St. John XXIII Parish in Tamaqua, formed after the merger of two parishes in 2012, can be more unified, according to its pastor.

The Rev. John A. Frink says the best way to create unity is by bringing it under one roof. He's asking the Diocese of Allentown for permission to start a capital campaign aimed at making that vision a reality."In a parish community like St. John XXIII that has two churches, two rectories, two schools and two parking lots, where's the unity?" he said. "My vision is to provide the foundation that enables true Christian unity to take place in a Catholic context."Masses are currently held at both of the two churches that combined to form the new parish - the St. John XXIII, formerly St. Jerome's, on West Broad Street, and SS. Peter and Paul on Pine Street.Frink is hoping to use the capital campaign to fund improvements at SS. Peter and Paul, as well as additional parking, in order to make it the parish's primary worship center.If the campaign is a success, and the project moves forward, Masses on West Broad Street would end. Frink said that the cost in dollars of restoring that building could reach into the millions.But he wants to make it clear that the project will not affect St. Jerome's School, the budget of which is separate from the parish. He said he encourages parishioners to continue sending their children to St. Jerome's to ensure that institution's longevity."The viability of the school depends not on the church building, it depends on the church," he said. "We need to do everything we can to keep that school open."Right now, Frink's plan for the parish is moving from discussion to proposal. He says he's formally asked new Bishop Alfred Schlert for his permission to begin a $750,000 campaign to fund the improvements. He's already conducted a feasibility study, performed by Kirby Smith Associates Inc. of Lancaster County. According to their findings, respondents were 2 to 1 in favor of the new building project, while there are definitely some people who would protest the closing of the former St. Jerome's"People have said, 'You're our pastor, you lead us.' That's the message I'm getting. They trust that what I'm doing is going to be best, for the most part."Of the $750,000 budget, $250,000 would go toward improvements inside, and another $250,000 would go to acquiring property for parking.Frink said that nothing is final until the campaign is complete. But he said that he has faith that parishioners will step up."If it's hugely successful, then the next steps are relatively easy. If it's not, we have to go back to the drawing board."The decision to move on from St. Jerome's has been the most difficult part, Frink said. He is proposing to have it converted to a chapel that could be used for funerals and weddings at a parishioner's request.Frink says that for the Catholic community in Tamaqua, ending Masses at St. Jerome would be akin to pruning a plant to ensure its long-term vitality."We are going to see great growth here in Tamaqua, I'm convinced of it. If we allow this pruning to take place. We're going to see results that, we can't even begin to imagine how wonderful they are," he said.