Decree issued to merge Divine Mercy and Sacred Heart Parishes in Trenton

On June 9, 2017, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued a decree calling for the merger of Divine Mercy Parish into Sacred Heart Parish, both in Trenton. Set to be effective July 1, 2017, the merger is the first parish change resulting from the Diocese of Trenton’s pastoral planning initiative, Faith in Our Future, which is now in its implementation phase.

In his decree, Bishop O’Connell provides the context and rationale for the proposal that he accepted on the merger, and lays out details that will be in place as part of the newly-formed parish community, including the name of the community, which will remain Sacred Heart; the geographical boundaries; the use of worship sites; the disposition of goods and debt currently belonging to the two separate parishes, and the retention of sacramental records from the former Divine Mercy Parish. The official document can be viewed below.

Faith in Our Future is an eight-step pastoral planning process, which was commissioned by Bishop O’Connell in 2015 to strengthen and enliven the parishes of the Diocese. Over many months, parishes met individually for self-study and as Cohorts to present to the Diocesan Planning Commission suggested ministry models and rationale.

Recommendations for parish restructuring and development were presented to the Bishop by the Planning Commission in November 2016. After consultation with several diocesan bodies and the presbyterate, Bishop O’Connell announced his decisions in January 2017.

Expected to be implemented over the next three years, the Bishop’s main decisions called for: 1) Ongoing collaboration among all of the parishes of the Diocese, particularly within the 25 Cohorts into which they are grouped; 2) Seven linkages -- Fifteen parishes will share their pastor with at least one other parish with the possibility of additional linkages to come in the future, and 3) Nine mergers, encompassing 17 parishes will be consolidated into eight new parishes, the first being the Sacred Heart Parish merger.  Remaining mergers will take place in subsequent years.

The decisions included several other changes for parish restructuring and establishment of cultural ministry centers. To learn more about the Faith in Our Future process and changes that are now in implementation, go to  dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-in-our-future.