Decision time for diocese

Parishes in city expecting visitors

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com

WORCESTER— Teams of diocesan officials will visit every Roman Catholic parish in the city over the coming weeks to monitor weekend Mass attendance, to inspect the condition of church buildings, and to make other assessments that will aid the chancery in deciding the “viability” of parishes.

The visits by members of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Pastoral Planning Committee are part of an effort launched four years ago by church officials to reconfigure the Diocese of Worcester to cope with a shortage of priests, dwindling church attendance, and budget constraints.

Bishop Robert J. McManus on Thursday released a pastoral letter that provides an overview of what has been done to date and what area Catholics can expect in the near future.

In the missive, which is available on the diocesan Web site (worcesterdiocese.org), the bishop noted that a number of social, economic and “familial” factors have dramatically affected the “vitality and viability” of some churches, particularly those in urban centers such as Worcester.

“I am well aware that the pastoral decisions that I have to make in the next several months concerning the future of some of our parishes, most immediately in the city of Worcester, involve deep feelings and emotions,” he wrote. “I would be dismayed if our Catholic people were not keenly concerned about their parishes and how their parish life will be affected.”

Elizabeth A. Marcil, co-chairman of the Pastoral Planning Committee, said the visits are a follow-up to “self-studies” that parishes were asked to conduct some months ago.

She said each parish will be visited by two diocesan representatives, who will meet with the parishioners who helped their pastors put together the reports.

“We’ll meet with these focus groups to clarify information,” she said. “The meetings will also give the parishioners a chance to articulate points they might have also made.”

For the time being, the visits are restricted to city churches.

Diocesan officials said the surveys are being conducted in Worcester because the city has many churches that were founded by immigrant groups, who later abandoned those ethnic parishes in moves to suburbia.

The pastoral letter points out that there are 500- and 600-seat churches that draw 200 or fewer worshippers at weekend Masses.

Raymond L. Delisle, diocesan vice chancellor for operations and communications director, said the overall study of the diocese began under the stewardship of former Worcester Bishop Daniel P. Reilly.

Over the past few years, parishes have been merged or become missions to other larger churches.

For example, St. Andrew the Apostle in Worcester has become a mission church of St. Peter Church in Worcester, while Notre Dame and Sacred Heart parishes were merged in Southbridge.

Still other parishes have been “clustered,” sharing staff and resources.

In September, Bishop McManus “suppressed and extinguished” St. Thomas Aquinas parish in West Warren, turning over its property, assets liabilities and records to St. Paul parish in Warren.

Though the building may still be used, the bishop’s action effectively closed St. Thomas.

Interestingly, St. Thomas had been a mission of St. Paul’s from 1876 to 1893 before gaining its own pastor.

Diocesan officials stressed that decisions are made carefully, given that most parishioners care deeply about their churches.

“There has to be a continuing dialogue,” Ms. Marcil said.

In his letter, Bishop McManus noted the parish is crucial “to the life of the local diocese and indeed, the universal church.”

“In fact, the vitality of a diocese is directly affected by the pastoral vitality of the parishes that constitute it,” he wrote.

“It is in the local parish that the Catholic experience comes to life.”

Ms. Marcil said that the representatives assessing city churches — there are about 20 of them — must turn in their reports by Dec. 15