Archdiocese of New Orleans announces church consolidations

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Archbishop Gregory Aymond has announced several parish mergers in the Archdiocese of New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 29.

According to Aymond, the decision follows a review by the Parish Sustainability Committee. The review was based on “real data” on the sacramental, pastoral programming, and temporal realities of each parish’s unique situation, gathered from pastors, lay parish leadership, and parishioners.

Officials say there will be four instances where two parishes are merging into one and one instance where three parishes are merging into one.

The church mergers are as follows:

• Our Lady of the Angels in Waggaman will merge with St. Bonaventure in Avondale.
• St. Gertrude in Des Allemands will merge with St. John the Baptist in Paradis.
• St. John Bosco will merge with St. Rosalie, both located in Harvey.
• St. Mary of the Angels will merge with Our Lady Star of the Sea, both located in New Orleans
• Transfiguration of the Lord, St. James Major, and St. Gabriel, all located in New Orleans, will merge together.

There are two other cases in which parish territories will be merge into neighboring parishes.

The territory mergers are as follows:

• St. Theresa of Avila Parish in New Orleans will have its territory divided and merged into St. Patrick on Camp St. in the Warehouse District, and St. Alphonsus on Constance St. in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans.
• St. Hubert in Garyville, which will be merged into St. Peter in Reserve.

St. Hubert Church will remain open for one Mass each weekend.

All mergers will go into effect July 1, 2024.

“These are difficult and painful decisions for everyone involved. When I returned home to New Orleans in 2009, I never imagined I would be in the situation of having to merge parishes. This is something we must do for the good of the local church, and something that is being done in Catholic dioceses around the country,” said Aymond.

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