2 parishes win appeals to archdiocese over mergers

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says it has granted changes to mergers planned for two parishes.

A total of 21 parish mergers were announced in October as part of plan to reorganize the archdiocese's resources in the area. Eighteen parishes appealed their mergers.

Two parishes won changes, including St. Thomas Church in the south metro. It was supposed to merge with St. Wenceslaus in New Prague. Now it'll join with St. Anne of Le Sueur instead.

"This is the community that they live in and shop in and worship in," said Dennis McGrath, a spokesman for the archdiocese. "So they're all very pleased about that."

McGrath said the northeast Minneapolis parish of Holy Cross also won changes.

"The merged parish will be called Holy Cross not St. Anthony of Padua, as originally announced," McGrath said. "The reason for that is to maintain the Polish identity of the church, that historic church in northeast Minneapolis."

McGrath says the other 16 mergers appealed will go forward as planned.