Hartford Archdiocese Plan Could Merge or Shutter Nearly 100 Churches

HARTFORD, CT — As many as 98 Catholic churches could be gone or merged in a consolidation plan proposed by the the Hartford Archdiocese.

The details of the proposal have been posted on the archdiocese Web site under a sub-category called "Stewards for Tomorrow."

Here are some of the specifics in the proposed draft design:

• The 212 parishes in the archdiocese would be reorganized into pastorates, defined as a, "single parish, with a parochial church and one or more worship sites, campuses and ministries, according to the plan.
• Each pastorate will be led by a pastor and may have one or more associate priests and/or deacons assigned to it, depending on the size of the pastorate, according to the plan.
• Each pastorate will be designed for a maximum of four masses per weekend for each priest, according to the plan.
• The number of pastorates is proposed at 114, a compromise from the initial goal of 114, according to the plan.

No specific closures were mentioned in the outline of the plan, but church officials said consolidation is, "something which we are confident will, in time, foster spiritual vitality, organizational efficacy and accountability, and social and financial responsibility."

The justifications are, according to the plan outline, the number of available priests (based on retirement at age 75), the "degree and quality of sacramental/ministerial activity," the optimal location of churches relative to people being served, and "long-term financial sustainability."

See the full proposal here.