St. Agnes in Richeyville to remain open past July
St. Agnes Parish in Richeyville will remain open for now as members of that congregation along with other parishes in southeastern Washington County and parts of Greene County discuss the best way to continue passing on the Catholic religion.
In a letter dated Saturday and sent to members of parishes that make up part of the diocese’s District Three, Bishop David A. Zubik announced a vote taken earlier this month by the parochial unanimously recommended all of the buildings remain open while they work with the Very Rev. Samuel Esposito, parochial vicar for District Three, the best way to continue serving their congregations.
In February, the parishioners at St. Agnes learned it was likely the church will close in July because they were no longer able to pay for day-to-day operations. The church has 65 to 80 parishioners. A final decision was to be made in May.
Zubik told the parishioners they have a history of working together. The advisory councils for the parishes twice met with Esposito with a goal of forming multi-parish teams that would craft a plan for pastoral ministries in the two counties given the number of priests and population of Catholics of the region.
The bishop indicated he began to take the necessary steps to form ministry teams to support the work of the pastoral ministry in the region. Zubik said in early May, he will unveil an interim pastoral plan for the parishes in the district.
“I will rely on your input whether this plan can help grow Catholic ministry in Greene and southeast Washington counties for the foreseeable future,” Zubik wrote. “Or whether it must be modified in ordered to ensure a vibrant Catholic witness for future generations.”
Esposito said Sunday St. Agnes should be sustainable as discussions continue. He told the bishop, who was at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington Sunday to dedicate the church’s new altar, the letter was greeted with applause at St. Agnes.
In addition to St. Agnes, Washington County parishes in those two clusters of the district include Ave Maria in Bentleyville, St. Joseph in Roscoe, St. Oliver Plunkett in Fredericktown and St. Thomas Aquinas in California. Greene County parishes include St. Ann in Waynesburg, St. Hugh and Our Lady of Consolation, both in Carmichaels, St. Ignatius of Antioch in Bobtown, and St. Thomas in Clarksville.