New merger included in restructuring plan involving Erie County Catholic parishes

Feedback from pastors, parish leaders and the public has led to a change in the local parish restructuring plan announced by the Catholic Diocese of Erie.

A preliminary proposal for Erie County was released in August with the final plan announced in April. The new configuration goes into effect July 9. The change announced in May involves a parish in Erie County and also a parish and a church in Crawford County.

What is the change?

St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Cambridge Springs, Crawford County, will merge into Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Edinboro, Erie County, according to a May announcement from the diocese.

Our Lady of the Lake will remain the parish church while St. Anthony will become a secondary mission church that can have Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

St. Bernadette Church in Saegertown, Crawford County, which had been a secondary mission church of St. Anthony, will become a secondary church of Our Lady of the Lake. A secondary church doesn't have a weekend Mass but is available for weddings, funerals and some weekday Masses.

What had been in the plans?

The preliminary plan had Our Lady of the Lake partnering with St. Francis Xavier Parish in McKean. The final plan instead had both parishes experiencing no change.

From August: Erie County Catholic parishes would merge, partner under preliminary plan from diocese

From April: Catholic Diocese's final restructuring plan for Erie County parishes includes mergers, partnerships

Fourteen parishes continue to have no changes. Numerous other partnerships and mergers are to move forward. No churches were closed in the plans.

Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Catholic Diocese of Erie PA parish restructuring plan changed