Connecticut

Archdiocese of Hartford Announces Details of Parish Reorganization Sunday

The Hartford Archdiocese announced its plan to reorganize parishes at a press conference on Sunday.

Priests are also expected to discuss the changes with their parishioners at Mass, and official decrees for churches closing or merging will be posted in each affected church and online.

The archdiocese intends to reorganize its 212 parishes into pastorates, a single parish with a parochial church and one or more worship sites, campuses, and ministries.

According to archdiocese spokesperson Maria Zone, the 212 parishes will be reduced to 127 as of June 29, with 68 parishes remaining as they are and 59 the result of mergers. The mergers will include the combining of anywhere from two to six parishes, depending on the area.

Zone added that 186 church buildings will remain open and 26 will close. The table below details the mergers. The names for newly created parishes were voted on by members of the archdiocese.

Note that some of the mergers have already taken place. Churches with an * will cease holding Mass by June 29.

According to the Office of Pastoral Planning of the Archdiocese of Hartford, the Pastoral Council and the Directors of the Hartford Bishop’s Foundation have already been briefed on the plans, and any priests being reassigned have been notified.

The archdiocese said at the beginning of the project that the changes are necessary because of a declining Roman Catholic population in Connecticut, as well as lower Mass attendance, fewer available priests, and financial concerns.

For more information, visit the Office of Pastoral Planning website.

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