Cincinnati Archdiocese: Final plan for overhaul of Catholic parishes, schools coming Sunday

Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr will announce on Sunday the final plan for one of the largest reorganizations of Catholic parishes and schools in the region's history.

The plan, known as Beacons of Light, has been in the works for more than a year. Church officials presented a draft version two months ago and have spent the past several weeks revising it, based on comments from priests and lay Catholics.

The goal is to group the archdiocese's 208 parishes into 60 "families of parishes" in an effort to consolidate resources, adjust to changing demographics and adapt to a priest shortage that already has forced some parish mergers.

Eventually, church officials have said, the expectation is that the 60 new parish families will merge into single parishes, which could lead to the closing of some churches and schools.

Church officials said Wednesday that Schnurr will discuss the final plan during his homily at the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in downtown Cincinnati.

It's unclear how much the final plan will differ from the original plan, but church officials have said they made more changes than expected.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Catholics: Final parish overhaul plan coming Sunday