ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Cluster 17
News Release
April 07, 2003

SAINT LADISLAUS PARISH TO CLOSE IN JUNE 2003

The Pastor of Saint Ladislaus Parish in Philadelphia announces that Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, has accepted the recommendation to close Saint Ladislaus Parish. The recommendation had come from a Twinning Evaluation Committee and was also endorsed by the Cluster 17 Implementation Committee. Saint Ladislaus Parish, which is in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia, has seen a 76 percent decrease in population between 1997 and 2001. There was only one baptism in 2001. On average, less than one hundred people attended the weekly Sunday masses in 2002. The parish does not have a school.

The boundaries of Saint Josaphat Parish will be redrawn. Parishioners of Saint Ladislaus Parish, who reside within the new boundaries, will be welcomed as parishioners at Saint Josaphat Parish. Both Saint Ladislaus and Saint Josaphat are traditional Polish parishes. Saint Josaphat Parish is approximately six miles away from Saint Ladislaus Parish and is located in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. No decision has been made regarding the church building at Saint Ladislaus.

In January 1998, Cardinal Bevilacqua accepted the Cluster 17 Pastoral Plan, which called for the twinning of Saint Ladislaus and St. Josaphat Parishes, effective June 2000. Twinning means that the two parishes shared one pastor.

In April 2002, Reverend John B. Wendrychowicz, Pastor of Saint Ladislaus and Saint Josaphat Parishes, with the assistance of Reverend Monsignor Francis W. Beach, Vicar for Philadelphia - North, constituted a Twinning Evaluation Committee with three representatives from each parish. In May 2002, members of both parishes were informed that a Twinning Evaluation Committee had been constituted and that its purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of the twinning arrangement and to make a recommendation to the Cluster Implementation Committee whether the arrangement should continue or another alternative should be considered.

Parishioners in both parishes were invited to complete a questionnaire evaluating the twinning arrangement. Father Wendrychowicz spoke to the parishioners of each parish at the Sunday Masses, encouraging them to respond to the survey.

The Twinning Evaluation Committee met on November 14 and again on December 3, 2002. The members reviewed a summary report of the responses to the survey, the current demographics, finances and facilities in each parish as well as what clergy would be available in the future. They also developed a list of advantages and disadvantages for continuing the present twinning arrangement. The disadvantages far outweighed the advantages.

During November and December 2002, the Twinning Evaluation Committee reviewed the five options to be considered, which included:

1. Continue the twinning arrangement as it is;

2. Continue the twinning arrangement with modification;

3. Twin with another parish;

4. Close one parish, keep the other parish, redraw parish boundaries, consider keeping one church as a secondary worship site;

5. Consolidate or merge, that is close the parishes and form a new parish with a new name.

At the December 3, 2002 meeting, the Twinning Evaluation Committee, after much discussion on the five possible options under consideration, came to a consensus that Saint Ladislaus Parish should be closed. On January 5, 2003, the Regional Vicar, along with the Pastor, the members of the Twinning Evaluation Committee and the business manager met for over two hours with the parish community of Saint Ladislaus Parish. Fifty-two parishioners attended. A detailed description of the consultation process was presented, along with all of the current information on demographics, parish finances, facilities, parish activities and the Twinning Evaluation Committee's recommendation that Saint Ladislaus Parish be closed.

On January 14, 2003, the Twinning Evaluation Committee members met for the last time to review the concerns and comments of the parishioners and to reaffirm their recommendation that Saint Ladislaus Parish be closed. The Committee selected 2004 as its preferred closing date but fiscal concerns led to the Archdiocesan decision to close the parish in June 2003. On January 20, 2003, the Cluster 17 Implementation Committee met and endorsed the recommendation of the Twinning Evaluation Committee. The Regional Vicar, Monsignor Beach, forwarded the recommendation to Cardinal Bevilacqua. On April 3, 2003, Cardinal Bevilacqua, after consultation with the Council of Priests, formally accepted the recommendation to close Saint Ladislaus Parish.

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