Parish Closings Watch

Submitted by Donna Doucette and Sheila Grove VOTF Boston, MA. Archdiocese of Boston, Status of Parishes Vigils and the Council of Parishes as of 11/02/04

Support the Vigil Parishes: Our supporting the parishes means supporting their right to:

• hold a vigil and stand up for what they believe,
• insist that the archdiocese communicate openly as to why their parish is slated to close, and
• expect the archdiocese to be transparent in accounting for archdiocesan finances as well as other plans affecting the laity.

Support suggestions:

• Attendance at Prayer Services - Let them know you are there.
• Sign-up for a Vigil - Couple of hours or overnight.
• Donations - Food, Money, Time
• Communication - Letters, emails

Parishes with Active Vigils:

1. St. Albert the Great
   Address: 1130 Washington Street, East Weymouth, MA 02189
   Prayer Services: Mon.-Fri. 9 am-7:30 pm; Sat. 9 am-4:30 pm; Sun. 11:00 am
   Vigil Date: August 29, 2004

2. St. Anselm
   Address: 100 Landham Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
   Prayer Services: Mon-Fri Noon and 7 pm; Sat. None; Sun. 9:30 am
   Vigil Date: Sept. 12, 2004

3. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
   Address: 128 Gove Street, East Boston, MA 02128
   Prayer Services: Sunday 10 am; Mon. 7pm; Tues.-Thurs. Rosary 7 pm; Fri. 6:30 pm Stations of the Cross; Sat. 5:30 pm Rosary
   Specials: Wed. Visitors' Sleepover (call to schedule)
   Vigil Date: Oct. 12, 2004
   Contact: Gina Scalcione gina@scalcione.com

4. St. Bernard
   Address: 1529 Washington Street, West Newton, MA 02465
   Prayer Services: Sat. 4 pm Mass; Sun. 10:30 am Mass; Daily: Noon prayer service; candlelight vigil 6:30 pm
   Vigil Date: Oct. 23, 2004
   Contact: Rich Acerra acerra@gis.net

5. St. Frances X. Cabrini
   Address: 78 Mann Hill Road, Scituate, MA 02066
   Prayer Services: TBD
   Vigil Date: Oct. 26, 2004
   Contact: Jon Rogers jermmr2@comcast.net

6. St. Therese
   Address: 801 Broadway (corner of 20 Gledhill Avenue), Everett, MA 02149
   Prayer Services: TBD
   Vigil Date: Oct. 27, 2004
   Contact: Kevin Creel ksc772@comcast.net

7. Infant Jesus-St. Lawrence
   Address: 774 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
   Prayer Services: TBD
   Vigil Date: Oct. 29, 2004
   Contact: Warren Hutchison whutchison@donovanhatem.com

8. St. James the Great
   Address: 900 Worcester St. (Rte 9), Wellesley, MA 02482
   Prayer Services: TBD
   Vigil Date: Oct. 30, 2004
   Contact: Paul Hughes pashughes@aol.com ; Suzanne Hurley shurley@perkinelmer.com

Council of Parishes - Formed: October 13, 2004

Mission: "The council's mission is to support parishes in their appeal process, to communicate common concerns, and to address the affect of the closings on the Archdiocese, individual communities, and parishioners."

Co-Chairs: Peter Borre (pxb3@rcn.com); Cynthia Deysher (cdeysher@aol.com)

Members:
St. Albert the Great, East Weymouth; St. Anselm, Sudbury; St. Bernard, West Newton; St. Catherine of Siena , Charlestown; St. Frances X. Cabrini, Scituate; St. James the Great, Wellesley; St. Jeremiah, Framingham; St. Therese, Everett; St. Thomas the Apostle, Salem; Infant Jesus-St. Lawrence, Chestnut Hill; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, East Boston; Sacred Heart, Lexington; Sacred Heart, Natick

A reflection from Kris Ward, after a night at St. Albert the Great parish, Weymouth, MA

As St. Francis was dying he told his brothers, " I have done what was mine to do, may Christ teach you what is yours to do." At St. Albert the Great Parish in Weymouth, MA on the night of September 18, 2004, my soul caught sight of Christ's teaching - and His people learning - how to repair His Church.

It is clear from the first step into the vestibule that St. Albert's is a holy place. These Catholics know what is important - the Blessed Sacrament remains with them in the tabernacle on the altar and in their very being. As the first parish to be occupied after it's suppression in the reconfiguring of the Archdiocese of Boston, St. Albert's proclaims with a banner over its front door " St. Albert's is Open." And open it is.

Open as a vessel of what is good and right about parish life. Open as a tool for the seeking of truth. Open as an authentication of faith. Open as a leader.

What has been unlocked at St. Albert's is the knowledge of a mature laity. A laity that consults each other. A laity that respects its parish council leaders. A laity that can take action on its own. A laity that is purposeful but not vengeful. A laity willing to make sacrifices for the good of its brothers and sisters.

The courage of the people of St. Albert's is admired by the Jewish man who brings his son once a week to see what it looks like when people stand up for what they believe in.

The courage of the people of St. Albert's is felt by the people of other denominations who bring them food.

The courage of the people of St. Albert's is known by the bank next door that makes its parking lot available.

The people of St. Albert's speak lovingly of Father Ronald Coyne, the pastor whose care and teaching reawakened their community and increased by large measure the numbers who follow the Lord. But make no mistake about it - what St. Albert's is doing is not the cult of a priest. They would gladly have their pastor back but their sacrifice and their statement go on in the knowledge and likelihood he will never return as the pastor.

In the main body of the church there is a reverence. In the church hall beneath the sanctuary there is reverence also. Upstairs the lights are dim. Saints in stained glass stand sentinel. My body wonders why I never thought about the narrowness of pews before. Not wanting to risk the embarrassing bang of a body landing after an inopportune roll off the pew bench I decided to begin and end the night on the floor. It is sacred ground.

In the quiet there are gentle snores and the slide of a turn in a sleeping bag. From outside come honks of car horns even in the deepest hours of the night sounding solidarity with those who are inside.

The night ends early for me two hours before dawn when another act of sacrifice appears. Sharon Harrington of St. Albert's Voice of the Faithful has gotten up at 3 a.m. to make the trip to the church for me and make the added journey to the airport.

I linger to write a short note in the guest and prayer book in the vestibule. We get in the car but I look back unwilling to let go of what is transpiring here. The tabernacle is framed in the front windows as we pull away.

The images and voices stay with me on the flight. I seek out the perpetual chapel of the parish of St. Albert the Great in Dayton as if the name will make my prayer for the people of St. Albert the Great, Weymouth, a direct connection to them.

I speak about them to my own affiliate that reaches out in empathy and with funds. And not only to them but to St. Anselm's, Sudbury as well. The Dayton Affiliate knows a movement when it sees one.

I speak about them to the Indianapolis affiliate's weekend conference at the parish of Saint Thomas Aquinas. For a brief moment I picture Aquinas puzzled about parish occupation and but intrigued, ever the eager student of Albert the Great, about a theology of the laity. The Indiana affiliate is touched by the holiness apparent in the people of St. Albert's.

Christ's earthly parting words to "Go forth and teach…" have found voice at St. Albert's in Weymouth and the song is being joined by choruses of voices.

The sound is growing. The faithful have found their voice. And the voice will not be suppressed.

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