Mike Stevens of St Roch's parish spoke to the media, saying the parish is a vital component of what goes on in the community, it's also very integrated into the community.

Under the restructuring plan known as "All Things New" the archdiocese had aimed to consolidate 178 parishes into 134.

The restructure, set to take effect on August 1, had 35 parishes merging with neighbouring parishes, while 15 parishes were slated to form five new parishes.

Additionally, 158 priests were to be reassigned to various locations as part of the plan.

However, the archdiocese announced on July 31 that Archbishop Mitchell T Rozanski had "suspended the effects" for seven parishes as they had chosen to "pursue hierarchical recourse with the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy."

The appeals came after Archbishop Rozanski declined to reverse his decrees, affirming his commitment to implementing the restructuring plan.

The archdiocese said in its statement that "out of respect for each parishioner's right to this recourse and in keeping with Archbishop Rozanski's desire to maintain access to the sacraments, we will be suspending the effects of the following All Things New decrees" for those seven parishes "until this process has been exhausted."

No immediate plans to close or sell any churches

Lisa Shea, archdiocesan director of community and media engagement, told OSV News that there are "no immediate plans to close or sell any churches" in the archdiocese.

"They will all remain open in some capacity for worship for the foreseeable future" she said. "We have a couple of parishes in the city that are really well known for their social justice works, such as food pantries, and while their parishes are closing, the churches are staying open to do all those good works."

The archdiocese said in its statement that it will proceed with the reassignment of priests, and that incoming pastors for the seven parishes challenging the mergers" should not make changes in parish life which would be difficult to reverse, "including the sale of parish property."

Mergers suspension welcomed

Sean McGroarty, president of the St Roch Parish school board, welcomed the announcement of the suspension of mergers of several parishes.

McGroarty had, along with other parish lay leaders, encouraged concerned parishioners to write to Rozanski to appeal the decision to merge St Roch with Christ the King Parish.

He told OSV News that amid its All Things New initiative "the archdiocese missed an opportunity to strategically address the issues they're trying to address."

The problem, he argued, was not solely a lack of priests, but rather the unequal impact of transferring them to areas with more Catholics, adversely affecting smaller parishes and minority communities.

Allowing qualified lay faithful to assume greater co-responsibility for parishes would help address clerical shortages and avert parish closings and mergers, said McGroarty.

"You want priests to care for the universal good of the flock, to administer the sacraments," he said.

"You don't necessarily need them to administer finances in parishes and schools. If they (the archdiocese) had been able to separate that, it might have been a more helpful process. There are laypeople who would love to do all those things."

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

KSDK

CathNews New Zealand

The role is newly created, and the successful person will work closely with the bishop, general manager and senior leadership team to provide revenue growth, supporting the diocese's mission.

In the position's Candidate Brief, the diocese states that it is in the midst of an exciting chapter in its history with many upcoming fundraising opportunities.

However, the single fundraising opportunity identified in the Candidate Brief is the Cathedral Precinct development.

"Currently in the planning stages, the Cathedral Precinct development in the central city will strengthen the future of the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch."

The Candidate Brief refers to this opportunity as a "once-in-a-lifetime project" that includes "a cathedral, diocesan offices, parish offices and other associated buildings."

Earlier in the year, following the Christchurch City Council's revised CBD roading plans, the future of the Cathedral precinct was put in doubt.

Michael Gielen, Bishop of Christchurch, expressed concerns about the project's viability.

He stated, "I am committed to creating thriving parishes and building a worthy cathedral within the Diocese of Christchurch.

"However, I am aware that the cathedral represents a significant financial commitment for the diocese.

"It will be a legacy of my tenure as bishop, and I want to ensure that any decision regarding the development project is made with utmost care and comfort, as anyone in my position would."

The project was then further set back when Christchurch's "The Gathering Group", mounted a Canonical legal challenge to the Vatican

The Gathering Group sought to halt the sale of land and the construction of the new cathedral.

Gielen responded by way of a letter read out at all Sunday Masses.

In the letter, he informed Catholic congregations that the further sale of land, parish mergers and the construction of the new Christchurch Catholic Cathedral have been suspended until the diocese receives a response from Rome.

In April, it was reported that new City Council recommendations might allow the Christchurch Catholic Cathedral precinct and a 600-space parking building to proceed after all.

Bishop Gielen has assured the diocese that he will collaborate synodally on future plans.

Sources

• Catholic Diocese of Christchurch (Last accessed 14 July, 2023. Job applications closed 16 July, 2023.)
• CathNews
• CathNews
• Stuff

The 29 March move came after there was considerable interest in the letter's contents, particularly from Catholics who could not be at Mass on the Sunday it was read.

Those at Mass who heard the letter also wanted the further opportunity to ‘digest' it.

CathNews originally sought a copy of the letter through the Church's National Communications office, but the National Communications Office was told the Christchurch diocese considered the matter a local issue.

Evidence suggests otherwise.

Putting a halt on building a new $100m Cathedral precinct, pausing parish mergers and the non-publication of the bishop's letter garnered considerable local, national and international attention.

