Lexington, MA

June 14^th, 2004

Dear Archbishop Sean O’Malley,

I am writing this letter of plea in response to your decision to close Sacred Heart Church in Lexington. My husband and I have been members of this church for the past two years. I grew up in Argentina, where I was raised Catholic and attended elementary, secondary and college Catholic institutions, none of which, however, possessed the sense of shared spirituality and the vital sense of community that seems alive at the heart of Sacred Heart.

Personally, I was saddened and dismayed to hear, not only of your decision to close our church, but also that you considered the appeals to the closings unlikely to succeed. I certainly pray that this is not true. When the closings were announced a few weeks ago, I watched your televised press conference with hope: at that time, in an effort to empathize with Boston-area parishioners and appeal to their strength, you used as comparison a personal story of helping your Caribbean community deal with the aftermath of a hurricane that tragically destroyed their churches. Unfortunately, though well-intended, this comparison fails to capture and convey the real meaning behind our own tragedy: Sacred Heart Church, a very active and growing community, will be destroyed, not as a result of a natural disaster but as direct consequence of human decisions and actions.

I am having a very hard time accepting that this is really what the Lord would want.

I therefore pray that the Holy Spirit guides you and that you seriously reconsider your decision. It is indeed very sad to see that the fruits of the labor of a hard-working community like Sacred Heart will go unappreciated and would much less weight than financial considerations. Today, the Catholic Church is at a crossroads: its future depends, not only on the continued (and increasing) involvement of lay individuals like those at Sacred Heart, but also on the caring and just decisions and actions of its leaders.

Please, let Sacred Cross Church continue to do God’s work. I ask that you hear what we have to say and carefully reconsider your decision. I strongly believe that alternative, creative and mutually beneficial alternatives to this problem MUST be explored before final solutions are adopted, so your and our concerns are respectfully acknowledged and addressed. We only want the opportunity to continue to be a vital and effective force in building the Catholic Church. Please, do not destroy our efforts!

Sincerely,

Lexington, MA 02421