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VOTF
Boston, MA Parish Closing Statement
Steve Krueger, VOTF Executive Director
OUR CALL
Parish closings will cause a profound and challenging
upheaval for the personal and faith lives of tens of
thousands of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston.
If as many as 60 parishes close, that will affect at
least 120 parishes, as many as one third of Catholics
who regularly attend Mass - over 100,000 people. For
many Catholics, their parish is a primary means of identity.
The lessons learned of the past two years call for these
momentous decisions to be made according to a new, collaborative
model that takes the archdiocese in a new direction
- a direction away from the old ways where the hierarchy
makes decisions without meaningful involvement of laypersons.
In today's environment where trust must be rebuilt,
the closing or merger of one's parish may have the unintended
consequence of weakening a parishioner's relationship
to the Church. We must, and can, avoid this consequence
if we all - clergy, laity and hierarchy - work together.
It is encouraging to hear that the Archdiocese says
it will solicit considerable local input by laypersons
and parish clergy in the process of closing parishes
while the details of this involvement are being discussed.
This is a difficult time for all Catholics in the Archdiocese,
especially for Archbishop Sean O'Malley. Voice of the
Faithful supports the Archdiocese's intention for lay
and clergy involvement in the decision-making processes.
To that end, we call for these difficult decisions to
be made with compassion and an acknowledgment of the
failings of the past through an open, thoughtful process
that includes serious, meaningful lay and clergy involvement
in all decision-making, as well as full financial disclosure
at every point in the process. Voice of the Faithful
offers our assistance to Archbishop Sean in addressing
the difficult issues that lie before us, as together
we undertake the rebuilding of our beloved Archdiocese.
OPENNESS, ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY:
QUESTIONS LAYPERSONS & PRESS SHOULD BE ASKING
Voice of the Faithful believes that before parishes
are closed, the input of laypersons in this Archdiocese
on both parish and diocese-wide levels should be solicited
regarding:
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What are the criteria for closings? How were these
derived, and by whom? Were parishioners involved
in developing these? If not, why not? Are these
the optimal criteria? How can laypersons have input
into refining or ratifying these criteria?
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Which
parishes will be closed?
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What
is the timeline for closings? Parishioners in affected
parishes need input into when closings will happen
and what adjustments they will make going forward.
-
How
will the parish closings affect the financial condition
of the Archdiocese?
-
What
entities will receive the monies from closed parishes'
bank accounts? Where will the money go?
-
What entities will receive the proceeds from sales
of parish properties? Where will the money go?
Voice
of the Faithful, VOTF, "Keep the Faith, Change the Church,"
Voice of Compassion, VOTF logo(s), Parish Voice, and
Prayerful Voice are trademarks of Voice of the Faithful,
Inc.
Voice
of the Faithful is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization.
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