Some Ocean City Catholics Asking the Pope to Reverse Parish Merger

A letter with the signatures of 465 Catholics from Ocean City is on its way to the Vatican today. The letter asks Pope Benedict XVI to undo the merger of three parishes into the single St. Damien Parish.

“We write you because we have made every effort to reverse our Bishop’s intent to merge all three parishes in Ocean City, New Jersey, and he refuses to listen and expects us to stand silently by as he makes his proclamations,” Edward Lydon writes in a letter addressed to the Pope in Vatican City and copied to Diocese of Camden Bishop Joseph A. Galante, Papal ambassador Pietro Sambi and Cardinal Mauro Piacenza.

Galante officially decreed the creation of the new St. Damien Parish on Feb. 18. The new parish merges three Ocean City parishes: St. Frances Cabrini at 114 Atlantic Ave., St. Augustine Church at 13th Street and Wesley Avenue and Our Lady of Good Counsel at 3948 Central Ave. The merger takes effect March 23, and St. Damien's parish includes about 2,300 families, according to the diocese.

In the decree, the bishop named the Rev. Michael P. Rush as pastor and designated St. Augustine as the primary worship site with the other two churches retaining their names and remaining open as secondary worship sites.

In his letter mailed Wednesday, Lydon, a resident of the 2000 block of Haven Avenue and parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel, represents some parishioners' concerns about the merger:

•  The primary worship site (St. Augustine) is also the oldest and smallest of the three churches, accommodating fewer than 800 at any church service, according to the letter, while Our Lady of Good Counsel can seat 1,350 for Masses and St. Frances Cabrini 1,100.
• St. Augustine has no parking lot, unlike the other two churches.
• Pastors at the two secondary churches (including the Rev. Max Fasciglione from Good Counsel and the Rev. Edward Kolla from St. Frances) will be moved to the St. Augustine rectory, leaving churches, halls and rectories unattended for large parts of the week.
• Parishioners will be able to attend fewer scheduled Masses, particularly during weekdays.

 The letter notes Ocean City's large seasonal population and suggests that each parish has more than $1 million banked in accounts.

"We tried everything we could before," Lydon said on Thursday.

He expressed frustration with the pastoral planning process that he participated in.

"Obviously everything was already decided," Lydon said.

He said one of the biggest parishioner complaints is the Holy Week Mass schedule—with all Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday Masses held at St. Augustine.

"Bottom line, it's wrong," he said. "They're our churches. They're not his to close."

Lydon said most of the signers of his letter are from his home parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel, although some are from St. Frances and St. Augustine.

Peter Feuerherd, director of communications for the Diocese of Camden, said on Thursday that the diocese has received several similar appeals from parishes.

Galante has issued 31 consolidation decrees in the last two years as the church moves to address trends of decreasing attendance, fewer priests, fewer resources and shifting populations.

Feuerherd said the petitioners will hear back from the Vatican whether their appeal is upheld or denied within a year, though he was uncertain exactly when.

In the meantime, "We hope the new parish will bring together everybody in Ocean City," he said.