The Catholic Church is gearing up for a major reorganization of its Archdiocese of New York, which currently spans 368 locations throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and Westchester County. In a column for Catholic New York, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan revealed long-gestating plans to downsize numbers in NYC, with more than 50 parishes set to merge with nearby churches in their neighborhoods. According to Dolan, the decision, which the New York Times calls the “most sweeping set of changes to the parish structure of the Archdiocese of New York in its 164-year history,” is inspired by realism. “We simply have too many parishes, in areas that used to have huge Catholic numbers, where most of the people have since moved away,” Dolan admits in his column. He also stresses the importance of being “good stewards of our financial resources.” Affected parishes will reportedly be notified on Friday, with members receiving pertinent information on Sunday, November 2.
Catholic church to shut down over 50 NY parishes
