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	Teams Ready to Help Closing Parishes Getting Transition Assistance By Tanya Connor Catholic Free Press May 30, 2008 http://catholicfreepress.org/_Pages/_This%20Week/0530teams.html WORCESTER Transition teams have met with members of closing and welcoming parishes. The diocesan Office for Divine Worship is preparing to help them move liturgical items to their new homes and is asking parishes across the diocese to pray for them. These are among ways the diocese is helping parishes in transition, according to Deacon Anthony R. Surozenski, a member of the Pastoral Planning Committee, and Father Robert K. Johnson, director of the Office for Worship. "The bottom line is, we're there to try to make it as painless as possible, because everything we've read is, it's like a death," Deacon Surozenski said. "We've offered our services to the parishes in transition. The bishop and the planning committee truly care about the spiritual and emotional and physical wellbeing of the pastors and the parishioners of all of the churches that are involved." Bishop McManus announced in a letter dated May 17 that Worcester parishes St. Casimir, Holy Name of Jesus, Ascension and St. Margaret Mary, and Notre Dame des Canadiens Church, which is part of Notre-Dame St. Joseph Parish, will close. Parishes designated to welcome new parishioners include St. John in Worcester and St. Anne in Shrewsbury. Holy Name of Jesus and Notre-Dame St. Joseph will form a new parish called Holy Family, to be sited at St. Joseph Church on Hamilton Street. The Office for Worship is developing a process to assist in the cataloging of all liturgical and devotional items, such as statues and stained glass windows, in the closing parishes, Father Johnson said. The items are very important to the communities and every effort will be made to preserve and transfer them, he said. He said particular attention will be paid to items given in memory of someone. The items, like all assets of the closing parishes, will belong to the welcoming parishes, which can decide where to place them or have the diocese store them, he said. He said his office can help move and place them as needed. In addition to working with property, the diocese is praying for, and working with, people. In a May 23 letter to priests, Father Johnson requested the prayers of the "Diocesan Church" for those most affected by the changes and included suggested intentions for the Sunday General Intercessions. One was for those whose churches are closing to know healing, hope and "the presence of the Risen Christ in fellow Christians ready to welcome them as part of their parish communities." Another was for healing and reconciliation for "those who are conflicted after the decision to close their parish church." The third expressed thanks for generations of people who built parishes and served. The fourth lifted up other parishes, schools and institutions facing transitions. To work with people there are transition teams. They can listen and talk to pastors and other parish leaders and parishioners, answer questions and give suggestions, said Deacon Surozenski, who chaired the Pastoral Planning Committee's transition team subcommittee. While the subcommittee has completed its work, now transition teams can be formed, as needed, from members of the subcommittee and Pastoral Planning Committee, diocesan department heads, parish visitors assigned to the parish, a clinician such as a therapist or spiritual director, and/or individuals who have experienced a parish merger, Deacon Surozenski said. It is suggested that the same team meet with a parish throughout that parish's transition, he said. Parishes can also request a meeting with Bishop McManus. Deacon Surozenski said he and James Fraser, another subcommittee member, went to St. Casimir Parish last week, listened to parishioners' concerns and promised to bring them to Bishop McManus. St. Casimir's is scheduled to be closed and members welcomed into St. John Parish. Mr. Fraser and Lori Pandiscio, another subcommittee member, went to St. Joseph Church last week for a meeting with members of Notre Dame-St. Joseph Parish and Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Deacon Surozenski said. The two parishes are being combined to form a new parish called Holy Family, located at St. Joseph's Church. "We were there out of pastoral concern for the people, to listen to any concerns, offer our support and suggestions particularly with their outreach ministries, to answer any basic questions, and to make note of any questions that we couldn't answer," Ms. Pandiscio said. "As it turned out, they didn't seek information from us; they were focused on getting to know one another, hearing each other's concerns, and how they could come together as one parish community. The people really ministered to each other in that there was a sincere empathy expressed by the people from St. Joseph's, who themselves had experienced the closing of their parish years ago. Their concern was to make the new parishioners feel welcomed as part of the new Holy Family Parish." When transition teams do give suggestions, they can include forming parish transition teams, faith sharing groups, and remembrance and new beginnings committees, Deacon Surozenski said. Parishes can also plan closing and welcoming spiritual and social events. The pastoral planning process will be discussed at a June meeting of permanent deacons, so they can help support parishes, said Deacon Surozenski, who is also director of the Office of the Diaconate. He said he thought it would be good to draw up guidelines for the rest of the diocese based on what those involved in parish transitions in Worcester learn from the process.
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