BishopAccountability.org
	Norwich Diocese to Close 4 Missions and Parishes Bishop Says Priest Shortage Is Prime Reason for Change By Michael Naughton The Day July 13, 2008 http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=82a492c5-d4e7-463d-b43d-54dd2cb9943b Four missions and parishes in the Diocese of Norwich will close and 13 other parishes will share their resources and pastors in an effort to ease the strain of a shortage of priests, diocese officials announced Saturday. The realignment of the missions and parishes, all located in the Putnam Deanery in the Northeast part of the state, will take effect Sept. 1, said Bishop Michael R. Cote in a letter to parishioners. "Until the present decline in priestly vocations is stemmed, we have no other course," Cote said in the letter. St. Joseph Mission Church in Sterling, St. Ignatius Parish in Rogers, Our Lady of Peace Mission Church in Killingly and Sacred Heart Mission Church in Thompson will close. St. Anne Parish in Ballouville and St. Joseph Parish in Dayville will be "yoked," meaning they will retain their independent functions as parishes, but they will share a pastor and workout how they can greater pool resources in the future, said Michael Strammiello, director of communications for the diocese. However, the pastor of St. Anne's, the Rev. Sylva LeCours, is retiring, and the church will close when he leaves, Cote said. Other churches that will be yoked are: All Hallows Parish in Moosup and Sacred Heart Parish in Wauregan; St. John Parish in Plainfield and St. Augustine Parish in Canterbury; St. James Parish in Danielson, Our Lady of La Salette Parish in Brooklyn and Our Lady of Lourdes Mission in Hampton; St. Joseph Parish in North Grosvenordale and St. Stephen Parish in Quinebaug; St. Mary Parish in Putnam and Most Holy Trinity Parish in Pomfret. The decision to close and yoke parishes was necessary because of population changes and financial reasons as well as the lack of priests in the diocese, Strammiello said. While the diocese has only ordained three priests in the last two years, the number of Catholics has held steady at about 250,000, Strammiello said. "We have a more of a rural territory," Strammiello said. "In a rural setting … you have populations that shift and move. You don't quite have the type of clustered population you may have had 80 or 100 years ago when a church was built." A committee of laity and clergy made recommendations to Cote before he made his final decisions. The decision was a thoughtful, but difficult one, officials said. "We think all of this is going to produce a very good outcome," Strammiello said. "Change is always difficult, but we think it's taking the faithful to a stronger, more secure place." The diocese includes nearly 80 parishes and serves most communities in the state east of the Connecticut River.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.