BishopAccountability.org
	2 Churches to Shut Doors in West Side the Decision By Michael McAuliffe The Republican August 10, 2008 http://www.masslive.com/news/topstories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1218352641155590.xml&coll=1 WEST SPRINGFIELD - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield will close St. Ann's and St. Louis de France churches in West Springfield, joining those parishes with Immaculate Conception Parish to create the new St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Parish. That decision was disclosed to churchgoers in the city at services Saturday via the reading of a letter from Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell. The new parish will come into existence by Jan. 1. The changes were among recommendations for church reconfigurations in four of the diocese's 10 regions presented by the Pastoral Planning Committee and accepted by McDonnell as the diocese deals with a diminishing number of priests, fewer worshippers and rising costs to keep churches open. The diocese will detail the changes at a press conference on Monday, but McDonnell wanted to give parishioners in each of the affected areas the opportunity to hear of any changes in their community at services this weekend. Mark E. Dupont, a spokesman for the diocese, said there will be a "few instances" where a number of parishes will be closed and a new parish created. Dupont did not provide more details Saturday night. One of the affected regions includes Agawam, Westfield, West Springfield, Chester, Huntington, Russell and Southwick; another includes Greenfield, Montague, Northfield, Orange, Shelburne Falls, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway and South Deerfield. The two remaining regions consist of Berkshire County communities. The Rev. Wayne C. Biernat read McDonnell's letter detailing the changes in West Springfield Saturday afternoon at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, which escaped any change. With about 7,500 parishioners, St. Thomas is the largest diocese parish in West Springfield. "There was overall agreement that the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle shall remain as presently configured. And so it shall," McDonnell wrote. That decision was met by light applause during the 5:30 p.m. Saturday service at the church. But Angela A. Giorgi, a lifelong parishioner at St. Ann's, said later she was angry that she heard of the closings from parishioners who attend St. Thomas the Apostle and Immaculate Conception. St. Ann's sole weekend service is at 10 a.m. today. "That's wrong," the 78-year-old Giorgi said. "I'm sorry. I don't think we deserve that. We worked hard to keep that church going." In his letter, McDonnell stated that Immaculate Conception "provided the overall best facility" for the new St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Parish. But another St. Ann's parishioner, Nancy R. Tessier, disagreed. "We have a phenomenally well kept physical plant," said Tessier, noting St. Ann's has air conditioning, a new boiler and a well-appointed rectory. Tessier also said the parish, which typically draws 150 to 200 worshippers for Sunday Mass, is fiscally sound. "We have no financial debt," she said. "I don't understand their logic. And I don't think I'm alone in that department," Tessier added. St. Louis de France also has a single Mass on Sunday. That service rarely draws more than about 20 people.
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