NORWICH – The Catholic churches of Norwich are taking unified steps away from being divided and conquered, officials said Tuesday.
Following a meeting with church leaders, consultants and parishioners Tuesday, Committee to Save St. Bartholomew’s legal representative Thomas Vitanza said the biggest development is Father Douglas Cunningham openly supporting the push to keep both St. Paul’s and St. Bart’s from closing.
“Father Cunningham is 100 percent for keeping both churches open,” Vitanza said. “We’re confident we can accomplish that.”
Cunningham said the belief that he has been one-sided has been false, and that following his orders as an extension of the diocese put him in a position that may have appeared to be in opposition of his parishioners.
“I love both churches,” Cunningham said. “I’ve been working behind the scenes trying to talk to the diocese all along.”
Now the two-church priest hopes that a display of unity and positive action will be enough to save them both.
“We all agree that we have a vibrant Catholic community here in Norwich,” he said. “We have to show Syracuse we are unified as a community.”
In March, Syracuse Diocese Bishop James Moynihan announced in a letter that one of the two churches, either St. Paul’s or St. Bartholomew’s, would have to close its doors. It was first reported and believed that the closing was aimed at St. Bart’s, a decision that rocked the parishioners of the “little cathedral,” which was built “to last the ages,” by Italian immigrants in the 1920s as a testament to their faith and hard work.
Vitanza said the diocese has disclosed “quite a lot” of financial records spanning the past several years, and that a subcommittee comprised of H. William Smith, Anthony Testani, and Frank Benenati will work with the regular financial committee to analyze the data. Vitanza said the group will provide a specific budget analysis for each parish separately to see where costs can be cut, what can be changed, and how that can be achieved.
Vitanza acknowledged that three to five proposals regarding the both churches’ futures are still due by Thanksgiving.
“Things are going to have to change,” said St. Bart’s parishioner and Committee to Save St. Bart’s member Nicholas Testani, referring to the financial operations of both churches. “It’s not working the way it is – let’s find out why.” Testani believes that a separate analysis of each church is necessary, so that shared costs can be examined and to show that they both can stand alone as viable institutions.
“If we work together we can come up with sensible solutions to all our problems,” Testani said. “We can keep everyone happy.”
The possible closure, described by the Bishop as a policy of “one priest under one roof,” is part of a diocese-wide campaign to consolidate its parishes in order to brace for a severe priest shortage that’s been estimated in the coming years.
The Feast of St. Bartholomew is on Aug. 26, and parishioners from St. Bart’s said that all are welcome, and they hope that parishioners from both churches will attend.