The full announcement was recently posted. From a quick perusal of the listings it would appear that a large number of parishes, founded by Poles and Slovaks, are to be closed. One of the few to be saved is Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, which stands near the PNC Church’s cathedral. From the Times Leader: At least 19 Lackawanna churches will be closing

Cluster 3 – St. Francis of Assisi, St. John the Evangelist, and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Scranton will consolidate at Sacred Hearts…

It would be simple to say that Bishop Hodur foresaw all this, that people would have the parishes they worked to build closed out from under them, but the faith and work of the PNCC is something far greater than that.

The Polish National Catholic Church, through the grace of God, is built by its faithful. The community’s ownership of its property, its control over parish assets, is greater than mere title, it is greater than the democracy we espouse. We believe in our role as the people of the Church. We know that our work, our struggle, our cooperation, and our ownership show forth our active participation in the building of God’s kingdom. You can speak to parish committee members from across the country. It is not an easy task. You can speak to any of us, the PNCC faithful, who take responsibility for God’s Church to heart. Our participation, our voice and vote, gives recognition to our partnership in making Christ known to the world.

It is our people, working with our priests, cooperating with our bishops. Our polity is one in which we recognize a common destiny. We are God’s people, focused on the kingdom. We are God’s people, a unified community, cooperating with each other, taught by the Holy Church, and led by Christ. We share one labor and look forward to our common destiny.

The R.C. Diocese of Albany called their consolidation and closing process “Called to Be Church.” As PNCC members we do not need such a call. We know that we are the Church.