Difficult change

I read Maurice Timothy Reidy's article on parish closings after participating in a Mass celebrating the clustering and eventual consolidation of three Rochester parishes, ranging in size from 475 to 1,500 households. As a member of our diocese's Pastoral Planning Office, I worked with the pastors, lay ecclesial ministers, and other lay leaders of these churches to develop the consolidation plan. I echo Reidy's view that consultation with the laity makes difficult change possible.

I offer one minor correction to Reidy's perceptive article. When a bishop appoints a parish life director or pastoral administrator to lead a parish, that community does not necessarily lose its celebrations of the Eucharist. In many dioceses, including my own, the bishop also appoints a priest to provide the sacramental ministry critical to parish life. This priest may be from a neighboring church, work at the chancery, be a student extern, a member of a religious order, or retired.

KAREN RINEFIERD

Rochester, N.Y.

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