In a letter dated March 15, 1999, sent to Rev. Msgr. John T. Conway, Regional Vicar for Philadelphia South, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, accepted the Cluster Pastoral Plan for Cluster 23, and commended the pastors and all who served on the Cluster Pastoral Planning Committee.

The seven parishes of Cluster 23 are:

St. Aloysius
St. Anthony of Padua
St. Charles Borromeo
St. Edmond
St. Gabriel
King of Peace
St. Thomas Aquinas

Cluster 23's plan centers on these objectives:

1) Maintain a viable Catholic School presence in the Cluster. This will be accomplished with the consolidation of the three parish schools of St. Aloysius, St. Gabriel and King of Peace in June 1999. The site of the new school will be at the present school building of St. Gabriel Parish. The name of the newly created school is Our Lady of Angels. St. Edmond School will close in June 1999. (announced January 1999)

2) Serve the people of Cluster 23 with projection of two less priests. This will be accomplished with the "twinning" of St. Aloysius and King of Peace Parishes as of July 1, 2000. Twinning means one pastor will oversee both parishes. St. Aloysius and King of Peace Parishes will subsequently close in 2002 unless a review would indicate otherwise. Also, St. Anthony of Padua Parish will close and its boundaries will be divided between St. Charles Borromeo and St. Patrick Parishes, effective July 1, 1999.

3) Foster greater stewardship of time, talent and treasure among the Cluster parishes. This will be accomplished with a commitment to a cluster-wide stewardship program.

4) Make better use of laity; form and develop good lay leadership within all ministries. This will be accomplished with cluster-wide workshops to inspire greater involvement of the laity in the life of the church.

5) Foster unity and evangelize cultures present. This will be accomplished by welcoming and serving inactive Catholics and the unchurched via a formal evangelization program.

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Editor's Note: Media inquiries should be directed to Rev. Msgr. John T. Conway at 215-476-7484.

Contact
Cathy Rossi
Director
215-587-3747