Glasgow archdiocese to cluster parishes

Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia has announced a major restructuring of his archdiocese, writes Brian Morton.  

According to a notice published on the archdiocesan website, city and suburban parishes will in future be grouped in 22 “clusters” of between three and seven parish churches in proximate locations. The only exception is St Andrew’s Cathedral, which will remain separate.

The move, which had been under discussion for some time, has been taken in response to falling Mass attendance as well as a decline in Catholic baptisms, marriages and funerals. It also comes amid a steady depopulation of central Glasgow, particularly in its East End.

The archdiocese has strongly denied that the process of clustering will inevitably lead to parish closures or amalgamations, saying it allows for a greater level of co-operation between parishes and their priests, and avoids the redundancy of having simultaneous Masses at nearby churches.

Critics warn that the plans fail to take account of local parish loyalty and suggest that an initiative to pool resources and pastoral services is cover for a more radical programme of closure in future.

Their concerns seem to be confirmed in some measure by the wording of a statement from the archdiocese saying that the clustering measures would be left in place for three years, after which the archdiocese would be in a position to decide if there was need for merger or closure.

An archdiocese spokesman said: “Such decisions will be taken after canonical due process involving thorough consultation”.