Camden diocese to shut 58 parishes

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden yesterday announced a consolidation plan that will reduce the number of parishes from 124 to 66.

Under the restructuring program, there will be 38 merged parishes, three "clusters" involving six parishes and 22 stand-alone parishes. The changes will take effect over the next two years, officials said.

In the six South Jersey counties the diocese serves, there now are 124 parishes which serve an estimated 450,000 Catholics. However, church officials said that only about 25 percent of Catholics in the diocese attend Mass regularly.

"While Catholic population is increasing overall, in many instances it has shifted out of former Catholic population centers into other parts of the diocese," Bishop Joseph Galante said in announcing the reconfiguration. He said that the demographic shift means that the diocese has parish facilities "that are in close proximity to each other, but are now underutilized and aging."

Galante said the number of "worship sites" within the diocese would vary, with some buildings serving as "primary, year-round sites" while others would become secondary sites and mission sites. And some shore-area sites may be used only in the summer.

The diocese said that creating the church clusters would allow parishes to retain their identities and share a priest or team of priests. And some churches may be led by a "director of parish life" instead of a priest.

The diocese is among many nationwide that have been dealing with shrinking Mass attendance, a shortage of priests and financial problems largely because of changing demographic patterns.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, officials in the Paterson Diocese have said that they're planning similar moves. Pastors of Paterson's 16 parishes have until June to recommend changes. *