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News Release |
January 12, 2004 |
| Contact: | Rev. Msgr. John T. Conway Regional Vicar, Philadelphia North 215-476-7484 |
Rev. Joseph P. Devlin Pastor, St. Barnabas Parish 215-726-1119 |
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| Rev. Robert T. Feeney Pastor, St. Clement Parish 215-729-0500 |
Rev. Gerard C. Mesure Good Shepherd Parish 215-727-8300 |
Rev. Thomas A. Nasta Pastor, St. Irenaeus Parish 215-727-2888 |
Cluster 33 / Philadelphia-South Vicariate
| St. Agatha-St. James | St. Francis de Sales |
| St. Barnabas | Good Shepherd |
| St. Clement | St. Irenaeus |
| St. Cyprian | Most Blessed Sacrament |
Three Parishes to be Restructured and New Area Catholic School
to be Established in July 2004
Members of the Cluster 33 Advisory Council announce that Cardinal Justin Rigali has approved the Advisory Council's recommendation to close Saints Clement-Irenaeus School in Southwest Philadelphia and make Saint Barnabas Parish Elementary School an area Catholic school with a new name. The restructuring will take effect July 1, 2004.
The Council also announces that Cardinal Rigali has accepted its recommendation to consolidate Saint Clement, Good Shepherd and Saint Irenaeus Parishes to form one new parish with a new name. The new parish would use the buildings of the present Good Shepherd Parish (67th Street and Chester Avenue) All of the parish buildings at Saint Clement Parish (2220 S. 71st Street) would be closed. The church building of the present Saint Irenaeus Parish (2728 S. 73rd Street) would serve as an additional worship site of the new parish. (Sunday Mass and funerals can be celebrated at worship sites but weddings and baptisms cannot take place.)
As part of the restructuring of three parishes into one, the Darby-Colwyn, Delaware County, section of the present Saint Clement Parish would become part of Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Darby, Delaware County.
The Cluster 33 Advisory Council based its recommendations on the significant decrease in the number of registered parishioners in the southern end of Cluster 33 and the planned reduction of at least one parish priest in the Cluster by June 2004. There was a decrease of more than 8000 registered parishioners in Cluster 33 between 1998 and 2002. Within the same years, the enrollment in the parish schools declined by almost 900 students. Projections for the foreseeable future indicate further decline in the Catholic population. There were 32% fewer infant Baptisms in Cluster 33 in 2002 than in 1998. Many parishioners have indicated they are planning to move out of Southwest Philadelphia in the near future.
Background
The Cluster 33 Advisory Council met monthly beginning in March 2003 to evaluate the Cluster Pastoral Plan approved by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua in January 1998. The Council addressed current pastoral needs and began planning for the future. In November 2003, Advisory Council members reached consensus on several proposals and presented them to parishioners. The Advisory Council considered parishioners' feedback then forwarded its recommendation to Cardinal Rigali in December 2003.
Parish and School Names
A Transition Committee will be formed to consider new names for both the newly created parish and the area Catholic school during the next several months. Consultation will take place with parishioners and school families. Suggestions will be forwarded to Cardinal Justin Rigali, who will determine the new names.
Parish and School Buildings
No decisions have been made regarding the Saints Clement-Irenaeus School building, located at 72nd Street and Paschall Avenue, or the Saint Clement Parish buildings located at 2220 S. 71st Street.