Thursday, October 1, 2026
Two weeks ago, the Diocese of Rockville Centre announced an unprecedented action to save money by offering buyout packages to 1,500 of the diocese’s 6,000 employees. Now, word is spreading that the diocese is offering the buyout to 1,800 employees.
The buyout, which includes money and a few months of continued health coverage, will be offered to the diocese’s employees--excluding priests, nuns and brothers.
Sean Dolan, the diocese’s director of communications, said the diocese is hoping that at least half of those offered the buyout package will accept it. If not enough people accept the buyout, the diocese will move on to layoffs to trim its staff.
The diocese has resorted to the plan as part of the latest in a series of cash-saving decisions. Costs for the diocese have risen recently, due in part to an increase in expenses for health insurance, and also an increased demand for the church’s ministries, which has reached a new high.
The diocese recently hired Charles Trunz III, a retired Wall Street executive, to help it control spending. It has also begun buying materials as a collective of over 200 parishes, instead of each parish buying its own supplies, as was done in the past.
The diocese is hoping that most of the changes will be unnoticed by parishioners. While the buyout is being offered to employees on every level—even teachers—the diocese says it does not expect it to affect the way things are done.
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