Archbishop Lori issues merger decree for two East Baltimore parishes

Archbishop William E. Lori issued a decree Feb. 22 for the merger of St. Leo the Great Parish in Little Italy and nearby St. Vincent de Paul Parish. The merger is effective July 1.

A letter from the archbishop was read at Masses at the two parishes the weekend of Feb. 22-23.

For now, both churches will remain open for worship and continue to serve their respective communities.

In addition, each will keep its civil corporate identity, at least for now, and their assets and liabilities will remain distinct.

The decree notes that any individual parishioner of either parish can make an appeal to the archbishop by March 7. The request must be made in writing and postmarked no later than March 7, or hand-delivered by 5 p.m. on that date to the Catholic Center.

Canon law requires that parishioners be given 10 days to submit an appeal. The March 7 deadline to ask the archbishop to change or revoke his decision is 12 days from the date of the decree.

The decree cited facts regarding St. Vincent de Paul Parish as reasons for the merger, including a 24 percent decrease in the number of Catholic households within the parish boundaries and a 64 percent decline in Mass attendance over 20 years. The number of baptisms declined from 25 in 2014 to 4 in 2024. The decree noted the parishioners are aging, with 47 percent over 60 and 22 percent over 70.

It noted that only six of the Catholic households that are registered at St. Vincent de Paul actually reside in the parish territory.

St. Leo parish has experienced years of decline similar to St. Vincent’s. It is hoped that the two parishes coming together to share ministries and resources will embark on a new beginning for the church in Harbor East and along the President Street corridor.

The two parishes are separated geographically by a half mile, and there are eight other parishes within two miles of St. Vincent de Paul, with four of those within one mile.

The decrees come about five months after the first round of parish merger decrees in the Seek the City to Come planning initiative, a two-year process that heard from more than 6,000 people, with plans drafted by a core group of about 250 parish and archdiocesan leaders.

In his letter to the parishioners, Archbishop Lori said that when the plan was announced in May 2024, “St. Leo and St. Vincent de Paul parishioners were invited to come together to engage in a process of discernment. The process has included the establishment of the interparish committee, whose work is to discern how the two parishes can best come together to serve their parishioners and reach out to their neighbors. The work of the interparish committee continues and is bearing fruit.”

The committee, which first met in August, facilitated a planning and listening event Jan. 26. Parishioners met for nearly three hours for Mass, fellowship and discussion at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park.

The interparish committee includes four members of each of the two parishes plus the pastors, Father Raymond C. Chase of St. Vincent and Pallottine Father Bernard Carman of St. Leo. It also includes Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., urban vicar and leader of Seek the City, as well as other archdiocesan representatives.

The committee plans to gather “constituents from both St. Leo and St. Vincent in six or more intentional meetings, throughout Lent,” according to a communication from parish leaders to parishioners. “These meetings will help the interparish committee discern our way forward.

“The IPC then will make recommendations to the archdiocese about the design, function and nature of the merger of our two parishes. The IPC cannot do this critical work without you,” the email said.

Father Chase will retire at the end of June. Father Carman will retire March 5, and the Pallottine Fathers, who have staffed St. Leo for decades, will leave pastoral responsibility for the parish at that time.

Monsignor Nicholas P. Amato, who is currently retired, will become administrator of St. Leo March 5. Monsignor Amato attended the Jan. 26 meeting at St. Mary’s Seminary. A new pastor will be assigned to the merged parish of St. Leo and St. Vincent de Paul July 1.

To read the decree, visit https://www.archbalt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SVDP-St-Leo-Parish-Message-on-Decree.02.22.25.pdf

Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org

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