Oct 18, 2018 3 min read

The day many Roman Catholics in our area dreaded came Monday when the Diocese of Pittsburgh began implementing its plan to merge parishes and churches.

The diocese is whittling down its parishes from 188 to 57 over the next few years by combining them into administrative groupings. The change is necessary with the loss of priests, a shifting demographic, numerous buildings in disrepair and reduced attendance at Mass.

The initiative, which the Diocese of Pittsburgh is calling “On Mission for the Church Alive,” is designed to promote growth and shift the focus more toward the church’s ministry and mission.

“As Bishop David Zubik wrote to parishioners last April, we need to share and mobilize our resources to draw people deeper into the faith, seek the lost and serve those in need,” said the Rev. Nicholas Vaskov, a diocesan spokesman.

At first, many parishioners were concerned they would lose their individuality by sharing pastors, staff, Masses and even buildings. But now that the groupings are beginning to take effect, the diocese’s vision is becoming clearer.

Take Greene County, for example.

There are eight churches under five parishes, all of which are located in the eastern part of the county. There clearly are redundancies that can be made more efficient to offer greater synergy to both the parishioners and priests.

With the impending change, the diocese made a wise choice by recruiting the Rev. Al McGinnis, who served as pastor at St. Ann in Waynesburg from 1989 until 2001. He returned Sunday to serve as the grouping’s administrator and was blunt with his assessment of what could happen in the county.

“There are some churches that are in pretty bad situations, architecturally, that need a lot of work and don’t have the money,” he said.

He noted that with only two priests and two deacons serving in Greene County, the number of parishes and churches will likely have to be reduced. McGinnis, though, wants to see the entire county view itself as one “administrative parish” that will still allow for the local churches to keep their identities.

“It’s a lot of running around and trying to be there for the people and guide them through this whole process,” he said.

Being open and honest about that process, which McGinnis seems to be doing, will be key to implementing the diocese’s plan.

This isn’t to say it won’t be painful. But there is still reason to be optimistic, as the Rev. George Chortos told parishioners Monday while celebrating Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington.

“This is good,” he said. “It will bring us together.”

Hopefully, his words will ring true with more changes on the horizon.