Archbishop Paul Etienne. Archdiocese of Seattle.
Seattle archdiocese asks pastors to resign ahead of parish consolidation
The Archdiocese of Seattle has requested that all parish pastors submit their resignations from office, as part of a years-long parish consolidation process across the archdiocese, which is expected to reduce the number of parishes by more than half.
Archdiocesan officials say the move comes after considerable consultation with clergy, and is meant to streamline a complicated process of joining parishes.
But some in the archdiocese have said the request was unsettling — and their concern points to the challenge of making diocesan changes amid dwindling clerical trust in diocesan bishops.
That process will see some 136 parishes grouped into approximately 60 “parish families,” which will eventually give way to newly erected parishes, with those currently in existence suppressed.(…)
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