Frequently Asked Questions

We Are His Witnesses is a pastoral initiative launched by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, on Pentecost in June 2025. It invites all of us to walk together on a journey—a path of pastoral conversion. Inspired by the Word of God and rooted in Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), this initiative calls on the entire Church to reimagine parish life, mission, and ministry in response to a changing world.

• Renew our sense of purpose as missionary disciples.
• Deepen parish vitality through evangelization, pastoral care, and sustainability.
• Engage all members of the Church in listening, discernment, and shared action.

We face several significant challenges. The landscape of the Archdiocese of Newark has undergone significant changes. Parish membership, Mass attendance, and Sacramental participation have all declined. The number of priests to serve as pastors is decreasing.
Yet our region’s population is growing—offering new opportunities for evangelization. Faith is no longer a dominant cultural influence. In this new era, each of us—bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laypeople—shares responsibility to live as disciples and bring Christ to the world.

Over the last two decades, the Archdiocese has experienced significant changes in participation, sacramental life, and clergy availability:

Decline in Key Areas (Since 1998):

• Mass attendance has decreased by 53% 
• Baptisms are down 61% 
• Marriages have declined by 75%
• Funerals are down 56% 

Fewer Priests Available to Serve:

• There are currently 381 priests in active ministry (including religious orders and retired priests) 
• 254 priests (66%) are age 50 or older  
• 127 priests (34%) are under age 50 
• By 2044, most priests currently 50+ will have retired (assuming retirement at age 70–75)
• In 2023, 205 priests were available to serve as pastors
• By 2044, that number is projected to drop to between 104 and 131, depending on ordinations (estimated at 1–4 per year). 

A Growing Opportunity for Evangelization:

This means more people—Catholic and non-Catholic alike—offering a renewed opportunity for outreach and evangelization

While Church participation has declined, the overall population in the Archdiocese’s territory is expected to grow by 3% or more in every county.

• Where are we now?
• Where is God calling us to go?
• How will we get there together?

• Synodality: Walking together, listening deeply, and discerning the Spirit’s voice.
• Subsidiarity: Trusting local communities to shape their own future.
• Solidarity: Embracing our unity as one family of God, responsible for one another.

• Evangelization & Outreach
  • Inviting people into intentional discipleship
  • Reaching beyond parish walls (e.g., schools, campuses, marginalized communities)
  • Providing formation and training for discipleship
  • Promoting intercultural understanding and inclusion

• Pastoral Care 
  • Celebrating vibrant and inclusive liturgies
  • Supporting lifelong faith formation and Catholic education
  • Strengthening collaboration across ministries and cultures
  • Ensuring the presence of trained and compassionate leaders
  • Engaging youth, young adults, and families

• Sustainability 
  • Embracing collaborative leadership in response to fewer priests
  • Responding to demographic changes and sacramental trends
  • Aligning parish facilities and resources with the mission Encouraging inter-parish cooperation and shared services

Each of us is involved in this journey, including clergy (bishops, priests, and deacons), religious and lay leaders, parishioners of all ages and backgrounds, and community members.

Bishop Michael Saporito and an Archdiocesan Commission on Pastoral Planning will help guide collaboration across the Archdiocese; however, this effort belongs to the entire Church. Everyone will have a chance to be heard. This process is designed to involve listening, sharing, and collaborative work; everyone’s voice is valued and important. All final decisions, however, will be made by Cardinal Tobin after he has reviewed all feedback and considered recommendations from various advisory groups. 

We Are His Witnesses will focus on how we evangelize, care for one another in our parishes, and ensure our parishes are strong and sustainable for the future. This process calls for an honest evaluation of current practices and structures. Some ministries will be renewed; some parish alignments may change. Over time, mergers or closures will be necessary. These conversations and decisions will not always be easy, but as members of one body—the Church—we will support one another throughout this journey.

• Take part in parish discussions and listening sessions when they are announced.
• Share feedback with your pastor and parish leaders, especially when new models or ideas are presented.
• Be open to change and support the efforts of your parish community.
• Encourage and support one another through this process.
• Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Live and share the Gospel with renewed joy and hope.

