MERGING, CLUSTERING AND CLOSING CHURCHES ARE CHOICES THE NEW BISHOP WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER.

Merging, clustering and closing churches are choices the new bishop will have to consider.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- The shortage of clergy, decline in Catholic school enrollment and need for outreach to the poor will be among the challenges facing Bishop George V. Murry when he becomes the fifth bishop of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese this week.
Bishop Murry will be installed as bishop during a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Columba Cathedral.
The expanse of his new diocese -- six counties and 115 parishes -- will be in stark contrast to the small diocese that he comes from -- St. Thomas, Virgin Islands -- which has only eight parishes. But Monsignor Michael Kosak, vicar general of the St. Thomas diocese, said of his former boss, "He's up to the task."
Just what will he face as the leader of the Catholic flock in Northeast Ohio?
Those in key leadership positions in the Youngstown Catholic Diocese offered comments on the new bishop's challeneges.
What leaders say
Monsignor John Zuraw, executive director of the Department of Clergy and Religious Services, said he is confident that Bishop Murry has what it takes to lead the diocese.
"The beauty of Bishop Murry's skill is that he will bring administrative skills from the Archdiocese of Chicago [he served an as auxiliary bishop there], one of the largest in the United States, and pastoral abilities as the shepherd of God's flock at the smaller diocese of St. Thomas," Monsignor Zuraw said. "The pastoral dimension and sensitivity will work with the administrative skills."
"For the six-county diocese, we need a thorough evaluation of what the chief issues are and where the church of Youngstown is growing in the future. But it's for us to work together. It's not all on the bishop's shoulders," Monsignor Zuraw said.
Monsignor Zuraw offered five issues he believes will be priorities:
Catholic education. "How will we look to the future and maintain a quality Catholic education?" he asked in the face of declining enrollment that has resulted in several school closings in the last few years. Just last week the diocese announced that Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Niles will close at the end of the school year. "We face the same situation as public schools with people moving out of the area, but we want to offer the best education to fewer students."
The number of clergy and churches. The diocese has only 97 active priests in the diocese and eight from outside the diocese serving 115 parishes. Zuraw said that the bishop's administrative skills and pastoral abilities will be valuable here. "We do face shortage of clergy," he said. He added that 14 priests in the diocese each serve two parishes and two priests each serve three parishes. Merging, clustering and closing churches are choices, he said.
Among factors are location, spiritual, financial and building condition.
Being respectful
Merging two parishes into one may involve creating a new parish with a new name but located in one of the churches. "We have to be respectful of this histories," he said, "and how the parishes have been a part of people's lives."
Three churches in Campbell exemplify clustering: St. Elizabeth, St. John and St. Joseph. The Rev. Michael Swierz. and assistant, the Rev. Paul Tobin, serve the churches. "They share a pastor and director of religious education. They share resources but are distinct parishes."
"It touches my heart and emotions," Monsignor Zuraw said of closing churches. "There are many questions that come into play ... these are parishes where people were baptized, married and buried from ... they are more than buildings."
Visible presence of the church. "What affects the church, affects the people in the diocese and community," Monsignor Zuraw said. "The church plays a part in people's lives and we're tied to one another. We have to respect and depend on one another."
Young people. "Youth are the future of the church. How we educate and form our youth is key. Youth are not only the future of the church but the present," Monsignor Zuraw said.
History of what has come before us. "We need to respect the wisdom of older members and see it as a guide. We can use it to build the future," he said.
Moderator's advice
What advice will the new bishop get from Monsignor Robert J. Siffrin, moderator of the curia, who also has been diocesan administrator since June 2, 2005, when Youngstown Bishop Thomas J. Tobin was named the bishop of the Diocese of Providence, R.I.?
"I think among his priorities will be education and outreach to the poor," Monsignor Siffrin said. "He brings a lot of experience in the life of the church."
As for the state of the diocese, Monsignor Siffrin said he feels there is "great anticipation and wonderful enthusiasm" about the new bishop.
As moderator of the curia, Monsignor Siffrin is responsible for the operation of the central office of the diocese, which oversees the parishes and schools and other functions of the diocese. As diocesan administrator, he performed most of the pastoral and administrative duties of a bishop.
The central office operates on a budget of about 4.5 million, an amount that has stayed stable over the last few years, Monsignor Siffrin said.
Key factor
A key part of the Youngstown Diocese is its educational component.
Dr. Michael Skube, superintendent of Department of Pastoral and Educational Services, noted that most diocesan schools have experienced a decline in enrollment as people have moved out of the area.
There are 10,000 pupils in the six high schools and 37 elementary schools. About 85 percent of the pupils are Catholic and the other 15 percent are of other faiths.
"Tuition varies by school," he said. "As everything else has gone up, that has gone up as well. But there's been a good effort to establish financial aid scholarships. The Covelli [local businessman Sam Covelli] family established a 100,000 scholarship.
"I think our new bishop will emphasize education given his Jesuit background ... they are noted for quality education," Skube said.
Referring to Bishop Murry's former positions as a teacher and dean of student activities at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., Skube said, "He was involved in education and knows the inner workings of schools."
And Skube also cited Bishop Murry's position as a member of the committee on education in the National Conference of Catholic Bishops as an asset.
"We try to use the resources we have in schools and staff in the best possible ways," Skube said. "Bishop Murry said he wanted to visit the people [of the diocese] and listen to them. I think that's an excellent approach. He has to go out and see what the concerns are and then determine what action the diocese will take."