St. Catherine of Siena Releases Statement on Possible Merger

A Horsham Catholic parish that is among six in Montgomery County that may merge has released a statement on the situation.

St. Catherine of Siena is one of 14 parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that will join the Parish Area Pastoral Planning Initiative, which the church said is aimed to make the parishes vibrant and sustainable.

“St. Catherine scores high on many of the marks of viability. We take a very important role in our community. We are paying off our debt to the Archdiocese at a regular pace. We take care of scores of people in need each week though the Food Bank operated in the church hall,” St. Catherine announced on Facebook.

Determining what happens to the parishes listed for review includes several steps, according to the archdiocese. Demographic and financial information is reviewed followed by a consultation with parish leadership, parishioners and the Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee.

St. Catherine, in its statement, pointed out that its parish facilities are used seven days a week but did point out there are areas that need improvement. “We score lower in the area of parishioner regular Sunday Mass attendance and financial support, averaging at about only 20 percent of our parishioners,” the statement said.

Once the review happens, recommendations are made and can involve mergers or a plan to assure future sustainability. Results will be announced in Spring 2015, the archdiocese has estimated.