Chicago

Archdiocese to Announce Changes for Several Catholic Schools

The half-dozen Bridgeport-area schools facing uncertainty are part of the Renew My Church grouping in the Bridgeport, Canaryville and Chinatown neighborhoods

Six Catholic schools on Chicago’s South Side will learn Wednesday if their school will stay open, close or merge as part of changes being announced by the Archdiocese of Chicago. 

The half-dozen Bridgeport-area schools facing uncertainty are part of the Renew My Church grouping in the Bridgeport, Canaryville and Chinatown neighborhoods. 

The Archdiocese of Chicago said it has been “working closely with the parishes and schools in the Bridgeport area to discern the best church, parish and school structures to serve the community and revitalize its ministries.”

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich will be a key figure in the Catholic Church’s fight against priest sex abuse. The pope has named him an organizer for the upcoming meeting of bishops in Rome. NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern has the details on a culture Cupich says must change within the church.

“While difficult decisions will be made, we believe these changes are necessary to achieve the goal of having a vibrant, life-giving faith community accessible to all Catholics in the Bridgeport-area and across the Archdiocese of Chicago,” the archdiocese said in a statement, noting that no final decision had been made as of Tuesday.

A meeting was scheduled for Wednesday for parishioners, school family and community members, where the cardinal’s decision was expected to be announced. [[501430672, C]]

“We suffer from demographic changes,” Cupich said Tuesday. “Populations erode in neighborhoods that were once there, the school was vibrant before, and so we have to make some hard choices. We have to be real about it.”

The schools and churches included in the Renew My Church grouping are:

• St. Anthony Parish

• Nativity of Our Lord Parish

• St. Mary of Perpetual Help Parish

• Bridgeport Catholic Academy (school made up of several parishes)

• St. Barbara Parish and School

• St. Gabriel Parish and School

• St. Jerome Croatian Parish and School

• Santa Lucia-Santa Maria Incoronata Parish and School

• St. Therese Chinese Parish and School

Cardinal Cupich has presented what’s being called the “metropolitan model,” where bishops accused of abuse or failing to report abuse would be referred to the metropolitan bishop.

However, in the case of Cardinal McCarrick, he was the metropolitan so there are questions if this plan will ensure zero tolerance.

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