Merger Information from Fr Francis Katrinak

Dear Parishioners,

 

I am writing to provide an important update regarding our journey toward parish restructuring. As you may recall from my previous letter, our initial plan was to petition the Diocese to merge all four of our parishes into a single community. However, through prayerful dialogue and careful consideration of how best to serve our people, that plan has evolved in a very positive direction.


In August, Bishop David J. Bonnar met with the members of our Parish Councils, Finance Councils, and staff from all four parishes. Recognizing our local pastoral needs, Bishop Bonnar recommended a different approach: rather than creating one massive parish, we should form two distinct partnerships. Under this guidance, Saint Joseph Parish and Saint Ambrose Parish will merge into one community, while Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Saint Joan of Arc Parish will merge into another. This thoughtful recommendation was enthusiastically and widely accepted by everyone present at the meeting.


Following through on this collaborative decision, I presented our formal request to the Diocesan Presbyteral Council on Monday, September 21. I am pleased to share that the Council has recommended this exact dual-merger format to Bishop Bonnar. Our structural merging will officially take effect on January 1, 2027.


As we prepare for this new chapter, I want to share a few logistical updates:


  • Pastoral Leadership: A new pastor will soon be assigned to each of the two newly formed parish communities.
  • Mass Schedules: Please rest assured that Sunday's Masses will not be changed. To help balance clergy responsibilities, the new pastor assigned to Saint Joseph and Saint Ambrose will also provide support by celebrating one Saturday evening Mass at either Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Saint Joan of Arc.
  • Church Names: All four church buildings will keep their current historical names, communities, and unique spirits for worship, outreach, and local events. However, because we are creating two brand-new canonical parish subjects, we will need to brainstorm and submit new parish name proposals to Bishop Bonnar for the combined communities.

We will soon begin looking for your ideas and feedback on these name proposals. Thank you for your continued prayers, patience, and dedication as we take these next steps together in faith.


Fraternally in Christ,

 

Fr. Francis