Jan. 8 , 2008

Bishop Announces Parish Mergers

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn has issued canonical decrees announcing the mergers of six parishes into three in Brooklyn and Queens. They became effective Jan. 1. In two instances, the reconfigured parishes will be known by a new name.

In Fort Greene, Sacred Heart parish on Adelphi St. and St. Michael the Archangel-St. Edward’s have merged to become Mary of Nazareth parish, while in Rockaway Point, St. Thomas More-St. Edmund’s and St. Genevieve have merged to form Blessed Trinity parish.             

In the third reconfiguration, All Saints parish in Williamsburg and Our Lady of Montserrate-St. Ambrose parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant have merged, but All Saints will be retained as the name for the reconfigured parish. (See related story.)

The new mergers, formalized in separate canonical decrees, follow the reconfiguration of 13 parishes into six that took effect last Sept. 1 and eight parishes into four that took place Jan. 1, 2007.

Each of the churches involved in the latest group of reconfigurations will remain worship sites for Sunday Masses, the decrees stated. The parish offices will be located at 41 Adelphi St. for Mary of Nazareth, 204-25 Rockaway Point Blvd. for Blessed Trinity and 115 Throop Ave. for All Saints.

Bishop DiMarzio said that the factors that led to the mergers included changing spiritual practices, a decrease in available clergy and men and women in religious life and demographic shifts.

The Bishop said before the mergers were instituted, consultations took place with the Presbyteral (Priests’) Council, the Territorial Vicars and the clergy, pastoral ministers and laity of the affected parishes.

In the merged parishes, Msgr. Michael J. Curran was appointed pastor of Blessed Trinity for six years effective Jan. 1 as was Father Robert P. Vitaglione at Mary of Nazareth. Father William Chacon was named pastor of All Saints parish effective Jan. 8, also for six years.

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1/8/08