Lewiston’s five Catholic churches, plus churches in Greene, Sabattus and Lisbon Falls, will merge into one large parish, Maine’s Catholic bishop announced Monday.

The parish will have multiple worship sites and churches will remain open, for now, said Sue Bernard of the Roman Catholic Diocese.

But by 2010, some churches will close and some Masses will change as the number of priests decrease, Bernard said.

Bishop Richard Malone also announced that three churches in Auburn – St. Philip, Sacred Heart and St. Louis – will become one parish by 2010.

And there’ll be one parish for rural churches in Mechanic Falls, Norway and Oxford.

The bishop rejected a consolidation plan submitted by a committee representing churches in the Farmington-Rangeley area.

Malone said the plan was too “status quo,” and needed to be more “forward looking.” He asked that committee to submit another plan to him by Dec. 30.

A shortage of priests, declining church attendance and changing demographics are driving the statewide consolidations. There are now 93 priests in churches in Maine. By 2010 that number is expected to dip to 65.

Like a political redistricting, the diocese is creating larger parishes with multiple churches to streamline administration.

Each new parish will be charged with taking a critical look at its church buildings to decide which, if any, should be abandoned.

“The bishop is calling for them to do the hard thing,” Bernard said. Transition teams in each parish will determine the changes, and take a look at all of the properties and decide whether they need each one.

The bishop will appoint someone to help parishes evaluate properties, Bernard said.

She could not say what the changes will mean to individual Catholics, but it could mean that people who prefer Saturday afternoon services may have to attend them at the basilica instead of Holy Cross.

For now area Catholics will notice “no change,” said Linda Pavlak, of Lewiston’s Holy Cross Church and a member of a cluster committee that recommended to the bishop how to consolidate area churches.

All churches will remain open and will keep their names, Pavlak said. The administration and programs will change. Clusters of churches will be represented by one parish with one parish priest and one parish council. Instead of each church running its own programs, such as food banks, there may be one food bank for the parish.

Other changes will happen as the number of priests shrink.

There are seven priests serving churches in Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, Greene and Sabattus, Pavlak said. By 2010 there will be three: one pastor and two priests.

“That will call for some adjustments,” said the Rev. Lionel Chouinard of Holy Trinity in Lisbon Falls.

“We’ll be losing a priest a year until we’re down to three,” Pavlak said. Some will retire, others will be transferred. “Fewer priests means more cooperation and consolidation of services,” she said. Any changes in church closings or services “will occur slowly, and over time,” Pavlak said.

Like other priests, Chouinard passed out an informational letter during Masses Sunday. So far he’s heard little reaction from the laity. People have heard about the changes and understand the reasons, he said.

Each new parish will be given a new name, one that will be approved by the laity.

The cluster committee for the Lewiston-Lisbon-Sabattus parish has asked that “Holy Apostles” be the parish name. In a letter to cluster committee members, Malone said he’s noted the name request, but wants to ensure that a name is wanted by a majority of parishioners.

While some churches may end up closing, one that will likely not close will be the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul in Lewiston, which was recently promoted by Rome as a minor basilica and is undergoing repairs.

Given its status, the basilica would top the priority list for remaining open, church representatives said.

There are now three priests working at churches in Auburn, Mechanic Falls, Norway and Oxford. By 2010 there will be two. Plans call for eight weekend Masses at six church sites.

In the Farmington-Rangeley cluster, which also includes churches in Jay and Carrabassett Valley, there are two priests. By 2010 there will still be two, but one will be a pastor and one an assistant priest.

Of Maine’s 1.2 million people, an estimated 220,000 are Catholic, Bernard said.

The diocese began announcing the new, streamlined parishes last week. Plans for Rumford and Bethel churches have not yet been announced. Announcements will continue this week and next.

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