A major reorganisation is ahead for the New Zealand diocese of Christchurch with the planned formation of 18 new parishes.
“New and wider parish boundaries will now include previously separate parish communities, making possible a sharing of resources, both human and material. These changes will cause some sorrow and sadness, but also present new opportunities. For many priests it will mean spending less time on administration and more on undertaking their priestly duties and advancing the mission of the Church,” says Bishop Jones.
“Sunday Mass is at the heart of the life of the church. It, and parish life, requires the foundational ministry of the ordained priest. Because we now have a reducing number of priests, parish amalgamations will see the formation of larger parishes, fewer in number”, he says.
- 18 new parishes have been formed.
- Six of these will have a parish priest and an assistant priest, the others only a parish priest.
- The priest will live in the presbytery beside what will become the main church of the new parish.
- New enlarged parishes may have more than one school under their care.
The “Working Document on the Provision of Sunday Mass” was distributed for consultation purposes in November 2010 and so planning for some changes was already underway before the recent earthquakes.
However other changes may be necessary as the Christchurch City population has changed with people moving out of the city and people moving across the city. Most of the effects and implications are still unknown.
Source
- The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
- Image: The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch