Immaculate Conception Church (Philadelphia), will no longer serve as a worship site of Saint Michael Parish, and will close as a Roman Catholic church.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church (East Lansdowne) will no longer serve as a worship site of Saint Philomena Parish (Lansdowne), and will close as a Roman Catholic church.
Contextual Background
Immaculate Conception Parish Merges with Saint Michael Parish (July 2011)
In July 2011, Immaculate Conception Parish merged with Saint Michael Parish. The parishes had been “twinned,” sharing the same pastor since 2000.
Both parishes merged at the location and retained the name Saint Michael Parish.
At the time of the merger, the Immaculate Conception church building became a worship site for the newly formed Saint Michael Parish.
Additional information regarding the merger can be found at the following link:
https://archphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2011.html.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria Parish Merges with Saint Philomena Parish (July 2013)
In July 2013, Saint Cyril of Alexandria Parish (East Lansdowne) merged with Saint Philomena Parish (Lansdowne), as part of the Parish Area Pastoral Planning Initiative.
Both parishes merged at the location and retained the name of Saint Philomena Parish. At the time, the Saint Cyril of Alexandria church building became a worship site of Saint Philomena Parish.
Additional information regarding the merger can be found at the following link:
Today’s Announcements
Today, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez has approved the relegations of the Immaculate Conception church building and the Saint Cyril of Alexandria church building to profane but not sordid use effective January 11, 2021. This formal, canonical designation means that these buildings will no longer serve as worship sites of their respective parishes and will close as Roman Catholic churches.
This information was shared with Saint Michael and Saint Philomena parishioners at all Masses during the course of this weekend. A copy of the official canonical decrees regarding the relegations can be found at:
https://archphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/St.-Cyril-Signed-Decree-of-Relegation.pdf
Further Information Regarding Today’s Announcements
In each instance, the formal request to close a worship site originated from the parochial administrator (Saint Michael) or the pastor (Saint Philomena) of each parish, together with their parish pastoral and finance councils. The individual requests were then reviewed by the Archdiocesan Council of Priests and presented to Archbishop Pérez, who, after a careful review of all supporting factors, made the final decision.
Immaculate Conception, Philadelphia
The Immaculate Conception Church building has not been used regularly for worship in over two years. During the winter of 2016-2017, Masses were suspended due to a complete failure of the heating system. In August 2018, it was discovered that paint chips were falling from the ceiling. Uncertainty regarding potential lead composition in the paint led to the total suspension of the building’s use as a worship site out of an abundance of caution.
While Saint Michael Parish has striven to maintain Immaculate Conception Church, those efforts have caused significant financial strain. A new heating system is estimated to cost $60,000-$80,000. Temporary heaters had been employed for a time, but proved to be cost prohibitive. Deferred maintenance needs for the building include a complete roof replacement. That project is estimated to cost nearly $280,000. Patches have been made to the roof over time to address leaks, but that approach is not a viable solution in the long term.
The average income stemming from parish collections is less than $1,000 per week, which prohibits the parish from making even a small attempt to bring the Immaculate Conception Church building into any form of usable state, given the high cost of doing so.
Immaculate Conception Church is located relatively close to Saint Michael Church, with just over one-half mile between the two building. An undue burden for the faithful to come to Saint Michael Church to worship does not exist. In addition, having all parishioners worship at Saint Michael Church will continue to enhance parish unity and help parishioners focus on the future of the parish.
When Immaculate Conception and Saint Michael Parishes merged, all real estate holdings, assets and debts of the former Immaculate Conception Parish were transferred to the newly formed Saint Michael Parish. These transfers are standard procedure in the case of all parish mergers.
The Immaculate Conception Church building is the property of Saint Michael Parish. The future disposition of this building will be determined by the parochial administrator in consultation with his parish pastoral and finance councils in a manner consistent with providing for continued parish viability and sustainability.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria, East Lansdowne
The Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church building has not been regularly used for worship since Christmas 2018. Following the close of that Christmas season, only infrequent liturgies were celebrated at the church for students attending the Saint Cyril of Alexandria Mission School, which is located on the property of the former parish.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church is located less than one mile from Saint Philomena Church. An undue burden for the faithful to come to Saint Philomena Parish to worship does not exist. In addition, having all parishioners worship at Saint Philomena Parish will continue to enhance parish unity and help parishioners focus on the future of the parish.
When Saint Cyril of Alexandria and Saint Philomena Parish merged, all real estate holdings, assets and debts of the former Saint Cyril of Alexandria Parish were transferred to the newly formed Saint Philomena Parish. These transfers are standard procedure in the case of all parish mergers.
While Saint Philomena Parish has striven to maintain the Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church, it has caused significant financial strain. The merger of Saint Cyril of Alexandria Parish with Saint Philomena Parish brought significant debt to Saint Philomena Parish. Due to this debt, the parish cannot afford to spend approximately one million dollars needed to properly fix the slate roof of the church building. Selling the property would relieve Saint Philomena Parish of financial strain in attempting to correct the roofing and significantly help remove the parish debt and stabilize its finances.
The Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church building is the property of Saint Philomena Parish. The future disposition of this building will be determined by the pastor in consultation with his parish pastoral and finance councils in a manner consistent with providing for continued parish viability and sustainability.
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Editor’s Note: For additional information on the Parish Area Pastoral Planning Initiative in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit https://archphila.org/features/parish-planning-initiatives/.
Contact:Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)