the building and, if relevant, the parish’s financial situation. This is best done by using external expertise.
Having been given this evidence, the Bishop must consult the Council of Priests and gain the approval of the Diocesan Board of Trustees. Once this has occurred, he will issue a decree reducing the church to secular but not unbecoming use.
The decree must outline the grave reasons for this decision, the process that has been undertaken to reach it, and the provision that has been made for the faithful to worship in other church buildings. It will also declare that all donors have been consulted. It should indicate what is to happen to the building, such as demolition or sale and that all movable objects have been moved to other appointed places. If the altar is movable, it is to be removed; if not, it should be destroyed if the property is sold (selling the property requires a decree of alienation).
