The Archdiocese of Baltimore will cut and merge 61 worship centers into 21 parishes as part of a consolidation plan announced Sunday.
Catholic officials said the Seek the City to Come plan, which they have been working on since 2022, addresses the loss of population and investment in and around Baltimore churches over several years.
However, officials said the consolidation is not related to the archdiocese’s bankruptcy filing last year, which was just before a Maryland law took effect to allow sexual abuse survivors to sue the church for abuse that took place decades ago.
“We set out many months ago with a call to the faithful: Help the Church in Baltimore minister to our neighbors and respond to the needs of the city for the centuries to come as we have since 1789,” Archbishop William Lori said in a statement. “Together, we must design a plan that confronts decades of disinvestment and population loss in the city and brings the Eucharistic vision to life through mission and ministry.”
Under the plan, 40 churches — including some historic facilities — will be merged into other parishes, but schools connected to those churches will remain open. No parishes will close immediately, and the consolidation is planned for June.
Baltimore’s oldest Catholic church in continuous operation — St. Vincent de Paul Church, dedicated in 1841 — would be shuttered among several other historic locations such as St. Wenceslaus in the Middle East neighborhood of East Baltimore and St. Pius X in Towson.
The archdiocese has 153 parishes and ministry sites in the city of Baltimore and the Maryland counties of Allegheny, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard and Washington, according to its website.
A website outlining the consolidation noted that 61 churches currently support 1% of the Catholic population in the archdiocese.
The archdiocese said the consolidation plan would go to Archbishop Lori, who “will rely on feedback and direction from the public comment sessions and his consultations with Archdiocese leadership … to guide the final decisions.”
Two public meetings will be held April 25 and April 30 for congregants to provide feedback about the plan to church officials.
“Decisions on the disposition of any of the parishes that serve Baltimore City can only be considered and made after the Archbishop accepts/approves the preferred recommendations for how we will ensure a sustainable and thriving Church,” the archdiocese website states.
Parish closures and consolidations have taken place across the country in recent years, although many have been protested by parishioners, some of whom have staged sit-ins or appealed the decisions to the Vatican, often without success.
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