Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Planning Commission Proposal 

As planning continues, the Archdiocese committee overseeing the planning expects to provide the results and recommendations from its surveys to diocesan priests at their June convocation. 

Part of the preparation includes meetings of Vicariate Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Finance Councils in selected parishes with representatives of the RCAB planning commission in February and March. At these meetings, the PPCs and PFCs will be given templates for informing parishioners of the plan. Use of the template is voluntary. Education is left to individual pastors. 

Some confirmed Feb. Vicariate meeting sites and dates: 

     -- St. Catherine, Westford, Feb. 15 

Some confirmed March meeting sites and dates: 

     -- St. Columkille, Brighton, March 1 
     -- St. Brigid, Lexington, March 6 
     -- Holy Name, West Roxbury, March 13 
     -- St. Edward, Medfield, March 15 
     -- Holy Family, Duxbury, March 22. 

The RCAB chief planner has said that the draft plan produced by the Commission does not intend parish closings or mergers. The intention is strengthening and energizing parishes for mission. Each parish in the "group" will maintain its own integrity and assets. All group parishes, however, will contribute to staffing costs based on a pro-rated formula. 

The plan indicates that each "group" will be led by a pastoral service team headed by a new pastor who has not been a pastor in the individual "group" parishes. Each "group" will have one Director of Religious Education, one music minister, etc. Some "groups" will be assigned Deacons or Parochial Vicars from the pool of priests who do not want to pastor "multiple parishes." 

Official discussions with Religious Order Provincials will begin in a few weeks, though some Provincials have offered "creative" opinions already concerning how Religious Order parishes in the RCAB might fit into the picture. 

Anne Southwood, Chair, for BACVOTF Board 
southwood2@aol.com

Informational Links

      -- Boston Pastoral Planning

      -- Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission
         Consultation on Parish Planning Web Survey

      -- 2012 Consultation, Criteria for Groupings
         & Regional Groupings 
         When you land on the Consultation Page of the
         website, scroll down to the bottom to see links
         for criteria for grouping parishes into pastoral
         collaboratives and for parish groups according
         to regions.