Published: December 03, 2008 02:57 pm         

Full text of bishop's statement concerning Cambria City churches

BISHOP’S FINAL DECISION

Cambria City Parish Merger

Statement to the Public

December 2, 2008



Bishop Joseph Adamec:



We of the Diocesan Church of Altoona-Johnstown, along with the Faith Communities in Cambria City of Johnstown, are faced with a challenge. At the same time, it is an opportunity for a future that we may not squander.

For almost a century and a half, the parishes of the Cambria City area have served the spiritual needs of the various ethnic communities that settled there. They have done so faithfully and effectively, nurturing the Faith of those whose forebears came to the United States to forge for future descendants a better life than what they had.

Because of the special pastoral needs that those ethnic communities had, each formed their own community and built their own place of worship. This was done with great sacrifice and much work. It was done with generosity, in order to pass on to future generations the most important legacy, that of a relationship with the Lord, their God.

But, time changes where and how people live. Those changes affect a range of other aspects of society, which have an impact on people’s lives. That includes the structures of the Church. Population and economic shifts have placed a personnel and financial burden on a number of parishes within the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

Adjustments in parish arrangements have had to be made over the course of our history, most noticeably in the past 15 years. Worship sites have already been consolidated in a number of areas, accommodating the smaller number of both Faithful and Priests. These mergers and closings have always considered the proximity of other churches, so that the Faithful would not be without the ministry of a priest or the possibility of participating at Liturgical Worship, particularly the Mass.

An announcement was made on February 15, 2008, that there was a need for the five remaining parishes in Cambria City to be merged into one by July of 2009. The time has come to become a more-unified Church in the area. In order to establish whether there was an existent church building that could serve the new parish (and, if so, which one), an engineering study was commissioned.

The Pastors and Parish Representatives have had a number of meetings with my staff. They were to discuss the manner in which the merger was to take place. Also under continued discussion is the disposition of the remaining church buildings. If they can be preserved, that would be the preferred option. However, several of them need extensive repairs, while the parishes they serve have substantial debts.

On October 9, 2008, I met with the Pastors and Parish Representatives to get a sense of how the discussions were progressing. Rather than receiving a proposal as to how the five parishes could work together for a smooth and effective transition, a number of alternative proposals to the merger were presented. Other similar proposals were mailed to me subsequent to that meeting.

I thought it only fair that I give an opportunity to our Diocesan Reconfiguration Task Force to consider those new proposals. The engineering study of the church buildings was also reviewed one more time, just to make certain that nothing was overlooked. The concluding recommendation of the Task Force to me was that the original decision (to merge all five parishes into one) remain. Furthermore, it was recommended (in accord with the engineering study) that the present church of Saint Stephen become the worship site for the new parish, keeping the Saint Rochus buildings as part of the new parish complex. I have accepted that recommendation.

Therefore, there will be one parish in Cambria City. It will have a new name and a new pastor. It is to encompass the various ethnic traditions that have helped preserve the Faith of our people over the years. It is important that no ethnic family be left out, including the one whose church was merged with another some years ago.

We are at a juncture now where we need to proceed with an orderly and effective transition. To assist in this, I am asking my staff to oversee the formation of a Transitional Council to advise me. This Council is to be composed of two members from each parish, selected by their respective Parish Pastoral Council by the end of this calendar year. The current Pastors will serve as advisors to the Council.

As in any merger, all assets and liabilities become those of the new parish. The Diocesan Staff will assist the new Pastor and his Council in the disposition of the remaining buildings. Any proceeds realized will go toward the payment of outstanding financial liabilities. Beyond that, the upkeep of the current cemeteries is to be assured.

This is not an easy decision, - not for the Faithful involved nor for me as the Diocesan Bishop. It hardly ever is. The fact that such a move has been made in other Diocesan Churches and on a much larger scale does not make it any easier.

However, our forebears did not build church buildings as monuments to themselves. Rather, they built them in order to foster and preserve the Faith. That is the object of consolidation where necessary and where possible. Otherwise, in a changing environment, we are liable to lose faith communities, churches, pastoral and liturgical services, and precious legacies – one by one.

I envision the new parish to be a sign of hope, the one Assembly of Believers composed of a variety of ethnic legacies. The Church is called to be one, each of us bringing to it the unique richness that is ours. It is in this unity that the Church in its members has the strength and power to witness effectively to the reality of Christ. He and our relationship with him need to be our priority over anything else.

Continuing a vibrant pastoral presence in the Cambria City area is important. It is a very historic neighborhood, having nurtured the Faith of many. Regrettably, a number of the church buildings that played such an important part in that nurturing can no longer be sustained or properly staffed.

I am encouraged in this endeavor, however, by the over 700 households that have indicated a desire to become members of the new parish in Cambria City. Whether that number will end up being less or more, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, there appears to be a sufficient number of the Faithful who still value their association with that area. With their good will and the leadership of their current pastors, may we all find favor with the Lord in what we do, - as well as a renewed life in him as a result of our doing it.

     

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