May 4, 2018 3 min read

The day many Pittsburgh-area Roman Catholics dreaded came last Saturday when Bishop David Zubik announced the reduction of the number of its parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The diocese plans to whittle down its parishes from 188 to 57 over the next few years by combining them into “groupings” that will share pastors, staff, Masses and even buildings.

On the surface, the decision to merge neighboring parishes seems like a death knell to neighborhood churches that bind their communities together.

But upon further inspection of the plan, the flexibility given to local parishioners could be seen as a positive step forward. Zubik called it one of the “new models for parish life” that will hopefully breathe “new life and joy” into these churches.

That could be construed as spin, but the diocese doesn’t really have any other options. The change is being done out of necessity with the loss of priests, a shifting demographic and reduced number of people attending Mass. The diocese currently has 200 priests, although that number is expected to drop to 125 in seven years, church officials said.

Rather than the diocese making its own decisions about how these groupings will work, church officials are handing the process over to the locals, themselves.

The new groupings will take effect in October, when the mix of parishes and churches will begin discussing how to combine resources. They then will have two, three or five years to implement those plans, depending on the group.

While the changes could still be painful for some, it will hopefully mitigate the long-term problems typically associated with parish mergers. Some groupings might not see any buildings closed if they can make a compelling argument to keep them. Mass availability surely will be reduced, but schedules could be made to allow parishioners to still worship at their familiar churches.

But there is still the harsh reality that some parishes undoubtedly will be hit hard by these groupings.

Greene County’s five parishes will be lumped into one grouping. There will probably be casualties within the five parishes and eight churches included in this countywide grouping. Other places, such as the Mon Valley and rural parts of Washington County, could also see drastic changes.

That’s just a fact of life in the modern Roman Catholic Church as many young people turn away from religion in general.

Regardless of what happens over the next few years, the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s bold vision should be applauded as it puts the impending changes in the hands of local pastors and parishioners. It will be painful at times, but there isn’t a better alternative. The status quo isn’t an option.

Hopefully, local churchgoers will realize this and take the plan seriously. If not, the diocese may have to decide on its own what the next steps forward are for the churches. As we’ve seen with past church closings, that’s something no one wants to experience.