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	Sadness and Hope Diocesan Reconfiguration Heeds Voices of Faithful Telegram & Gazette May 20, 2008 http://www.telegram.com/article/20080520/NEWS/805200338/1020 The closures and reorganization of several Roman Catholic parishes in Worcester, announced this past weekend, demonstrate that the Diocese of Worcester has learned to listen to the voices of its faithful as it faces current and future realities. For many older Catholics whose lives were shaped by the ethnic neighborhoods and parishes that give Worcester so much of its rich history, the closing of a longtime parish brings great sadness and pain. But the reaction among Catholics has been tempered by the realization that changing demographics make it impossible to keep all the city's parishes open. The combination of high maintenance costs and declining activity in certain parishes made the consolidations inevitable. To his credit, the Rev. Robert J. McManus, bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, established a Diocesan Pastoral Planning Committee, consisting of Catholic clergy and laity in the best position to know each parish's strengths and weaknesses. After a year of study and consultations, the committee presented carefully crafted recommendations to the bishop, who accepted them. That kind of grass-roots approach demonstrates that church leaders have come a long way from the miscommunication and bitterness that attended the long fight by parishioners against the closing of St. Joseph Church on Grafton Hill. Ironically, under the reorganization plan, St. Joseph Church will receive parishioners from two of the closing parishes, Notre Dame and Holy Name of Jesus, and forge a new identity as Holy Family Parish. No plan can fully ease the sense of loss of those long attached to their home parishes. But the bishop's call for the faithful to welcome new members into their midst gains strength and authenticity from a process that has listened carefully and respectfully to the voices of those most affected by painful demographic realities.
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