Diocese to unite three parishes

OGDENSBURG — Three Roman Catholic parishes in St. Lawrence County are looking to merge councils and corporate identities owing to shrinking congregations, diocese officials said.

Monday, the Diocese of Ogdensburg filed a petition with the county to merge St. Peter's parish in Hammond, St. Patrick's parish in Rossie and St. John's parish in Morristown into the Roman Catholic Community of Morristown, Hammond and Rossie, New York.

The merger will bring together the three parish councils and create one corporate identity for the group. Administrator Kevin D. McEwan will continue to serve all three parishes as pastor and the move will not affect the names or services of the sites of worship, diocese spokeswoman Sister Jennifer L. Votraw said.

"Essentially what it means for the people is nothing much changes, because they'll retain their three worship sites," Sister Jennifer said. "The three parishes will have a unified parish council and finance council of trustees making decisions for those buildings."

The decision to merge the parishes was approved last spring by Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, Sister Jennifer said. The move is expected to streamline the activities of the three parishes, which will now work together on various projects.

"They share finances and debts. They work to help each other. It's become one family," Sister Jennifer said.

The parishes already have begun the process of merging, according to Sister Jennifer.

Over the past decade, several parishes in the diocese have merged councils and finances, she said.

"It gives people more of a say about what happens to their parish buildings. Say a church is left as a single operating unit; it is possible the diocese would have to ask it to become an oratory or close," Sister Jennifer said. "This way Morristown, Hammond and Rossie decide as a unit what they are going to do with their buildings."

In November, the parishes of Morristown and Hammond agreed to demolish the Our Lady of Grace Oratory in Brier Hill.