File this one under, Not Exactly a Surprise.
The archdiocese has rejected an appeal by the parishioners of Holy Saviour Church in Lower Chichester objecting to the decision to close their parish and merge them with St. John Fisher in Upper Chi.
You can read all the details here.
Now parishioners may be ready to go to a higher authority. Longtime parishioner Joe DiMarco says the group is ready to take their fight to the Vatican.
I wish them luck. They're going to need it.
Immaculate Conception in Marcus Hook similarly had their appeal denied. Also nixed was a plea to allow Holy Saviour and Immaculate Conception merge to form a single parish. It seems neither parish wants much to do with joining St. John Fisher.
To say there are some bruised feelings among Catholics in the lower end of the county would be an understatement.
The decisions were part of the Archdiocese's ongoing Pastoral Planning Initiative. In Delaware County, nine parishes will be merged into four.
St. Louis Parish in Yeadon will merge into Blessed Virgin Mary in Darby Borough; St. Alice in Upper Darby will merge with St. Laurence; and St. Cyril's in East Lansdowne will merge with St. Philomena in Clifton Heights.
The last Mass to be celebrated at Holy Saviour is set for 11 a.m. Sunday. We'll be there.
Comments
So the archdiocese has rejected your appeal to keep your parish open and now you're taking your case to the Vatican? Let us know how that works out for you. At least your worship site won't be sold or demolished.
Signed,
The parishoners of St. Anthony of Padua, St. Michael, St. Roberts, St. Hedwig, Resurrection of Our Lord and Immaculate Heart of Mary (R.I.P. 1993)