St. Mary's Parishioners Upset, Plan Meeting over Losing Father Steve

By Frank Mortimer
Foxboro Reporter
January 22, 2015

http://www.foxbororeporter.com/articles/2015/01/22/news/16476513.txt

St. Mary's Church parishioners have turned to prayer, keyboards and a gathering this week in a respectful hope to keep Rev. Steve Madden in the town he calls home.

"Many of you are upset, confused and frustrated over this major decision. You are not alone," Laura Canfield, director of the children's choir, acknowledged in an email to dozens of friends shortly before noon Sunday.

Madden notified the congregation during Masses last weekend that the Archdiocese of Boston has handed him the challenge of leading four Boston parishes.

Some people gasped. A number of them wept.

Madden appeared to be holding back tears and his voice shook as he announced the plan for his departure.

"Can you imagine leaving your home and having to start all over again. I do understand it's a responsibility he has. It says a lot about the kind of priest or pastor that Father Steve is, that the cardinal would ask him to take on such a great responsibility," Canfield said later. "It speaks to his gifts that the cardinal would want him to do this."

Canfield, announced via email Sunday the formation of a committee of people "who will work to create constructive ways to let the cardinal know how we feel about this decision."

A meeting is scheduled to be held at St. Mary's on Carpenter Street at 7:30 tonight (Thursday, Jan. 22).

This is not a church sponsored event, member Christinne Smith announced on a Facebook page which has drawn more than 400 members since she created it last Sunday.

Smith said the purpose of the meeting is to pray together; determine the best means go give voice to concerns, and selecting leadership for the next steps of the movement.

"The impact of Fr. Steve's presence in the Foxboro community reaches far beyond the doors of St. Mary's Church," Canfield said. "Anybody who knows and cares about Father Steve is welcome to attend. He's the pastor of St. Mary's but he's a priest for all."

Canfield said Madden and St. Mary's are still healing from the "deep and painful wound" of parochial vicar Brian Smith's early death in 2013.

Speaking of Madden, she said, "In a lot of ways, we're his family and he's losing his family. I feel for him. For all these years he's taken care of us. Now it's time for us to reciprocate.

"As long as there's a desire, there has to be hope. Can we turn this around? It's highly unlikely, but it's not impossible. We have a collectively strong, beautiful voice in our church. Now is the time to use it."

Said Paul Beck, who videotapes the Mass for Foxboro Cable Access: "We're all very sad about it but we also wish him the very best in the future. He has some great challenges and we know he'll rise to meet them. None of the parishioners saw this coming."

Member Heather Harding said Madden married her and Steve Harding 20 years ago. She said the priest is "the reason why I have been a CCD teacher all these years." Harding said she values her friendship with Madden and hopes the campaign to keep him will be succcessful.

"Fr. Steve is more than just our parish priest. He is ingrained in this town and I cannot imagine St. Mary's or Foxboro now without him. He has given 100 percent to our town and our church and it is sad that it may come to an end."

The archdiocese says it will work with the parishioners during the transition.

"We completely understand the loss a parish feels when a beloved pastor takes another assignment," said Terrence Donilon, spokesman for the archdiocese. "We try to match pastors with particular needs in a parish and in this case in South Boston, a collaborative. The Archdiocese will provide for the pastoral care of St. Mary's parish and will be mindful and sensitive to the future needs of the parish community in choosing a priest to follow in Fr. Madden's footsteps. As a Church we are one family. Fr. Madden's new assignment does not diminish St. Mary's, but offers a strong foundation to build on because of his great leadership."