BishopAccountability.org
	Diocese to Merge Three Clinton Parishes By Scott J. Croteau Telegram & Gazette December 6, 2009 http://www.telegram.com/article/20091206/NEWS/912069989/1116 [statement from the Worcester diocese] CLINTON — The three Catholic parishes in town — Our Lady of Jasna Gora, St. John the Evangelist and Our Lady of the Rosary — will be merged into one parish as of July 1, the Diocese of Worcester announced today. The parishes will be located at the St. John church on Union Street and the new parish, which has yet to be named, will assume all assets and liabilities of the three parishes. In a letter read at the parishes over the weekend, Bishop McManus said he made the decision to merge the parishes following planning that had been focused on the potential merger of Our Lady of Jasna Gora and Our Lady of the Rosary. “In my pastoral concern for these two parishes, I did not want to merge them today with the distinct probability of having to ask them to merge again in a matter of a few years,” Bishop McManus wrote in his letter. “The more that discussion ensued, the more many came to realize that the solution for Clinton's long range mission was to have one new, strong, vibrant parish to serve today's diverse community.” The Diocesan Pastoral Planning Committee made the recommendation and he announced the formation of the new parish in Clinton. Father Thomas Walsh of St. John the Evangelist said not much has been done yet on combining the parishes, since the announcement was just made and parishioners are being notified. He said attendance at his parish is as usual and could not speak for the others. “Little by little, we'll work it out,” he said. “It's hard for them and everybody. We hope and I know we can work together and build a strong parish for all of us. Hopefully we can make everyone feel right at home.” Bishop McManus said he realizes parishioners might choose to join other parishes and asked St. Joseph the Good Provider in Berlin and Immaculate Conception Parish in Lancaster to meet and evaluate how they can help. “I recognize that this is a difficult announcement to hear, yet I believe that the present and future pastoral needs of the Catholic community needs such a transition in order to be properly staged and to focus all its resources in addressing the needs of tomorrow while not forgetting the significant contributions made in the past,” Bishop McManus wrote. Father Walsh and Father Tomasz Borkowski, who has been serving Our Lady of Jasna Gora and Our Lady of the Rosary, have been asked to form a transition team from the three parishes. The team will help identify the best ways to make the transition to one parish. The subcommittee of parish leaders will discuss possible names for the new parish and ways to incorporate the different devotional traditions within the diverse community. “Once the new parish is formed, it (the subcommittee) will also decide what it will do with the various facilities currently being used by the three parishes,” a news release from the diocese said. Contact: scroteau@telegram.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.