Bishop Joseph Galante announced that Maris Stella in Avalon and Saint Paul's in Stone Harbor will merge Aug. 4 as the new Saint Brendan the Navigator parish. Both churches will continue to serve churchgoers, with Maris Stella serving as the parish seat and Saint Paul continuing as a worship site.
The new parish - named after the patron saint of sailors and travelers - will serve about 700 families.
It's the latest in a series of mergers in a diocesan-wide reconfiguration of parishes meant to strengthen parishes and improve pastoral care to members. The diocese includes Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester and Camden counties.
