From 2010 to 2019, the practice of baptisms, first communions, confirmations and weddings in Cincinnati-area Catholic churches fell by 23%. The average Sunday service is only one-third full, the archdiocese says.
“Our current infrastructure and schedules were built for a different era,” the archdiocese said in a release Monday. “In many cases, our church buildings are grossly underutilized.”
“The status quo is no longer an option,” the archdiocese added.
Some priests announced how changes affect their parishes from the pulpit over the weekend, but an archdiocesan spokeswoman said the complete list of reassignments was made available Monday for the first time.
The complete list of assignments is available online at BeaconsAOC.org. The assignments take effect July 1, 2022, on the implementation of a reorganization the archdiocese is calling “families of parishes.”
A “family” is a group of several parishes led by one pastor.
The archdiocese said its leaders considered input “from each priest regarding his own desires, skills and (where applicable) retirement plans; an assessment of each family of parishes and its priest staffing and pastoral leadership needs.”
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