Over the course of the next 18 months four Port Richmond parishes will combine as one, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced on Sunday, June 24.

According Philly.com, Our Lady Help of Christians parish (3160 Gaul St.) will merge with Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish (2535 E Allegheny Ave.) in June 2016. A merger is when two or more parishes are united into one. When merged, one parish is designated as the parish church and the parish will use the name of that church, in this case Navity BVM. A pastor will be appointed for the merged parishes and a transition team made up of parishioners from both merged parishes will be formed. Parishes entering a merger will not have separate offices, financial councils or pastoral councils. 

A year later, by June 2017, the newly merged Nativity will “enter a partnership” with Mother of Divine Grace parish (2612 E Monmouth St.) and St. George parish (2700 E. Venango Ave.) Each parish entering into a partnership arrangement will remain open and retain status as separate parishes. However, each will be served by one pastor, one staff and one pastoral council. Finances will be also managed by each parish individually.

This is all part of a plan that the Archdiocese calls a “pastoral planning initiative.” This restructuring of parishes will not yet affect the schools connected to those parishes but the archdiocese and parishes “will continue to assess the viability of their schools at the local level.”

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput and the Archdiocese did confirm that St. Adalbert’s parish (2645 E Allegheny Ave.), a parish within the same pastoral planning as the aforementioned parishes, will remain autonomous.