STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- How many mergers is one Staten Island Roman Catholic parish able to survive?
Assumption-St. Paul R.C. Church in New Brighton is headed toward its third merger in recent times.
The latest parish transformation is the result of the "Making All Things New" pastoral planning initiative that will affect more than a third of the 33 parishes on the Island.
Parishioner Dan Hennessy termed the change "sad" but "necessary" following mass at St. Paul's Chapel on Clinton Avenue.
"The sad part is a lot of people consider this home," Hennessy said. "They've invested years, decades in this parish and this parish has already gone through this.
"We were originally the parish of St. Paul's and then several years ago we were merged with the Assumption, so this happened to this family once already and now it's going to happen again in a relatively short amount of time."
THE FLOCK DIMINISHES
The parish already saw an exodus of parishioners in the last merger and again when the school closed, some parishioners told the Advance.
Now they'll be undergoing yet another major transformation as the doors are shuttered at Assumption Church on Webster Avenue at the corner of Brighton Avenue.
"It's St. Peter's that would be the main church for this area, so it's not looking good, that's basically what we're saying," said parishioner Anita Wadas. "They're going to do what they're going to do."
It's a merger into St. Peter's, which will be the parish headquarters in New Brighton.
Staten Island Roman Catholic often refer to St. Peter's as the "Mother Church of Staten Island" because it is the oldest parish in the borough.
POSITIVE VIEWS
Some parishioners see the change as mostly for the good.
"It means a lot to us, this little parish," said Carlos Rodriguez who has belonged with his wife, Sunny, to Assumption-St. Paul for 25 years.
"We've seen people come and go. We've seen people pass away that we've known over the years ... but that only brings the remaining people together ... it's home. We share the good times, the bad times, like any family."
The chapel is convenient for the seniors who live at Cassidy-Coles Senior Center across the street and it's all on one level, Rodriguez said, speculating about why it is being kept open. St. Peter's also is accessible at street level.
Assumption, on the other hand, has a steep staircase up into the church.
"An older person in a walker or wheelchair is not going to make it," Rodriguez said.
"It's necessary because the demographics are changing," Hennessy said of the merger.
Some longtime parishioners have died or moved in retirement, while the younger people settling in the neighborhood aren't necessarily Roman Catholic, or if they are they might not have money to contribute toward maintaining the parish.
"A lot of people think of religion as the supernatural, the spiritual, the afterlife, but we're flesh and blood also," Hennessy said. "Buildings need maintenance, money is required...
"Each parish no longer has five priests and a dozen nuns and a convent. You have a staff that needs to be paid legitimate wages and it's a matter of demographics and finances."