WEBVTT MORE. ANDREW: THIS WEEKEND MEMBERS OF THE PITTSBURGH CATHOLIC DIOCESES WILL RECEIVE THE NEWS THEY HAVE BEEN BRACING FOR. NEW DETAILS IN A SWEEPING REORGANIZATION OF PARISHES IN SIX COUNTIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. SHANNON: PITTSBURGH'S ACTION NEWS 4 ANCHOR MIKE CLARK SAT DOWN WITH BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK WHO IS GETTING READY FOR A BIG WEEKEND. MIKE C: FOUR DAYS FROM NOW PRIESTS WILL MAKE THE ANNOUNCE -PLTS -PLT -PLTS FROM THE PULPIT. A TIMELINE FOR EACH GROUP TO WORK TOWARDS A MERGER WILL BE ANNOUNCED, AND PRIESTS AND DEACONS WILL RECEIVE THEIR OFFICIAL ASSIGNMENTS PART OF THE BISHOP'S INITIATIVE ON MISSION FOR THE CHURCH ALIVE. AS THE SHEPHERD OF A DIOCESES WITH 600 32,000 WORSHIPPERS, 188 PARISHES AND 225 CHURCH BUILDINGS, BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK NEW HE HAD TO LEAD AND INSPIRE CHANGE IN HIS BELOVED NATIVE CHURCH OF PITTSBURGH. >> IN REALITY THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT PITTSBURGH HAS TRIED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE WE NEED TO GO, AND HOW WE CAN REALLY BE DARING AND COURAGEOUS TO DO IT. REPORTER: AFTER THREE YEARS OF PRAYERS, PLACING PARISHES INTO DOZENS OF COLLABORATIVE GROUP INKS AND MORE THAN 300 MEETINGS IN THE PARISHES. NEW ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUNCED THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME NEW MULTISITE PARISHES. >> I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A COOKIE CUTTER A BROACH TO ALL OF THESE GROUPINGS THAT WILL BECOME NEW PARISHES AND WE HAVE TO TAKE THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS. REPORTER: THE INDIVIDUAL PARISHES WILL REPORT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS BACK TO THE BISHOP WITH THEIR PLANS TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS, OR FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. CHANGE HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN EASY TO ACCEPT. ONE MAN A APPROACHED BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK ON CHRISTMAS EVE WITH AN ULTIMATUM. >> HE SAID, IF YOU TAKE AWAY MY PEW I'M GOING TO LEAVE THE CHURCH. AND I SAID, WELL, REALLY? AND THEN I ASKED HIM, I SAID, DO YOU REALLY, AS A CATHOLIC BELIEVE THAT JESUS REALLY IS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT AND HOLY COMMUNION. >> HE SAID OF COURSE I DO. >> I SAID SO YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE THAT BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE YOUR PEW. REPORTER: EMOTIONAL TIES TO CHURCH BUILDINGS ARE UNDERSTANDABLE AWE BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK SAYS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST SHOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF ONE'S FAITH. MANY OF THE FAITHFUL WORRY ABOUT LOSING THEIR CHURCH BUILDING. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO BE MARRIED IN THE PARISH WHERE THEY RECEIVED THEIR FIRST COMMUNION AND WERE CONFIRMED? >> OBVIOUSLY PLACES ARE GOING TO HAVE IMPORTANT EXPERIENCES FOR ALL OF US, WHETHER IT HAS TO DO WITH CHURCH OR OTHER EVENTS IN OUR OWN LIVES. BUT I THINK WHAT HAPPENS OFTENTIMES IS THAT PEOPLE FORGET ABOUT WHAT IS THE BUILDING MEANT FOR? IT'S MEANT FOR OUR ENCOUNTER TO COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE MOST INTIMATE PRAYER THAT WE CAN WITH JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. REPORTER: BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK SAYS THE CHURCH HAS TO LOOK AT THE EARLY APOSTLE FOR GUIDANCE, HOW THEY CAME TOGETHER AFTER JESUS LEFT THEM, WITH TREPIDATION AND FAITH. >> LIKE THEM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO BUST LOOSE SAYING WE HAVE THE MESSAGE OF JESUS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE WITH US. IF WE CAN USE THAT AS OUR MODEL, WE WON'T BE HERE TODAY IF IT WEREN'T FOR THOSE APOSTLE, AND JUST THINK, IF WE ALL STARTED TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THE FAITH THE WAY THEY DID, THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD REALLY HAPPEN TO THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE. REPORTER: THE NEWS WILL COME OUT THIS WEEKEND AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE MESSAGE, NO PARISH OR CHURCH BUILDINGS WILL CLOSE THIS YEAR, AGAIN ANY MERGERS WILL BE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN THE YEARS 2020 AND 2023. PARISH LEADERS WILL BE RECOMMENDING WHICH CHURCH BUILDINGS WILL BEST SERVE THE NEW PARISH, THEN BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK WILL MAKE THE FINAL DETERMINATION. BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE'S VERY INSPIRED BY ALL THE PRIESTS WHO ARE LEADING THE WAY. HE SAYS AT THE PARISH LEVEL THE VAST MAJORITY HE SAID ACCEPTING THE NEW CHANGES BOLDLY. ON THURSDAY THE PRIESTS AND DEACONS WILL OFFICIALLY RECEIVE THEIR NEW ASSIGNMENTS. PARISHIONERS ONCE AGAIN WILL START BEING TOLD ON SATURDAY