The faith of the faithful is being tested again.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia yesterday announced a sweeping series of church mergers and closings, affecting dozens of parishes in Delaware County and Philadelphia.
Here in Delco, five parishes will disappear, merging with nearby congregations.
St. Alice in Drexel Hill will close its doors, merged with nearby St. Laurence.
The same fate awaits St. Cyril's in East Lansdowne, which will join St. Philomena.
St. Louis in Yeadon will become part of Blessed Virgin Mary in Darby Borough.
And Holy Saviour in Lower Chi, along with Immaculate Conception in Marcus Hook, will join St. John Fisher in Upper Chi.
Four parishes that were on the list to be reviewed will remain free-standing facilities. Those are St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales in Aston; Our Lady of Charity in Aston; and St. Katharine Drexel in Chester.
The word was not unexpected. In almost each incident, the biggest problem was a dwindling congregation and declining attendance at Mass. That does not make it any easier for the faithful to stomach.
Tim Logue has all the details and reaction here.
It's just the latest blow to the church and archdiocese, which have been reeling from one controversy to another. Last year it was school closings. This time around it's parishes.
They knew it was coming. That didn't make it any easier.
Carolyn Soribe, a longtime parishioner from St. Louis in Yeadon, sums up her feelings.
"I'm very angry about it," she said of the merger and move to BVM in Darby. "It saddens me. I 've cried about it, I've lost sleep about it, but I will let the will of God be done."
She has lots of company.
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