Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct 2, 2021 / 15:23 pm
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is implementing a multi-year parish reorganization process which will transform its 208 parishes into 60 “families of parishes.”
The diocesan website touts the new initiative, Beacon of Light, as offering: “People united on a journey of missionary discipleship. Full churches. Joyous liturgies. Priests who have the time to be present and attend to the needs of their people. Parishes that are alive in faith, filled with vitality, ready to form people to radiate Christ.”
The website quotes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI saying that, “The parish is a beacon that radiates the light of the faith and thus responds to the deepest and truest desires of the human heart, giving meaning and hope to the lives of individuals and families.”
The website cites many problems the diocese and Church-at-large is facing. The website says that “religious practice is declining nationwide,” also citing “the average Sunday Mass in our archdiocese is only one-third full.”