Four historic Catholic parishes on Cincinnati's west side could merge into one parish by 2027.The parishes, Resurrection of Our Lord, St. Lawrence, St. Teresa of Avila and St. William would merge under a new plan, creating a new parish called St. John Bosco."We know this proposed merger into a single parish may raise questions, concerns, hopes and emotions, and we believe it is important to talk about it together as a parish family," a bulletin released by the family of parishes this week stated. "We invite you to pray for wisdom and openness as we continue to discern the future of our parish community together."WATCH: Is a merger on the horizon for several Price Hill Catholic parishes? Could these 4 historic parishes soon merge together as one?The parishes will host three townhalls this month to discuss the potential merger: Feb. 19: St. Lawrence, 7 p.m. in the Parish Center Feb. 22: St. William, noon in Fr. Reardon Hall Feb. 26: St. Teresa of Avila, 7 p.m. in the Undercroft"We believe this request reflects both the pastoral realities and the future needs of our community," Reverend Zachary W. Cecil wrote in a letter to the archbishop. "Formalizing this unity through a canonical merger would allow us to better serve the faithful, steward our resources responsibly, and continue to grow as a vibrant Catholic presence in Price Hill."It is not clear what merged operations would look like or what it would mean for the parish masses, schools or property.Connor wants to hear from you. You can contact him here:"You have people that are very optimistic that going forward, there won't be any major changes anytime soon. You have others though, that just kind of see the overall climate of things. They're just generally worried," Pete Witte, a second-generation parishioner at St. William, said.We reached out to a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on Friday, but have not yet heard back.According to Cecil, the four parishes serve a combined population of 25,000 residents in Price Hill with an average combined weekend Mass attendance of 1,701. The parishes support four Catholic grade schools with a total enrollment of 1,168 students between pre-kindergarten and eighth grade."The proposed merger, therefore, is a natural and prayerfully discerned step forward, acknowledging that we have already begun to function as one faith community with shared leadership, mission, and a common future," Cecil wrote.Witte said he understands the financial reasoning behind potentially consolidating parish operations but worries about the long-term impact on the tight-knit community."From a businessman's perspective, I totally understand. There's probably a lot of good reasons to combine the back office, things that happen around an operating parish that has both a church and a school," Witte said. ...read more read less