Now able to read the letter, a New Zealand communications consultant labelled it "excellent" and said he could not understand why the diocese was keeping it secret.

"People replace silence with their own meaning, making it easy for your message to get confused or be diluted," he said.

Simon Thompson, general manager for the diocese, told the Christchurch Press the diocese had been informed by the Vatican of the legal challenge and advised by lawyers to halt all work on the plan.

Thompson says the diocese is not hiding anything but did not wish to hinder the legal process.

He says the diocese wants to respect the legal process and, at this point, is unaware of the precise details of the canon law challenge.

Thompson told the Christchurch Press that once the diocese receives the full details of the challenge, it will have more clarity on its path forward.

CathNews understands the legal challenge primarily relates to communications processes surrounding the formulation of the diocesan plan - "Our Faith Our Future," the post-Christchurch earthquake demolition of the Catholic Cathedral in Barbadoes St, and the sale of Maryville Courts retirement village.

On being named Catholic bishop of Christchurch, Gielen was quick to endorse the diocesan plan "Our Faith, Our Future," saying the begun work stands the diocese in "fantastic stead going forward."

While initially excited by the challenge, Gielen's letter suggests that after talking with people across the whole diocese, he has changed his mind about the diocesan plan "Our Faith, Our Future."

He wants to move forward together and in prayer.

Sources

• Supplied
• Christchurch Press
• CathNews NZ

The news was delivered by a letter read on behalf of the Bishop of Christchurch, Michael Gielen, at all Sunday Masses.

Christchurch diocese parishioners told CathNews that Gielen had put a hold on the development until the diocese hears from the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

The Tribunal is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church.

Gielen also told parishioners that future developments would proceed in a synodal way, communally and in prayer.

The bishop's letter was sent to parish priests with the instruction that it was not for display or publication.

"It's a bit odd, a lot of Catholics are not as regular in going to Mass anymore; how are they to be told," a parishioner commented to CathNews.

Seen by others as a compassionate and welcoming message, they are concerned that the likes of the infirm, some elderly, those shut-in, or those out of town for the weekend are excluded from an important message.

"The letter needs to be made public; everyone needs to be informed by the bishop, not just those at Mass; last Sunday.

"Everyone needs to sing off the same song-sheet.

"Publishing the letter helps avoid confusion and builds trust," they say.

However, despite confusion around the delivery and what people actually heard, the news pleased "The Gathering Group," a 300-strong group of Christchurch Catholics who launched a Canonical legal challenge to the then apostolic administrator Archbishop Paul Martin's actions.

The Gathering Group told CathNews that it had written a 70 paragraph submission to the Apostolic Signatura via Cardinal Luis Tagle, Prefect for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

Tagle is responsible for the Church's mission territories, including New Zealand.

Among the concerns giving cause to a legal appeal to the Apostolic Signatura is canon 212.

The Group maintains parish mergers reducing 12 city churches to 5 meant Martin did not meet his obligation to cater for parishioners' spiritual needs.

Following the Christchurch earthquakes Bishop Barry Jones reduced the number of parishes from an estimated 50 to 24.

The group says Martin's actions made a difficult situation even more difficult.

The Group suggests that defining a parish community by the weekly availability of a priest is a clericalist response to the problem.

They say people understand that they may not have access to Mass in their local community each week, and while they hope parish communities could participate in the Eucharist as often as possible, the baptised can still gather in their parish community and exercise Christian ministry aided by well-trained lay ministers.

The Gathering Group maintains an abundance of theology and pastoral modelling is available for Bishops to deal with a shortage of ordained priests.

They cite the 2020 decree from the Congregation for Clergy on "The pastoral conversion of the parish community at the service of the Church's evangelising mission."

The Group's appeal also focuses on how Martin, through the Diocesan Property Team, planned to deal with "surplus assets" from the sale of parish property.

They maintain the diocese was not adequately consulted on the Plan; instead, they were presented a "fait accompli," something "already decided on by a tiny cohort of priests and property developers."

They say, "The Plan was presented as a "Proposal" (and) the Proposal, in substance, did not change and became the Plan.

The Group also alleges Martin demolished the Barbadoes St Cathedral and sold the Maryville Courts retirement village when he was Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington and was acting in Christchurch only as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese.

The Group says in case it is necessary; it is also exploring New Zealand civil action to prevent the diocese from further land sales.

When ordained bishop of Christchurch, Gielen quickly praised Martin's work, saying he looked forward to consolidating the city's parishes.

"The work he (Martin) has done in paving the way for the consolidation and strengthening of our parishes and schools stands the diocese in fantastic stead going forward," Gielen said.

"It is an exciting time to lead the diocese through this next growth phase of the Catholic Church in Christchurch."

CathNews spoke with Kevin Campbell, a lawyer assisting the applicants through the canonical judicial process.

Campbell told CathNews that because the matter was sub judice, he wanted to respect the legal process and, at the moment, could not comment.

Sources:

• Supplied