NORWICH – Another chapter in the history of the Catholic community of Norwich was written over the weekend as the parish and finance councils of St. Bartholomew’s and St. Paul’s churches were made separate once again.

While Rev. Ralph A. Bove was unable to discuss the details yesterday, he confirmed that he made “a simple” announcement in mass at both churches on Sunday.

“The parishes will be separate except for a linkage with a common faith, one pastor and religious education. I can’t say any more than that,” he said.

St. Bart’s and St. Paul’s were separate entities for more than seven decades until 2001, when they were combined under the leadership of the Rev. Douglas Cunningham and unofficially renamed the Church of the Holy Apostles - St. Bartholomew’s and St. Paul’s Catholic Churches.

Then, in March of 2006, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse announced that one of the two parishes would close as part of a diocese-wide parish consolidation. Father Cunningham later confirmed that St. Bart’s would close its doors.

The announcement led to an uproar in the primarily Italian immigrant community that built St. Bart’s on East Main Street back in 1927. Church council reorganizations and a lengthy legal investigation into the parishes’ finances ensued. The accounting practices conducted by church administrators were called into question by some parishioners following their investigations into how funds and endowments were used and accounted for after Cunningham combined St. Paul’s and St. Bart’s finances into one account.