According to the decree of the Archbishop of Baltimore, on December 1, 2024, Our Lady of Victory Parish becomes the seat of a new parish, merged with St. Benedict Church, Transfiguration Catholic Community, and St. Joseph's Monastery Parish, with the campus of St. Joseph's Monastery remaining open as a Worship Site.
See the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Decrees at www.archbalt.orgWhat does it mean to become the seat of a new parish?
The newly formed parish will be a Sacramental hub, spiritual home and distinct entity that will be created from parishes that will be merged together. This new parish will be a fresh start for all of the faithful who will come together to worship, determining ministry roles together and, in some cases, renaming the church. Finances will also be a factor for newly formed parishes that will combine physical assets and debts of parishes that are merged. Assets include investments, buildings and endowments. This means that any future revenue derived from the sale of land and parish buildings (including churches) will belong to the new parish after debts are settled. This approach is required by the Church law. Because these assets and monies are only owned by the parishes, these funds do not flow to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
When is the official date of the Merger?
This might be difficult for some people; how will our churches walk with parishioners and the community in this journey?
We anticipate that there will be degrees of concern, some will feel very anxious, afraid, and nervous about this initiative and some may get angry and upset. We love the communities where we worship and have fear about losing them, or that they will change in ways we might not like. All these thoughts and reactions are real and will be acknowledged, but at the same time, we cannot let our fears keep us from moving forward with the Gospel and the mission of the church.