St. Ferdinand And St. Henry Parishes
Bishop Charles C. Thompson issued a decree on Sept. 11 that will merge St. Ferdinand Parish in Ferdinand and St. Henry Parish in St. Henry, effective March 1, 2017.
Benedictine Father Damian Schmelz, who served St. Henry Parish for 14 years, retired on Aug. 31.
The two parishes linked on Sept. 1, with St. Ferdinand Pastor Father Jack Durchholz also becoming pastor of St. Henry.
DECREE
establishing Saint Ferdinand Parish in Ferdinand, Indiana
from the merger of
Saint Ferdinand Parish, Ferdinand, Indiana
and
Saint Henry Parish, Saint Henry, Indiana
Whereas Saint Ferdinand Parish was established in 1840 as a territorial parish in the town of Ferdinand whose church is located at 341 E. 10th Street, and Saint Henry Parish was established in 1862 as a territorial parish in the town of Saint Henry whose church is located at 1311 West 1100 South;
Whereas a lack of pastoral activity has existed at Saint Henry Parish for some time, but merging with Saint Ferdinand Parish allows for a better use of resources and for the spiritual needs of the people to be met;
Whereas Saint Ferdinand Parish and Saint Henry Parish have financial concerns, but merging the two parishes creates greater fiscal stability as well as opportunities for spiritual growth to enkindle the faith life of the people;
Whereas merging allows the parishes to have a more vibrant religious education program;
Whereas the parishes are located geographically close to each other and share a similar heritage and demographics;
Whereas the decline in the number of available priests is such that only one priest is available for the pastoral care of both parishes so that they must necessarily share one and the same pastor;
Whereas Saint Ferdinand Church is larger and best-suited to provide for the needs of the faithful;
Whereas, in light of the above, it is prudent to combine resources with a unified pastoral approach under the direction of a single pastor so as to provide for the most effective care of souls and for the works of charity and evangelization as well as for the furtherance of adult faith formation, youth ministry and the promotion of vocations;
And having heard the opinion of the Deans, the Council of Priests, and the College of Consultors on August 13, 2014, and the Council of Priests on August 19, 2015, according to the norm of canon 515 §2 regarding a proposed merger of the above-named parishes;
I hereby decree:
that Saint Ferdinand Parish in the town of Ferdinand and Saint Henry Parish in the town of Saint Henry will be merged according to the norm of canon 121, and that from this extinctive union, Saint Ferdinand Parish will be established in place of the two parishes;
that Saint Ferdinand Parish will be territorial, its territory encompassing all of that area situated within the boundaries of the former Saint Ferdinand Parish and the former Saint Henry Parish as they exist on March 1, 2017;
that Saint Ferdinand Church will serve as the parish church with Saint Henry Church remaining open as an additional church for the occasional use of the faithful under the direction of the pastor;
thatall goods, assets, and liabilities of the former Saint Ferdinand Parish and the former Saint Henry Parish will become the goods, assets, and liabilities of Saint Ferdinand Parish, in accord with canon 121;
that the bishop will appoint a pastor of the newly-formed Saint Ferdinand Parish effective March 1, 2017;
and that all sacramental and other records of Saint Ferdinand Parish and Saint Henry Parish will be conserved at the office of Saint Ferdinand Parish.
The provisions of this decree are to take effect on March 1, 2017, all things to the contrary notwithstanding. These provisions may be appealed according to the norm of law (canon 1734 §1).
Given at the Catholic Center
September 11, 2015
Most Reverend Charles C. Thompson, D.D., JCL
Bishop of Evansville
Tim McGuire
Chancellor
