The Roman Catholic Church parishes of St. Francis of Assisi and the Immaculate Heart of Mary will officially merge Oct. 21 to form Divine Mercy Parish, the Diocese of Camden announced Friday. Bishop Joseph A. Galante formally issued the decree merging the two parishes, and it was published in Friday's edition of the Catholic Star Herald.
This is the third merger to be completed in the bishop's plan that was announced in April 2008 and modified in August 2008.
The mergers were necessary because of the decline in the number of priests, decreasing attendance at Mass and shifts in the Catholic population of the diocese, Galante said at the time.
Monsignor Victor S. Muro, current pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, will be the pastor of divine Mercy Parish, which will serve about 1,700 families, officials said Friday. St. Francis of Assisi Church will be the seat of the parish, but the Immaculate Heart of Mary site will be used for worship based on the needs of parishioners.
Divine Mercy Parish will also be designated as the parish for Vineland's Hispanic Community, officials said.
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