From the Desk of Father Tom
 
I write to you all today to share that after much prayer, consultation, and discernment, I have arrived at the very difficult decision to petition Bishop Zubik to relegate St. Joseph Church to profane, but not sordid use.  In other words, I am asking Bishop Zubik to close St. Joseph Church permanently. 
 
Please allow me a few moments of your time to help explain how I arrived at this decision and hopefully to answer some questions I anticipate you may have.
 
When I first received my assignment as Administrator of St. Maria Goretti Parish and Our Lady of the Angels Parish, I had a number of conversations with Bishop Zubik and other diocesan officials about the Parish Grouping.  I can say with all sincerity that at this time last year, and through the summer months, that it was the intention of Bishop Zubik, the diocesan support staff, the parish staff, and myself to do everything that we could, within reason, to try to keep a church building open for worship in Bloomfield.
 
That plan was, however, contingent on the ability to sell the entire Immaculate Conception Church campus.  There would have been a two-fold benefit from the sale of that property.  One, is that it would have provided additional funds to be put towards the renovation of St. Joseph Church.  Secondly, it would have eliminated the operational costs associated with that campus and reduced our deficit spending at St. Maria Goretti Parish, which would have allowed us to get much closer to a balanced budget.
 
Many of you may be asking yourselves: what changed?  As was outlined in the April 2nd bulletin, the following realities have made it impossible to follow through on the original plans to keep a church building open in Bloomfield.
 
· A canonical appeal of Bishop Zubik’s Decree to Relegate (close) Immaculate Conception Church was first sent to Bishop Zubik. Bishop Zubik upheld his Decree and Immaculate Conception Church remained closed.
 
· A second canonical appeal was then registered with The Dicastery for the Clergy, at the Vatican. The Dicastery upheld Bishop Zubik’s decision that Immaculate Conception Church would remain closed.
 
· It appears that the appeal process at the Vatican is still ongoing. This appeal has the potential to take years to determine.
 
· While the decision to close Immaculate Conception Church remains under appeal at the Vatican, the parish cannot sell or use Immaculate Conception Church and must continue to maintain and insure the buildings.  Additionally, since the school and church are contiguous and share one mechanical system,
they are understood to be one building.
 
Make no mistake about it, the appeal on Immaculate Conception Church is preventing us from both fixing St. Joseph Church and getting close to a balanced budget.  That is the major change in the last year.  The individuals making the appeal have a right to do so under Canon Law and I have no intention of taking that right away from them.  At the same time, as the Administrator of the Parish, I need to be honest and clear about the circumstances preventing there from being a church building open for worship in Bloomfield. 
 
It is also clear to me that St. Maria Goretti Parish is in grave financial distress.  Currently, St. Maria Goretti has just under $750,000 in unrestricted funds available for use.  While it may seem like a great deal of money, the parish also operates on an annual deficit of over $130,000 with minimal staff.  Additionally as it has been stated a number of times, the parish needs more than $1,600,000 to re-open St. Joseph Church in such a way that we can be confident that it will stay open.  Even if we do not do any repairs to St. Joseph Church, there remains the very real possibility that St. Maria Goretti Parish will spend almost all of its savings on the operational deficit by the time the Immaculate Conception appeal is over. Given these circumstances, it is clear to me that the parish is in grave financial distress with no way out of it.  It is for that reason that I am asking Bishop Zubik to relegate St. Joseph Church to profane, but not sordid use.
 
I do wish all of you to know that this has been the most difficult decision I have had to make in my ministry as a priest.  I hope that you know that this decision was not made lightly, nor was it arrived at quickly.  Over the past 10 months, I spent countless hours in meetings and seeking consultation with members of the pastoral and financial advisory councils, with diocesan officials, and our own Parish Grouping staff and many other concerned parishioners.  I have also asked, and more often begged, for guidance and wisdom from God through all of this. 
 
I’m sure that many of you have questions regarding this decision.  I am going to try to anticipate some of them here, but if you have other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
 
Question: What happens next?
Answer: Bishop Zubik will consult with the diocesan Presbyteral Council and if he accepts my recommendation, then he will issue an official decree relegating the Church.  That decision may take the Bishop several months, as he too must prayerfully discern this decision. 
 
Question: Can a parish exist without an open church building? 
Answer: Yes, Canon 515 §1. defines a parish: “A parish is a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor (parochus) as its proper pastor (pastor) under the authority of the diocesan bishop.”  So, St. Maria Goretti Parish continues to exist without a church building open for worship.  As you have all heard it said countless times, the parish is the people and not the building.  It is true, and even Canon Law supports that claim.
 
Question: What happens to my registration if I am a member of St. Maria Goretti Parish?
Answer: Nothing changes for the time being. 

Question: Is there any benefit of changing my registration from SMG to OLA? 
Answer: No, eventually when we merge everyone will become a member of the merged parish.

Question: Is the Mass schedule going to change? 
Answer: No, for the time being there are no plans to change the Mass schedule.
 
Question: What is the fate of St. Joseph Church and rectory?
Answer: At this time I do not have a clear picture on the future of the campus.  In the short term, I will continue to live in the rectory in Bloomfield with Frs. Pierre, Doug, and Nick.  As the situation unfolds in the coming months we will provide you with relevant updates.