Milwaukee Archdiocese to close 103 parishes

Milwaukee Archdiocese to close 103 parishes

Catholic News Service
9/4/12

The Milwaukee archdiocese will close or consolidate 103 of its 203 parishes through 2020.

Church officials pointed to three principal factors during the next decade:

•The number of priest retirements will exceed ordinations, resulting in a projected 40 percent reduction in the number of priests serving in parish ministry.

•The costs of operating parishes and funding ministries are escalating rapidly and parishes can gain economies of scale by collaborating with other parishes.

•The mission of the church can be carried out more effectively by combining efforts and sharing resources.

The archdiocese is served by 121 deacons.

Twenty-nune parishes provide ministry for Spanish-speaking Catholics, while 12 serve other cultural groups.