Earthquake damage, ageing clergy and smaller congregations have led to a decision which will see the number of parishes reduced from 50 to 24 in the Christchurch diocese
The new parishes are larger and often involve a single priest holding services at more than one church.
Christchurch Catholic Bishop Barry Jones said the reduction would “cause some sorrow and sadness”, but was necessary to retain Sunday Mass.
“Sunday Mass is at the heart of the life of the church. Because we now have a reducing number of priests, parish amalgamations will see the formation of larger parishes, fewer in number,” he said.
On Wednesday 25th January 2012, Bishop Barry Jones suppressed some existing parishes and established new ones. This was after an extensive period of consultation on The Provision of Sunday Mass in the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch.
Source
- The Press
- Image: Screen shot Christchurch Diocese
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News category: New Zealand.
