Parish Pastoral Planning

June 2024

After several months of conversation and discernment, the newly formed parish communities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans are prepared to publicly announce their new parish names. This comes after announcements were made in October of last year that 11 parishes from across the metro area would be merging into five new parishes. All changes are effective July 1 of this year.
The following is a listing of the new parishes:

St. John Paul II – St. Bonaventure in Avondale and Our Lady of the Angels in Waggaman are merging to become St. John Paul II at the site of the current Our Lady of Angels in Waggaman. Fr. Vincent Phan will serve as the first pastor of the new parish.

St. Michael the Archangel – St. Gertrude in Des Allemands and St. John the Baptist in Paradis are merging to become St. Michael the Archangel at the site of St. John the Baptist in Paradis. Fr. Lance Campo will serve as the first pastor of the new parish.

Mary, Help of Christians – In keeping with the Salesian tradition, St. John Bosco in Marrero and St. Rosalie in Harvey will merge to become Mary, Help of Christians. The new congregation will continue to worship at both sites until November. St. Rosalie Church will become the permanent worship site. Salesian Father Mark Hyde, who currently serves as pastor of both parishes, will serve as the first pastor of the new parish.

St. Josephine Bakhita – St. Mary of the Angels and Our Lady Star of the Sea both in New Orleans will merge to become St. Josephine Bakhita Parish at the site of St. Mary of the Angels. Fr. Francis Kamau, FMH will serve as the first pastor of the new parish.

St. Martin de Porres – St. James Major, St. Gabriel the Archangel, and Transfiguration of the Lord all in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans will merge to become St. Martin de Porres Parish at the site of the current Transfiguration of the Lord. Fr. Francis Offia will serve as the first pastor of the new parish.

Also of note, St. Hubert Parish in Garyville is merging into St. Peter and will remain St. Peter Parish. Fr. Ray Hymel will serve as the next pastor of the parish. Additionally, the parish of St. Theresa of Avila is being divided and merged into the neighboring parishes of St. Patrick on Camp St. and St. Alphonsus in the Lower Garden District. Fr. Garrett O’Brien will remain the pastor at St. Patrick. Fr. Chung Tran, CSsR will remain the pastor of St. Alphonsus.
 

October 29, 2023

To the Clergy, Religious, & Laity of the Archdiocese of New Orleans:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Over a year ago we began a parish pastoral planning process in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Building on the priorities of the Ninth General Synod, our goal has been and continues to be to support the parishes of the archdiocese in a manner that provides the people of God with opportunities to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ and form a deeper connection to their faith.

It is my fervent prayer that all of our parishes are sustainable and full of vitality.  Parish vitality is a healthy sign of life in Christ and something that must be continually strived for in all parishes. In light of this, a Parish Sustainability Committee was formed to provide each parish with a profile that highlighted its strengths and weaknesses.

There is no doubt that our parishes, in fact our entire area, have been affected by many factors out of our control. Natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes over the past decade, the COVID pandemic, the challenges of Hurricane Ida recovery, inflation, and sky-rocketing property insurance rates impact our church communities just as they impact our families and our businesses. These are not issues we can ignore in prudent pastoral planning.

When we announced this process, we indicated that there were parishes with significant challenges that would begin an intense period of discernment to evaluate their future needs. With the guidance of the Catholic Leadership Institute, the work of the Parish Sustainability Committee, and using real data on the sacramental, pastoral programming, and temporal realities of each parish’s unique situation, pastors, lay parish leadership, and parishioners were invited into dialogue to determine how to address the challenges facing them.

Today, following a period of prayer, review, and consultation, we announce the decisions that are the conclusions of this discernment.

The final decisions are unique to each parish situation. It was incredibly important to us, and to me personally, that each parish knows their recommendations and desires for their future were not only heard, but considered. In light of this, I am pleased to be able to announce that two parishes, Our Lady of Divine Providence in Metairie and Christ the King in Terrytown have made significant progress in addressing and planning for their challenges and will remain open.

There are four situations where two parishes are merging into one and one case where three parishes are merging into one. Our Lady of the Angels in Waggaman will merge with St. Bonaventure in Avondale to become one new parish. St. Gertrude in Des Allemands and St. John the Baptist in Paradis will merge to become one new parish. St. John Bosco and St. Rosalie both in Harvey will become one parish. St. Mary of the Angels and Our Lady Star of the Sea both in New Orleans will come together as one new parish, and Transfiguration of the Lord, St. James Major, and St. Gabriel in New Orleans will merge together as one new parish.

In two cases, the parish territory will be merged into neighboring parishes. The first is St. Theresa of Avila Parish in New Orleans, which 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. The other is 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 of these mergers will be effective beginning 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. I have prayed about this a great deal and have spoken with many trusted advisors and truly believe the Holy Spirit is leading us for the good of the people of God in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

In closing, I ask that you join me in prayer for these communities as they move through these transitions. Let us pray too for all of us as a local church, may the Holy Spirit continue to guide each of us as we strive for holiness, seek a deeper encounter with Christ each day, and witness with joy in our parish life.

May God bless you and those you hold dear in your heart.

Wishing you God’s blessings, and asking for your prayers in this time of transition, I am,
Respectfully in Christ,

Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond
Archbishop of New Orleans