Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia to Close Three Local Churches

Cathedral Basillica of Saints Peter and Paul. Photo Beyond My Ken

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia will soon close three local churches, according to a Sunday announcement.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput will close the Saint John of the Cross Church building in Roslyn, the Mater Dolorosa Church building in Philadelphia and the Saint Cecilia Church building in Coatesville, effective September 16th. Each church is closing for financial reasons, including costly annual maintenance, according to the announcement.

As a result of the Parish Area Pastoral Planning Initiative, all of the effected churches have experienced mergers in the past few years that have prompted them to serve as worship sites for other nearby parishes. Saint John of the Cross Church merged with the Queen of Peace Parish in Ardsley, the Mater Dolorosa Church merged with the Holy Innocents Parish in Philadelphia and the Saint Cecilia Church merged with Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Coatesville.

The initiative is an effort to allocate church resources in a more effective way as a result of a shift in Catholic population and a decline in Mass attendance, among other things, according to the Archdiocese.

Churches informed their attendees this past weekend during Masses.

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