INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Three Catholic parishes in Indianapolis are to close in November as part of an ongoing review by church officials.
Holy Trinity, Holy Cross and St. Bernadette parishes will be merged into nearby parishes under the changes announced Wednesday by Archbishop Joseph Tobin. Four other Indianapolis parishes will also start sharing pastors.
Tobin says the changes are needed because of declines in the number of priests and shifting demographics.
The archdiocese says 47 parishes in Indianapolis and neighboring Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson and Morgan counties were included in the review.
Previous reviews have led to the closing or consolidations of numerous parishes in southeastern Indiana and the Terre Haute area. More assessments are planned in the archdiocese that counts some 225,000 Catholics in 39 counties in central and southern Indiana.