Discuss this initiative with your pastor and stay connected with your parish and the Archdiocese to follow its progress. Visit WeAreHisWitnesses.org for updates, timelines, and resources.

As of now, no decisions have been made regarding mergers or closures. We Are His Witnesses is a multi-year discernment process designed to help the Archdiocese better understand local needs and plan thoughtfully for the future. Parish feedback—through listening sessions, feedback forms, letters, and other means —is a vital part of this process. Cardinal Tobin, together with the Core Team, Planning Commission, and Modeling Team, is committed to prayerfully and thoughtfully reviewing all feedback before finalizing recommendations. While many voices contribute to the process, the final decisions will be made by Cardinal Tobin.

• Areas of Mission Focus
  • Evangelization and Outreach, ensuring the Gospel reaches everyone in our community.
  • Pastoral Care of the Faithful, providing support for all Catholics in our parish communities.
  • Long-term sustainability, promoting the responsible use of resources.
• Geography and proximity, to foster collaboration among neighboring parishes.
• Demographics and Mass attendance trends, to reflect current and future community realities.
• Availability of priests and pastoral staff to support effective pastoral care.

Together, these factors help create parish communities that are both spiritually vibrant and pastorally sustainable.

Financial decisions will be managed locally and transparently. In the event of a merger, all assets and liabilities of the merging entities become part of the newly formed parish. Decisions regarding property use or sale will be made in consultation with the local pastor, parish finance council, and the Archdiocese. Proceeds from any property sale remain with the merged parish to support its mission and ministries. If the parish has outstanding debt, some funds may first be used to honor those prior responsibilities.

Each newly formed parish will be led by one pastor, supported by a team of priests and lay ministers. Priest assignments will be made with care to ensure that the spiritual and pastoral needs of the parish community are fully met.

The Archdiocese remains committed to fostering vocations through active promotion, robust seminary formation, and meaningful youth engagement. At the same time, We Are His Witnesses encourages collaboration among parishes to ensure strong and sustainable ministry, even in areas with fewer priests. The aim is not simply to “do more with less,” but to revitalize parish life through shared mission, evangelization, and the development of lay and clergy leadership.

Parish vitality is about much more than finances—it includes spiritual life, evangelization, demographics, and mission outreach. While a financially healthy parish may still benefit from closer collaboration with neighboring communities, no parish will be merged solely for financial reasons. The unique strengths and gifts of each parish will be carefully considered before any recommendations are made.

Every letter, email, and comment shared during listening sessions is carefully recorded and reviewed by the teams supporting the We Are His Witnesses process. Summaries of feedback by region are being prepared to guide the next stage of discernment. Parishioners’ insights help the Archdiocese understand where additional clarification, communication, or pastoral support may be needed, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued in the process.

When parishes merge, church buildings are not automatically closed. In many cases, multiple worship sites continue to serve the new parish community. Decisions about closures or property sales are made carefully, after consultation with parish leadership and the broader parish community, ensuring that the needs and traditions of each community are thoughtfully considered.

The mission focus areas identified in We Are His Witnesses highlight the importance of youth and young adult engagement in both Evangelization and Outreach and in Pastoral Care of the Faithful. While many parishes currently lack dedicated youth ministry programs, this renewal process provides an opportunity to strengthen and expand outreach efforts.

By bringing parishes together, whether through collaboration or merging, communities can pool their gifts, leadership, and resources to create more vibrant and effective ministries for young people. Each parish, regardless of whether it merges, is encouraged to discern intentional and creative ways to engage youth and young families in parish life. Nurturing the faith of the next generation should be a central goal of every parish community.

No. Many dioceses across the United States and around the world are undertaking similar renewal initiatives in response to changing demographics, priestly vocations, and parish participation. The Archdiocese of Newark is committed to ensuring that its approach remains pastoral, transparent, and grounded in local discernment, prioritizing the needs and spiritual life of communities over administrative consolidation alone.