Parish Merger Information

The following letter was distributed to members of St. George and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes in this weekend's church bulletins.

Many parishioners have questions regarding the bishop’s decision to merge the parishes of St. George and Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH). This document attempts to address five main questions:

• When will the merger of the two parishes take place?
• What will be the procedure for merging the two parishes?
• What will be the name of the newly formed parish?
• How will the newly formed parish assume the liabilities and assets of St. George?
• Who will be the pastor of the newly formed parish?

Answers to these questions are primarily based on information provided during the diocesan meeting held on on March 25th, 2009. The meeting was attended by representatives of all parishes being closed or merged in the Cleveland diocese.

When will the merger of St. George and OLPH parishes take place?

The suggested merger date will be agreed upon and submitted to the bishop by the pastors of both parishes. The suggested date must be submitted within the next few weeks (but no later than April 22, 2009).
The suggested merger date may be this calendar year or the next, but no later than June 30, 2010. It is important to understand that the date submitted by the pastors is only a suggested date. There is a good chance that the bishop will set the date himself.

The bishop needs to coordinate the reassignment of priests from closed and merged parishes throughout the diocese. Moreover, the bishop has expressed his desire to be present at as many parish closing and opening Masses as possible.

Because the reorganizations during the upcoming year will affect more than 50 parishes, it only stands to reason that the final decision for the closing date will depend in large part on the overall diocesan reorganization schedule.

What will be the procedure for merging the two parishes?

The word “merger” is somewhat misleading. In fact there are two events – closing and opening: Both parishes close. Both pastors and their respective staffs resign. After a short time (perhaps within a week), the newly formed parish opens with a new pastor and staff.

During the aforementioned diocesan meeting, each parish received a comprehensive (nearly 200 page) manual, which explains in detail the various steps and procedures needed to accomplish the merger.

Among other directives, the manual recommends the formation of various committees which, in addition to the parish council, would plan and execute merger related tasks in the following areas:

• finances, facilities and legal matters
• parish staffing and administration
• liturgy and worship
• education/formation and youth ministry
• parish life and social activities
• internal and external communication
• parish archives

As is evident, there will be much work in planning and executing the merger process.

According to the information currently at hand, the opening of the newly formed parish is likely to occur within a few days of the closing of both parishes. Because this interim period is so short, it appears that a temporary diocesan administrator will not be appointed to serve during this brief period of time.

What will be the name of the newly formed parish?

The bishop requests the submission of 3-5 names for the newly formed parish, including the rationale for the names chosen. The date for submission of names has not been announced as yet. It is the bishop’s recommendation and wish that the name of the newly formed parish be a new name. Here again is it important to note that the final decision regarding the name of the newly formed parish rests with the bishop.

How will the newly formed parish assume the liabilities and assets of St. George?

According to merger procedures, the newly formed parish assumes the assets and liabilities of both parishes. St. George currently has a debt of approximately a half million dollars. This amount has accrued during the past twenty years or so, due to partial payment of diocesan assessments and collections. The debt also includes property and health insurance payments made by the diocese on behalf of St. George.

The principal assets of St. George are its 3 acres of property. The value of the buildings and land is unknown at this time. Once the merger is complete, responsibility for the maintenance and sale of these assets may be turned over to the diocese.

According to merger rules, proceeds from the sale of any real estate will belong to the newly formed parish, after deducting the cost of maintenance and sale.

It is important to take note of the diocese’s public statement regarding debts. The diocese does not want old debts to be an unbearable burden to the newly formed parish. In the diocese’s words, it will be possible to pay “some affordable amount” toward past debts “over time”. The possibility of reduction of past debts is not directly mentioned in diocesan documents. On the other hand, it would appear that the diocese intends to be flexible in its collection of moneys owed.

Who will be the pastor of the newly formed parish?

It is possible that the diocese could appoint one of the current pastors (St. George or OLPH) to be the pastor of the newly formed parish. The diocese could also have some other alternative in mind, such as appointing a priest of whom we as yet have no knowledge. So far – it’s anyone’s guess. In this matter the bishop will make the final decision as he sees fit.

It is important to note that the bishop plans to announce the new pastor well in advance of the opening of the newly formed parish. According to current information, the new pastor will be identified 6-8 weeks prior to the opening of the newly formed parish. So when the bishop sets the opening date of the newly formed parish, it will also be possible to estimate when the new pastor will be announced.

April 2, 2009

St. George Parish
Rev. Joseph Bacevice

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish
Rev. Gediminas Kijauskas