Philly Catholics brace for more parish closings
Roman Catholics in the Philadelphia region are bracing for news that more parishes will be closing.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to announce the latest parish closings and priest reassignments at Masses this weekend.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that St. Ann Parish in Bristol, Bucks County, will be absorbed by neighboring St. Mark.
Fr. Tom Morris says the merger will be emotional. He says older parishioners remember a time when the Italian immigrants who formed St. Ann felt discriminated against by other Catholics.
Morris says he hopes people will come together to move forward.
The closures reflect the latest efforts to cut costs at the archdiocese by closings schools and parishes and selling off real estate.
The archdiocese has closed 31 parishes since 2012, and has 235 still in operation.
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