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Before Your Parish Closes

What follows is the story of the Prayer Room built in the parking lot of Holy Family Church in Lynn, MA and peopled 24/7 by Catholics concerned about what appears to be that parish's imminent closing in the RCAB "reconfiguration" plan. Both regional and national media have been drawn to the "little space that roared." The following was written by Rob Dandreo and Jack Whelan.

On Sat., March 20, 2004, a group of 12 Holy Family parishioners held the first of several meetings that became a Gathering of Concerned Catholics.

The reconfiguration process in the Archdiocese of Boston was well underway. There had been several cluster meetings. It was determined by the Lynn Cluster that St. Michael's would be offered as the first closure, and if the Archdiocese deemed it necessary to close another parish in our cluster, it would be Holy Family. Ten years ago the Lynn Cluster consisted of nine parishes. Three have already closed and two more were respectfully submitted to the Vicar on March 8, 2004.

St. Michaels, Holy Family and many of the other parishes throughout the Archdiocese, that found themselves faced with the prospect of closing, reacted similarly.

Letters to the local newspaper, letters to local clergy, bishops, Archbishop O'Malley, Apostolic Nuncio to United the States Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, even the Pope. The only acknowledgement we received was from the secretary to Archbishop O'Malley. It came by way of a standard form letter signed by her. My calls to Bishop Irwin, spanning ten weeks, were never returned. Catholics from other parishes were left with a similar level of response, which is to say, next to nothing. We were not being heard.

I had spent a significant amount of time, prior to the announcement of the recommended closing list, meeting and speaking with clergy and parish vicars from all over. There existed an overwhelmingly high percentage of Catholics, laity and clergy alike, who are experiencing feelings of confusion, sadness, anger, betrayal and general negativity, with regard to the present condition of the Church, the reconfiguration process and the future of the Church.

The goal of our group was to gather and unite as many Catholic people as we possibly could, to stand together, pray together, support each other and voice our unified belief that all viable parishes must be preserved for benefit of the Roman Catholic Churches. While the focus was on the six remaining parishes of the Lynn cluster, 21 parishes and church groups were involved in this community dialogue.

Given the public bashing that our Church has withstood, we found it to be vitally important to proceed in a respectful, positive, constructive and prayerful manner. Our group is all about supporting the Church. We felt that we should be one-dimensional in our focus on preserving viable parishes, leaving the physical changes, which may or may not be necessary, for another time.

We are people of faith. We believe that God alone has the power to guide us and provide us with the strength and compassion necessary to face the problems of our Church. Perhaps the hierarchy would be enlightened to the plight and the desire of thousands of concerned Catholics.

We began planning a week of prayer. It would begin with Divine Mercy Sunday, with several parishes participating. It was an open invitation, verbally and physically delivered, posted in stores, rectories, churches, gas stations, anywhere Catholics might be. It would be the beginning of our weeklong vigil, seven days, seven nights, 168 hours of continuous prayer.

Following the Novena to The Divine Mercy, with each decade of the Rosary prayed out loud in a different language, an outdoor prayer vigil began in the church parking lot. The week would culminate with an outdoor Mass. Divine Mercy Sunday took a tremendous amount of planning and effort. A parishioner from Holy Family Church served as the chairperson of the committee.

The prayer room was visible to the public throughout this period and drew reporters from local as well as national media. It is constructed of wood and Plexiglas and adorned with flowers and ivy on the exterior. During the week, candles surrounded it and glowed warmly. The interior is heated, has a light, three chairs, one table, one kneeler, a Crucifix, the Bible, prayer books and a rug. Participants found it to be extremely spiritual and serene. Many expressed disbelief at how quickly time passed while inside, and requested extended time or return visits. All signed their names on the exposed wood framing. VOTF covered the vigil on Tuesday, 4-20-04. In addition to the people who participated in the Prayer Room, two to three people were assigned to be on the premises at all times to make coffee and keep watch. The number of people on the premises fluctuated from three to one hundred at any given time. It was truly a community coming together for the common good of our Church. People felt great!

The outdoor Closing Mass was con-celebrated at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 25, 2004, at Holy Family Church with five priests from nearby parishes. Preparation included setting out 300 chairs for what turned out to be 500 attendees. We wired the belfry for sound, moved the organ outside, built an altar, closed down Bessom Street, and enjoyed a wonderful celebration! After Mass, we provided coffee and cookies for all. Again, people were feeling great! Smiles, hugs, thank you's… it was wonderful! Thus the prayerful vigil formally ended.

In all, we estimated that close to 3,000 people participated in this week of prayer. They represented over 20 parishes and Catholic organizations, all coming together in this time of great uncertainty to pray to God as a unified and concerned body of Catholics. As I said in my statement at the conclusion of our Mass, "Let us not view this day as an ending, but instead, as a new beginning." Robert Dandreo, Holy Family Parishioner [For more information, please log on to www.holyfamilychurchlynn.org. or direct inquiries to gocc@hotmail.com.]

 

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In the Vineyard
May 2004
Volume 3, Issue 5

Page One

Survivor Support Working Group

Before Your Parish Closes

Couldn't Make It?

Parish Voice News

Letters to the Editor

Commentary - Lay Engagement in Your Diocese

Events, Opportunities & News

Council Updates

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In the Vineyard Archives

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