By Terence Hegarty
iobserve
August 30, 2009
http://www.iobserve.org/rn0829a.html
[with Bishop Timohy A. McDonnell's address on the closings]
[Pastoral Planning report]
SPRINGFIELD – It's been long-awaited, but certainly not welcome news. Final recommendations for parish reconfigurations in the Diocese of Springfield began to be announced in parishes Aug. 29 and will continue through the weekend.
Nineteen churches in Hampden and Hampshire counties will be closed. Many of the parishes will be merged with neighboring parishes.
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A press briefing, detailing the changes, was held earlier this week. Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell met with the pastor of each parish that will be affected and wrote a letter for each parish to be read at Masses this weekend.
He said he knows that the changes will cause some to be angry and in pain. "There's going to be hurt, and I wish there weren't," the bishop said. "But, at the same time, we are a pilgrim people. And church is meant to be a pilgrim people. Church is meant to be people on the move."
Msgr. John J. Bonzagni, director of the diocese's Pastoral Planning Office, said the changes are needed because of a change in demographics, a decline in the number of clergy and financial pressures.
"What we have tried to do is now get the diocese on a stable footing," he said, "remove the anxiety of whether this building going to be used, should we repair the roof? Now let's continue to build and continue to grow. (This will) take all that anxiety away. So, what we hope we're doing is really empowering for the growth of the church."
Most of the changes are scheduled to take place before the end of the year. However, reconfigurations for some communities will take place two years from now.
The changes were recommended by the 12-member Pastoral Planning Committee. Members of the committee began their work more than three years ago. The most recent recommendations were detailed in a report presented to the bishop earlier this month.
In Springfield, the largest city in the diocese, three churches will be closed. The committee recommends that Holy Family Parish be closed and that the rectory be retained and used as a community outreach center.
Our Lady of Hope Parish will merge with St. Mary Parish. The new parish will utilize St. Mary's facilities.
St. Jude Parish in Indian Orchard will become a mission of our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish. A limited number of Masses and sacraments will continue at St. Jude Church.
Also in Indian Orchard, one change will affect Ludlow as well: the recommendation to merge Immaculate Conception Parish with Christ the King Parish in Ludlow, and to close Immaculate Conception Church. Christ the King facilities will be used.
Changes in the town of Ludlow also include the recommendation that St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish be merged, with St. John's facilities being utilized.
The city of Chicopee, which now has 10 parishes, will be served by five parishes. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish and St. Mary of the Assumption Parish are to be closed along with St. Patrick and St. George parishes. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish and Holy Name Parish are to merge and use the facilities at Holy Name.
In Hatfield, Holy Trinity and St. Joseph parishes are to be merged and utilize one set of buildings. The committee did not recommend which facility should be utilized, leaving that decision with area parishioners.
Referring to the three parishes in the town of Easthampton, Immaculate Conception, Notre Dame and Sacred Heart, the committee had a similar recommendation. The Pastoral Planning Committee endorsed the efforts of the community to merge into one entity as soon as it is practicable.
In Northampton, parishioners and clergy felt that the city should be served by one parish and one chapel. The Pastoral Planning Committee's report states that St. Mary of the Assumption Church should be utilized, along with Annunciation Church in Florence. Blessed Sacrament, St. John Cantius and Sacred Heart parishes would be closed.
The city of Holyoke will undergo some changes this year and additional changes in two years. The committee recommended that Holy Cross Parish be linked with Mater Dolorosa Parish and be staffed by the Franciscans who are currently serving at Mater Dolorosa.
Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Jerome parishes are to be linked. Both groups of parishes are to be linked for two years, after which they should merge, the committee recommended.
The two parishes in South Hadley, St. Patrick's and St. Theresa's, will also be reconfigured in two years and will be served by one pastor. It is unclear if this will be a linking or merger.
In the Three Rivers section of Palmer, St. Anne Parish is to be merged with the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul. St Anne Church is to be closed.
In Bondsville, St. Bartholomew Parish is to be merged with St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Palmer. St. Bartholomew Church will be closed.
Msgr. Bonzagni said the recommendations were far-reaching and comprehensive. He said that, while the process was lengthy, it was designed to allow the sacramental life of the diocese to thrive despite diminishing resources and personnel.
He noted that recommendations were made following a great deal of input from more than 1,000 parishioners from across the diocese.
Listening sessions were held in every area of the diocese over a nearly two-year period. The Pastoral Planning Committee was charged with formulating a way to provide every Catholic in western Massachusetts fair and equitable access to the sacraments.
In most cases where a merger is to take place, the committee recommended that a new name be selected for the merged parish.
Three prior pastoral planning efforts were begun in the diocese since 1980, but were not completed. Bishop McDonnell said he believes that a combined church community strengthens the faith of everyone involved.
"There's a large community worshipping together and that large community provides vitality and that large community provides possibility for new ministries and new outreach and new ways of reaching people," said Bishop McDonnell. "We have to focus on building up church, not church buildings."
The first closings of buildings as part of this current round took place last summer in Pittsfield. Six of the 10 churches in the city were closed. Some of the positive aspects of pastoral planning are already evident there.
"While it hasn't been easy by any means," said Msgr. Bonzagni, "and while there are still people that are kind of angry that their parish closed, I think by and large they at least see that there are tangible benefits."
Msgr. Bonzagni said he thinks that the most tangible benefit coming from all of the pastoral planning will be stronger parishes, which, in turn, will lead to a stronger faith life for Catholics across the diocese.
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