The Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, has announced two parish consolidations and proposed two others in light of dwindling attendance and sacramental participation.
“This is certainly sad news for those who love their parishes and have heroically supported them for decades,” Bishop Bruce Lewandowski said, according to a Nov. 13 Rhode Island Catholic report. “They and their pastors are in my prayers daily. With God’s help, the mergers will create stronger, more vibrant parishes, to enable the Church to continue Christ’s mission and ministry for years to come.”
Three parishes in the former industrial town of West Warwick — Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Joseph — will be consolidated into a single parish, which will be known as St. Joseph Parish. Two parishes in Providence, Saint Agnes and Saint Ann, will consolidate under the name St. Ann.
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saints Peter and Paul, and St. Agnes Parishes have each seen a steady decline in attendance. St. Agnes did not have a single baptism, first communion, confirmation, or marriage in 2023, according to Rhode Island Catholic, and Mass has not been celebrated at the parish since June 30, 2024.
Though the consolidations were formalized Nov. 9, both were already well underway over the course of the year.
“Since January 1 of this year, the parish communities have joined together in the sharing of sacramental life and parish activities — all religious education has taken place at St. Joseph, all Masses have been moved to St. Joseph, and all sacramental records are currently at St. Joseph,” Father Gregory Stowe, pastor of St. Joseph Parish and administrator of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and Saints Peter and Paul Parish, told Rhode Island Catholic.
Two other consolidations, both of parishes in the city of Pawtucket area, have been proposed.
Parish consolidations can be challenging, but Fr. Stowe expressed gratitude for the merger and said that the consolidations will ultimately help the Church in Rhode Island.
“As a pastor, I am moved by the hard work and daily sacrifice so many of our parishioners and families make in the building up of the Body of Christ,” he said, according to Rhode Island Catholic. “It is never easy to say goodbye to a parish, but I am convinced that this is the right move for all our people in order to better meet the needs of the Catholic faithful of West Warwick and promote missionary discipleship in our community.”
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