Voice of the Faithful Calls for Moratorium on Parish Closings

Survey Indicates that Local Catholics Feel Process is Moving Too Quickly and Is Diminishing Trust in the Catholic Church

Newton, Mass. – March 8, 2004 – Voice of the Faithful is calling for a moratorium on the closing of parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston. Citing concerns about the hastiness of the process and the potential impact that reconfiguration will have on the community, local Voice of the Faithful leaders believe that Archbishop Sean O’Malley must act responsibly by delaying action on the recommendations he receives today.

“This process has caused unnecessary stress on Catholics throughout the archdiocese,” said John Hynes, chair of Voice of the Faithful’s Boston Council Steering Committee. “Parishes feel as if they are being pitted against each other, and it is the poor and disenfranchised that are losing out. We are calling for a moratorium on the parish closing process until the archdiocese has answered the concerns of lay Catholics about the closings’ impact on their faith communities.”

In a recently conducted survey by Voice of the Faithful about the parish closing process, over 63% of parishioners from communities across the archdiocese of Boston said that they believed that the process was proceeding too quickly. 56% of respondents also suggested that they feel this process will continue to diminish trust in the governance of the Catholic Church. The survey also shows that lay Catholics are willing to become greatly involved with their parishes to maintain their faith communities – 81% would utilize lay administrators, 77% would share priests with other parishes, 75% would share sacramental ceremonies with neighboring churches and over 35% would be willing to increase their financial support. Lay Catholics also indicated that they believe that parishioners should decide what happens to the proceeds from the sale of their churches. Pertaining to meaningful lay involvement, Catholics suggested that while they thought the level of input on the parish and cluster levels was adequate, they expressed dissatisfaction with lay participation at the vicariate, regional, diocesan, and archdiocesan stages.

Voice of the Faithful has repeatedly called for meaningful lay involvement in the parish closing process. Leaders of Voice of the Faithful feel that since parish closings are to be effected on the archdiocesan level, lay Catholics should be included in the decision-making processes at all levels and in the creation and establishment of those processes. Currently, lay Catholics can only be involved on the parish level, and then only through their parish pastoral and finance councils.

“The lessons learned from the clergy sexual abuse era are that without meaningful lay involvement regarding the administrative and financial affairs of the Catholic Church, the Church cannot rebuild trust,” said Steve Krueger, executive director of Voice of the Faithful. “In spite of that, this archdiocese, and others, continues to operate as though there has been no reason to acknowledge these fundamental lessons regarding accountability and financial transparency.”

Voice of the Faithful representatives and members are available for interviews to discuss parish closings. For more information, please contact Suzanne Morse at 617/558-5252 (office) or at 617/680-2131 (cell) or visit our website at www.voiceofthefaithful.org.

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About Voice of the Faithful: Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a worldwide movement of concerned mainstream Catholics formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The group's mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Its goals are to support victim/survivors of abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching. VOTF’s supporting membership exceeds 30,000 registered persons from more than 41 U.S. states, 21 countries and 197 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.