Catholic Church Consolidation: What Does it Mean for Guilford Residents?

The Archdiocese of Hartford announced in a major reconfiguration that a total of 26 churches will close at the end of June, 68 will remain as is, while 144 churches will merge resulting in 59 new parishes in New Haven, Hartford and Litchfield counties. As of June 29, 26 church buildings will close and 186 will remain open. The Archdiocese has defined a church closing to mean that mass won’t be celebrated there anymore.

It’s no secret that the number of people attending church has dropped sharply over the past couple of decades, the number of people becoming priests has also decreased significantly and it’s been hard for churches to survive economically.

The question everyone wants to know is what will happen to their local church?

In Guilford there will be no structural change as St. George will remain as is. The Pastor as of June 29 is The Rev. Stephen Siedesky.

What Does a Closed Church Mean?

The Rev. James Shanley, vicar for Pastoral Planning, told Patch that for the 26 churches that will close on June 29, what that means is mass will no longer be held in those buildings. But he said it’s possible that weddings and funerals could still be held there for the weeks and months ahead.

Shanley said the future of the closed churches will be decided at the local level. He said some churches may decide to operate as a religious educational center or even a soup kitchen.

But he said some churches may be sold and the newly formed parishes would use that money to enhance their new parish. He said if local churches are sold the money stays at the local level and doesn’t go back to the Archdiocese.

What do Church Mergers Mean?

If two or even three existing churches merge into one new parish what that means is that all of the buildings will remain open for mass as they always have, Shanley said. In fact he said, it’s possible that come June 29, some people may not even notice a change for the merged churches.

But Shanley said there may be some differences as a result of the mergers. In some cases there may only be one priest serving both churches, and some mass schedules will have to change as a result.

You can’t be at two different places at the same time, Shanley noted, but he also said not every merged parish will have just one priest. It’s really a case-by-case basis, he said. Some changes in assignments including retirements and transfers are planned for some priests too, he said.

Other changes include: religious education and social outreach programs will be combined along with the staff for those services.

The names of the existing churches will remain even for those that merge but the name of the newly formed parish will also be added, Shanley said.

The best way to keep on top of local changes as a result of mergers and closures is by attending the respective church and through the church bulletin, Shanley said. That is where the very hyperlocal changes will be announced.

• See also: 26 Churches to Close, 118 Merge, Hartford Archdiocese Announces: See the Full List Here

These 26 churches are slated to close by the Archdiocese of Hartford, which oversees churches in Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield counties:

St. Elizabeth in Branford; Epiphany in Cheshire; Blessed Sacrament in East Hartford; St. Clare in East Haven; St. Martha in Enfield; St. Bernard in Granby; St. Joan of Arc, St. Ann and St. John the Baptist in Hamden; Sacred Heart and St. Ann/Immaculate Conception in Hartford; Assumption in Manchester; St. Laurent and St. Mary in Meriden; St. Hedwig and St. Mary in Naugatuck; St. Joseph in Suffield; Sacred Heart and St. Mary in Torrington; Sacred Heart, St. Lucy, St. Margaret, and St. Stanislaus Kostka in Waterbury; St. John Vianney and St. Paul in West Haven; and St. Luke in Wethersfield.

These following towns will undergo mergers of existing churches:

Branford, Bristol, Broad Brook-East Windsor, Canaan-Lakeville-Norfolk, Cheshire, Derby, East Hartford, East Haven, Enfield, Glastonbury, Granby, Hamden, Hartford, Harwington-New Hartford, Kensington-East Berlin, Litchfield-Goshen-Bantam, Manchester, Meriden-Wallingford, Milford, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Haven, Newington, North Branford, North Haven, Rocky Hill, Seymour, Sharon-Cornwall Bridge-Kenth, South Windsor, Suffield, Thomaston-Terryville, Torrington, Washington Depot-Roxbury, Waterbury, West Hartford, West Haven, Wethersfield, Windsor, Windsor Locks, Wolcott, and Woodbury-Bethlehem.

For more information about pastoral planning, visit: StewardsForTomorrow.org.

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