Diocesan Guidelines for the Restructuring of Parishes

• At the heart of our process is the desire for a diocesan-wide spiritual renewal, a desire to be faith-filled and holy in order to continue the mission of Jesus Christ.  All deliberations and decisions should be within this context
• A parish must be more than a place where the Sunday liturgy is celebrated.  In addition to quality Sunday liturgies, a parish should have formation programs for the sacraments, religious formation for both children and adults, lay involvement, outreach to those in need, good pastoral leadership and financial stability.
• Ordinarily, an individual priest should not have sole responsibility for more than two parishes.  If a priest needs to assume responsibility for two or more parishes, there should be a single parish office and appropriate support staff.  Parish functions should be consolidated.
• Consideration will be given to the canonical directives regarding the number of Masses that as priest may celebrate each day.  Ordinarily, a priest is permitted to celebrate one or two Masses per day.  Where there is a genuine pastoral need, a priest may celebrate a third Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation.   Parishes should adjust their Mass schedules according to pastoral need and in collaboration with neighboring parishes.
• Factors such as the parish's historical, cultural, or ethnic identity need to be considered in a restructuring effort.  However, such considerations cannot be the sole or primary determining factor when deciding whether to continue, close or alter a parish.
• In those places where there are neither an adequate number of people nor sufficient temporal resources to support a parish in achieving its mission and where there are other parishes nearby, reorganization is both appropriate and necessary.
• Most quasi-parishes, commonly known as missions, were established at a time when distance was a hardship and there was at the hope that a growing population might eventually result in a mission becoming a parish.  Where transportation and the custom of traveling distances to meet other needs are present, and where the church population has not shown an increase, serious consideration should be given as to whether a mission is necessary
• Decisions will attempt to promote the common good of the entire diocese and evidence a deep concern for what will best serve future generations

January 2006:

• Consideration will be given to the canonical directives regarding the number of Masses that a priest may celebrate each day.  ordinarily, a priest is permitted to celebrate one or two Masses per day.  Where there is genuine pastoral need, a priest may celebrate a third Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation.  Parishes should adjust their Mass schedules according to pastoral need and in collaboration with neighboring parishes.