Cardinal John Dew calls for overhaul of Catholic Church in Wellington Archdiocese
Monday, 1 April 2019
Soaring insurance costs and a dwindling number of priests have led one of the country's most senior clergyman to call for an overhaul into the way Catholic churches are run in the Wellington region.
Archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew sent two memos in February to parishioners and staff throughout the Wellington Archdiocese - which covers the lower North Island and Upper South Island - addressing the state of the church's buildings and the future of their congregations.
He warned that, moving forward, fewer resources would be poured into retaining buildings, and more attention and energy would be focused on serving the poor.
'Earthquake resilience issues mean we have unsustainable insurance costs and buildings with unacceptable New Building Standard ratings,' one memo said.
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There are reportedly four churches within the Archdiocese which are closed due to earthquake risk, and nine which need significant work.
One of those is The Sacred Heart Cathedral which has been shut since July last year.
Dew also addressed the ageing - and declining - priest population, saying it would be likely some parishes would need to amalgamate to cope with the lack of clergy.
'The reduced number of priests, which is accelerating each year, means that in most parishes there is a single priest - often elderly - expected to minister in more than one church.
'Availability and ability of priests are highly significant factors governing decisions for our future that cannot be delayed.'
He ordered all parishes to conduct a review of their community, which would need to be submitted to him by the end of October. Dew spelt out it would be inevitable some churches would have to close shop.
'The review will identify how many churches the parish needs to cater for its mass count - taking into account the availability of priests and lay pastoral leaders - and the ideal location of the church or churches.
'For most, if not all parishes with more than one church, this will mean reducing the number of churches in the parish.'
He also referenced Pope Francis' call for the Catholic Church to become more focused on the poor.
'In some ways the issue is simple: we have too many churches and presbyteries for our mass count, and for the number and age of our priests. Some of the churches require large sums of money to address their earthquake resilience.
'At the same time, Pope Francis and the Synod have challenged us to be more outward-looking and to serve those who are marginalised or disadvantaged.'
Between 2013 to 2017 the Archdiocese carried out a parish amalgamation process, which led to the reduction in parishes from 47 to 22.
Dew said in his memo while some may 'see this as a threat to the status quo', it was an opportunity 'to let the Holy Spirit work in our midst to create a sustainable and mission-oriented future'.
Dew was not available for comment when contacted by Stuff.