SULLIVAN COUNTY — In the world of Sullivan County’s Catholic parishes, whispers began to abound: what will happen to their cherished churches? 

The Archdiocese of New York, which steers the boat, seemed rocky. Then last Thursday night at St. George’s church hall in Jeffersonville, 50 active parishioners learned that their sense of community and spiritual lives, were indeed, about to change.

”We don’t have enough priests to go around,” said Eileen Mulcahy, vice chancellor for parish planning in the New York Archdiocese. “Even the Franciscans are seeing a lack of vocations.”

Mulcahy pointed out that while 2,000 people, total, attend Sunday Mass in Sullivan County, the bigger churches are the most full. Those are St. Joseph in Wurtsboro, and at St. Peter in Monticello and St. Peter in Liberty, both of which are happily welcoming a raft of Spanish-speaking families.

The other Catholic churches in the county are Holy Cross in Callicoon, St. Patrick in Long Eddy, St. Mary in Obernburg, St. Francis in Georgeville, Immaculate Conception in Woodbourne, St. Aloysius in Livingston Manor, St. Anthony of Padua in Yulan, and St. Francis Xavier in Narrowsburg. 

“We are seeing marriages and funerals slowing down,” said Mulcahy. “We are seeing fewer people at Mass.”

Worse, the Archdiocese pays $400,000 each year for keeping open the needy churches. 

New: four priests only

Rather than today’s 10 Catholic parishes with their own priests, the plan is to use only four priests who will work new “pastoral regions,” said Mulcahy.

Liberty, Woodbourne and Livingston Manor, will be number one, then Monticello and Wurtsboro, followed by Callicoon, Obernburg, Long Eddy, Youngsville and Jeffersonville, and the duo of Yulan and Narrowsburg. Each of the four areas will have one pastor and two assistants to help out.

Then the crowd spoke one by one or out loud: On a snowy day, how is a priest expected to go to three different places? What happens if the priest gets sick and has no one to jump in for him? Sullivan County has 968 square miles – how can this work?

Jeffersonville’s Kate Conklin, a Sunday catechist for children, voiced concern that not all the people in Sullivan County have smart phones or internet service, should a priest be unable to say Mass. She also worried that a one-day-a-Mass-only would forego working people, who typically could choose as they do now.

Mulcahy pointed out that Ulster County’s situation has two priests in a huge geographic area with five different locations.

Calming the crowd, the Rev. Edward Bader of St. Peter in Liberty suggested a January meeting for all who are interested. 

Bader serves as the dean for Sullivan County, responsible for supporting priests and parishes, a kind of bridge between bishop and parishes. 

“We understand the challenge,” said Bader. “Let’s get together and bring our parish life with us – so that our devotions, summer camp, the life of the parish, will continue. 

“The churches are staying open [at this time],” said Bader. ”Nobody is closing churches but changing Masses.”

The Archdiocese will also study the six small summer churches to see if they should be shuttered, said Mulcahy.

Troubles, too, in NYC

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese itself is seeing tough financial times. On Nov. 8, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the archdiocese had begun restructuring its pastoral office. Offices and responsibilities were merged. Staff cuts are being made.

Then on December 5, Dolan used the online “In the Good News Room” to bring up-to-date information on the ongoing response of the civil suits against the archdiocese resulting from the secular abuse of minors long ago. He has made no bones about the financial crisis that has wreaked the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese’s handsome building at 1011 First Avenue in New York City was recently sold for over $100 million to largely ease that financial burden. The site — which continues to house archdiocesan offices, as well as Catholic Charities of New York, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and St. John the Evangelist Church — will be redeveloped as residential rental units.

The Archdiocese offices will then move to 488 Madison Ave. near St. Patrick Cathedral, likely from spring or early summer.