Scottish Catholic Observer

In a letter sent to all parishes last ­Sunday, Archbishop Leo Cushley said he was drawing his lengthy consultation to a close by proposing the ‘merger of an important number of our parishes.’

The archbishop took part in nearly 120 public meetings attended by more than 7,000 parishioners over the two years. He asked parishes to take part in discussions around possible mergers and how to build ‘vibrant, viable Christian communities,’ and submit reports in 2017.

Many parishes in the archdiocese are already arranged into 31 clusters. Initial reports suggested parishes could be reduced to as few as 30, but the new estimates puts the proposed number at 60, down from a current total of 103 parishes.

“In general terms, therefore, and to put some minds at ease, I write to you now to let you know that I am minded to merge a significant number of clusters, though by no means all, into single parishes, retaining however most of the church buildings already in use for as long as they are affordable, and indeed wished, by clergy and people alike,” the archbishop wrote.

“The time may well come in the future when not every church or chapel can expect Sunday Mass to be celebrated in it every week, but this is a separate question for us to answer in due course.”

Speaking about the decision to retain most churches, the archbishop said: “If you choose to consult with parishioners and priests, then you have to listen to what they are saying and, in this instance, I was happy to be persuaded by the case that was made to me by many of our people and clergy. The fact is, people are very attached to their local churches and have expressed a wish in many places to keep them.”

“The first thing that I picked up from the meetings I attended, the reports, and subsequent meetings with the clergy too, was the attachment of many, though not all, to their local churches.

“The second thing, though, that consistently came through was the willingness of priests and people to pool limited resources at a local level into larger, more sustainable Catholic parishes that can better evangelise their communities—this includes a willingness to merge existing parishes.”

A final decision on the parish mergers will be taken in the next few months following a final consultation with the archdiocesan Council of Priests.

The Church in Scotland has struggled in recent years with falling Mass attendance and too few priests. Motherwell Diocese has already merged some parishes and Glasgow and Galloway are facing similar struggles.

In 2005, Mass attendance in St Andrews and Edinburgh was 30,649 on the first Sunday of November. By 2014, the figure had fallen to 26,904. According to The Directory of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Mass attendance was 23,107 by 2016, a fall of 25 per cent over 11 years.

By comparison, over the 10 years from 2005-2015, Glasgow suffered a 30 per cent drop in Mass attendance from 52,347 to 36, 446; Motherwell a 27 per cent drop (51,564 – 37, 545); Aberdeen a drop of six per cent (6,947 – 6,508); Argyll and the Isles a drop of 30 per cent (4,184 – 2,935); Dunkeld a drop of 17 per cent (9,833 – 8,128); Galloway a drop of 29 per cent (11,468 to 8,112); and Paisley a drop of 31 per cent (25,243 – 17,401).

Across Scotland, Mass attendance has fallen over the 10-year period by 25 per cent, from 192,235 to 144, 330.

All figures are taken from the annual, bishops’ conference-approved Catholic Directory for Scotland.