Erie Diocese announces Cambridge Springs, Edinboro parishes to merge

Meadville Tribune, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
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May 13—CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — The Diocese of Erie has published a final change to its Erie County parish restructuring plan which affects a Crawford County parish.

St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Cambridge Springs will merge into Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Edinboro, effective July 9, according to Bishop Lawrence Persico.

Merging the two parishes is a result of feedback provided by pastors, parish leaders and the general public, according to a statement from the diocese. The change was announced to parishioners of both parishes the weekend of May 4 and 5

Under the decree, Our Lady of the Lake remains the parish church, while St. Anthony of Padua becomes a secondary mission church, meaning it will continue to have Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday each weekend.

St. Bernadette Church in Saegertown, which had been a secondary mission church of St. Anthony of Padua, will become a secondary church. St. Bernadette will remain open at least occasionally for public or private worship, but Masses will not be celebrated there on Sundays, holy days or the evenings preceding them.

The preliminary plan for Erie County, announced in August 2023, proposed partnering St. Francis Xavier Parish, McKean, with Our Lady of the Lake. The new arrangement means St. Francis Xavier will remain a stand-alone parish, according to the diocese's statement.