Bishop Officially Decrees New Catholic Parish for Ocean City

Parishioners of Ocean City's three Catholic churches will hear the official announcement of their merger into one parish—St. Damien's—at this weekend's Masses, according to a decree by Camden Diocese Bishop Joseph Galante published in Friday's Catholic Star Herald newspaper.

St. Augustine's Church at 13th Street and Wesley Avenue will be the primary worship site; St. Frances Cabrini, 114 Atlantic Ave., and Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, 3948 Central Ave., will be maintained as secondary worship sites. The names of the individual churches will remain unchanged.

St. Damien's parish includes about 2,300 families, according to the Star Herald. The decree, which becomes effective Wednesday, March 23, names the Rev. Michael P. Rush as pastor for six years. Core team members from the three churches discussed plans for the new parish over the last year, with the Rev. Edward Kolla acting as co-convener of the merger.

Galante has issued 31 such consolidation decrees in the last two years, when he announced a diocesanwide reconfiguration.

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