The Diocese of Youngstown has approved the merger of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Andover and St. Patrick Parish in Kinsman, effective March 17.

Bishop David Bonnar of the Diocese of Youngstown has accepted the recommendation of the Rev. Michael Mikstay, pastor of the two parishes.

Bonnar visited the parishes for Mass in February, after which he was invited to a parish meeting where the request was made. In a letter addressed to parishioners this weekend, Bonnar commended parishioners for their initiative, noting “this effort did not come from the Diocese but from your work.” He also noted the request by the two parishes is “a model for living the mission of the Church through collaboration and sharing.”

Bonnar cited the merger as an example of parishioners embracing the Diocese’s ongoing regional pastoral planning process.

The parish now will include both church buildings, which will continue to retain their names, and Bonnar has invited parishioners to recommend a new name for the parish, reflecting “one parish community with a shared mission.”

Also, Bonnar accepted the recommendation of the Rev. Frantisek Katrinak, pastor of SS. Mary and Joseph Parish in Warren, together with the parish’s pastoral and finance councils, to close St. Joseph Church on North Street.

St. Joseph Church previously had been the worship site for St. John Paul II Parish, which was merged with St. Mary Parish in November 2021, with St. Mary Church serving as the primary worship site.

The recent decision formalizes a process over the past two years, with formal petitions in 2021, necessitated in light of the dire financial situation at the former St. John Paul II parish and the required maintenance and heavy debt that would be needed to maintain and provide security upgrades for St. Joseph Church, the letter states.

In a letter addressed to SS. Mary and Joseph parishioners this weekend, Bonnar affirmed the parish is on its “journey of becoming one and living the mission of the church.”

The Diocese of Youngstown continues to develop a regional plan over its six-county diocese, with criteria that include number of parishioners and worshipers, parish finances, effective use of buildings, number of priests, and use of lay ecclesial ministers. The counties covered by the Diocese include Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Stark and Portage.

The Diocese of Youngstown has 69 active priests, 39 of whom have multiple responsibilities (in multiple parishes, diocesan leadership, schools), and 27 serving multiple parishes.

Nine priests are retiring in 2022 as Bonnar announced earlier this year.

Regional planning also includes a “service needs assessment” to explore the needs for works of service and mission in each region. In addition to parish mergers and church closures, with consultation in accordance with church law, parishes throughout the Diocese collaborate with one another in various ways, including sharing of priests, lay ministry personnel and programming.

“As the regional plan continues to unfold, I ask for your openness. We are committed to realizing the mission of the Church, but we do need to make some modifications. We are living in a time in which we need to collaborate and share more with one another,” Bonnar said.

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