Decree - Merger of the Parishes of Transfiguration and St. John the Baptist, Rome, NY

MOST REVEREND DOUGLAS J. LUCIA
BISHOP OF SYRACUSE
 
DECREE ON THE EXTINCTIVE UNION -AMALGAMATION OF THE PARISH OF TRANSFIGURATION, ROME, NEW YORK WITH THE PARISH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST, ROME, NEW YORK AND THE REDUCTION OF THE CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, ROME, NEW YORK TO PROFANE BUT NOT SORDID USE
 
Whereas the parish of Transfiguration was established and its current church dedicated in 1909;

Whereas various factors (i.e., changing demographics of the city of Rome and the parish, financial concerns, limited resources, etc.) necessitated the linkage of the parish of Transfiguration with its neighboring parish, Saint John the Baptist in 2011 for the sake of proper pastoral care;
 
Whereas the shortage of people in the parish and clergy in the Diocese of Syracuse necessitated the placement of the pastoral care of the parishes of Transfiguration and Saint John the Baptist under the direction of one pastor (can. 526 §1);
 
Whereas the parishes of Transfiguration and Saint John the Baptist have been and continue to function as one parochial entity since 2011 (i.e., shared clergy, finance and pastoral councils, faith formation and parish programs, bulletin, etc.) with two worship sites;
 
Whereas the current pastor to whom the parish is entrusted, Reverend PaulAngelicchio, reviewed with the parish trustees, finance council, and pastoral council, the sacramental statistics, Mass attendance, vitality, limited financial resources, and maintenance concerns of the church building of the parish of Transfiguration as well as the shortage of clergy in the Diocese of Syracuse;

Whereas the status of the parish and its church building (demographics, finances, maintenance, etc.) was presented at a town hall meeting with parishioners, which ultimately resulted in a consensus to petition me to canonically merge it with the parish of Saint John the Baptist and relegate the church of Transfiguration to profane but not sordid use for the purpose of alienating the property in order to provide stable pastoral care;
 
Whereas Reverend Paul Angelicchio petitionedme to relegate the church of Transfiguration to profane but not sordid use because: (1) there is a significantly small Catholic population in the city of Rome and multiple Catholic churches to serve this population, (2) there was a significant decline in the number of people registered, attending Mass, and celebrating the sacraments at the parish, (3) the needs of the parish for worship are being adequately met at the church of Saint John the Baptist, which has functioned as the principal church of the parochial entity since 2021, (4) the church of Transfiguration is in need of continual maintenance, and (5) the financial resources of the parish are limited and diminishing;
 
Whereas where grave causes suggest that a church no longer be used for divine worship, the diocesan bishop, after having heard the presbyteral council, can relegate it to profane but not sordid use, with the consent of those who legitimately claim rights for themselves in the church and provided that the good of souls suffers no detriment hereby (canon 1222 §2);
 
Whereas the grave cause of relegation to profane but not sordid use may exist not in one obvious grave cause but may arise from a combination of many just causes which combined together manifest a grave cause (see Congregation for Clergy, Procedural Guidelines for the Modification of Parishes, the Closure or Relegation of Churches to Profane but not Sordid Use, and the Alienation of the Same, April 30, 2013, Prot. No. 20131348);
 
Whereas, having examined the facts of the present case, it has been well established that grave reasons required by canon 1222 §2 are present, even if some of the reasons invoked may not by themselves constitute a grave cause, they do so when taken together;
 
Whereas after a careful examination, it was established that nobody could legitimately claim rights for themselves in the church, understood primarily as patrimonial rights or rights associated with patrimonial rights (see Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Final Decree of the College of Judges, 21 November 1988, Communicationes 20 [1988] 93);
 
Whereas, I convoked the Presbyteral Council on 9 October 2024 and presided over it according to the norm of law (cans. 127 §1, 166 §1, and 500 §1), placing the modification (extinctive union- amalgamation) of the parish of Transfiguration to the parish of Saint John the Baptist as well the relegation of the church of Saint John the Baptist on the agenda ahead of time, ensuring that a summary of its status was provided to the members of the Council (can. 50), proposing the modification and relegation separately, seeking the informed and free counsel of the members concerning each individual proposed action (can. 515 §2), listening to arguments both for and against the proposed modification and relegation, and receiving unanimous support for the proposed modification and relegation;
 
Therefore, I the undersigned Bishop of Syracuse, after prayerful consideration, having weighed all the reasons and causes, have decided as follows:

 DECREE

1. The parish of Transfiguration is hereby united via an extinctive union - amalgamation with the parish of Saint John the Baptist for the sake of proper pastoral care. The name of the parish will be, "Saint John the Baptist." The members of the parish of Transfiguration will become the members and geographical territory of the parish of Saint John the Baptist. All sacramental registers hitherto preserved at the parish of Transfiguration are to be transferred to Saint John the Baptist where they are to be faithfully preserved according to the norms of can. 535 §§ 1-5.
2. The church of Transfiguration, located at 111 Ridge Street, Rome, New York of the parish of Saint John the Baptist is hereby reduced to profane but not sordid use according to the prescripts of canon 1222 §2 for the grave causes mentioned above.
3. The church of Saint John the Baptist located at 210 East Dominick Street, Rome, New York, is hereby officially designated as the sole church of the parish. 
4. Negotiations that may lead to the sale of the property of Transfiguration can begin, following the proper procedures for alienation. 
5. Prior to alienation, all sacred objects, relics, sacred furnishings, stained-glass windows, bells, confessionals, altars, etc. are to be removed for use in other sacred edifices or to be stored in ecclesiastical custody. In case the altars cannot be removed, they must be destroyed (see canons 1212 and 1238). 

This merger and relegation will become effective on 6 May 2025, Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter.
 
This decree hereby revokes and replaces any decrees issued by my predecessor, the Most Reverend Robert J. Cunningham, concerning the parish of Transfiguration.
 
I further order this decree to be made public to all the faithful through its publication on this day, 24 April 2025. This publication on the diocesan website (www.syrdio.org), on the website of the local diocesan newspaper (thecatholicsun.com), on the parish website, and in the parish bulletin will be the legitimate notification. A notarized copy of the decree will be sent to the pastor.
 
This decree may be challenged by anyone who feels aggrieved by it within the peremptory time limit of ten useful days from the legitimate notification of the decree, that is, on 24 April 2025, by seeking its revocation or emendation directly from me (can. 1734 §§ 1 and 2).

Given at the Chancery of the Diocese of Syracuse on this twenty fourth day of April in the year of our Lord, two-thousand twenty-five, Thursday of the Octave of Easter.

Most Reverend Douglas J. Lucia
Bishop of Syracuse

Rev. Christopher R. Seibt
Vice Chancellor

Letter to Parishioners
Decree