RUMFORD – The next step in the clustering process for the four Roman Catholic churches in the River Valley area was launched last month with a capital campaign goal of $850,000.

The money, to be raised over three years, will come from communicants of St. Athanasius and St. John Church in Rumford, St. Theresa’s Church in Mexico, Our Lady of the Snows in Bethel and St. Joseph’s Mission in Dixfield.

So far, some of the 1,500 families in the cluster have pledged $560,000, and $145,000 in cash has been received, said Mark Belanger, building manager for the churches’ repair projects and member of the Rumford church.

The capital campaign, launched in late June, is a major part of the Transition Team’s goal to bring all four churches under the same parish.

The Cunneen Co. of Hamden, Conn., is working with the churches on the capital campaign.

The Portland Diocese mandated a couple of years ago that all Roman Catholic churches in the state form clusters because of the lack of priests and to operate more efficiently.

The local cluster team, made up of members of each of the four churches, received approval late last year from Bishop Richard Malone to pursue creation of a single parish from the four churches.

The six-member Transition Team was formed in May to begin putting the plan into place.

“The capital campaign will be the last opportunity for members to contribute to their own repairs,” said Carlo Puiia, a member of the Transition Team from the Rumford church.

Any future capital campaign will see all money going into a common pool. But for now, if someone from St. Theresa’s Church, for example, designates a pledge for that church, then the money will go there.

Eventually, all four churches will become a fully combined financially operating entity, Puiia said.

Most of the repairs, at least 80 percent of the capital campaign goal, are needed at St. Athanasius and St. John Church.

The 80-year-old church, valued at $6 million, Belanger said, needs extensive repairs to the towers and front steps, paving on the parking lot, interior work, and installation of an elevator. At least some of that work is expected to begin in the fall.

Dicon Construction of Portland will likely do most of the work at the Rumford church as well as at the other churches. The company, whose name stands for Diocesan Construction, is the Diocese of Portland’s “in house” restoration and construction company that maintains its more than 400 structures statewide, according to the diocese’s Web site.

Repairs needed at St. Theresa’s include siding repair and parking lot grading and paving. At Our Lady of the Snows, electrical work, new flexible seating and parking lot paving are needed. A new roof was recently completed. And at St. Joseph’s, heating system repairs are needed.

“We’re taking a big step,” said Mike Broderick, a Transition Team member from Our Lady of the Snows. “We’re trying to ascertain local parishioner support.”

He said his church had once been a mission of the Rumford church, then became aligned with St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Norway, before being realigned with Rumford just recently.

A new name for the four-church cluster will also likely be determined within the next few weeks by Malone.

Parishioners from each of the churches submitted proposed names, then three were submitted to the bishop. Those are: Church of the Holy Savior, Our Lady of the Mountains, and Our Lady of Peace.

Maureen Sheldon, a 20-year member and Transition Team representative from St. Theresa’s, said it’s an exciting time for the area churches.

“Everything is going well, and we expect to keep all facilities open,” she said.

Puiia believes the majority of people in the four churches will be pleased when they are all part of one financial unit.

“There will be strength. I’ve never seen a group that doesn’t gain strength by joining together,” he said.

The Rev. Fr. Angelo Le Vasseur serves the four churches.