On a grey, rainy January day, the Fordham Road section of New York’s Bronx district isn’t exactly inviting, but the smile on Father Fredy Patino’s face is warm as he welcomes me to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish.

Since a diocesan reorganisation, the parish is now combined with the nearby St Martin of Tours one. The fact is, the process of combining parishes is something of a necessity that Father Fredy knows well, having managed to merge three on Staten Island in his previous assignment.