The text of Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley's letter on church
closings
The following is the text of a letter dated Saturday from Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley to "all members of the Archdiocese of Boston":
Dear Friends in Christ:
1)
Much has been said and written about the process
of reconfiguration since we began this necessary and painful work. As many of
you know, I have been thinking long and hard about what we have done and how
things could be done better. While every parish closing has brought sadness and
for some heartbreak, some number of parishioners from several parishes have
refused to leave their Church demonstrating their belief that there parish
should not have closed. I hope you know how much these closings hurt me as I
undertake them. It has become apparent that I must do a better job explaining
to you the reasons for reconfiguration and the closing of parishes.
2)
In the Acts of the Apostles we find the paradigm
for the Catholic Community where people were united in the teaching of the
Apostles, in fellowship, the breaking of the bread and in prayer. Those who had
properties sold them and gave the proceeds to the Apostles who distributed to
each one according to his or her needs.
3)
The practice of the
4)
In my installation homily I spoke of the
immigrants from
5)
In our Church family we are in a similar situation.We have experienced the heartache and
demoralization of the sexual abuse crisis. The human and material resources
that we took for granted are no longer there. The only way to avoid a
catastrophic debacle is for us to downsize. We have more buildings and churches
than we can afford to maintain. We have more parishes than we need to meet the
pastoral and sacramental needs of our Archdiocese.
6)
I know that this process has been very painful,
especially for communities which taken alone seemed "viable."
However, the truth is that no parish can be taken alone for all parishes are
part of the Archdiocese of Boston and thus are related to one another. It is
the present configuration of staffing and of parishes that is not viable, not
now and not going forward into the future. Viability must be seen not at the
parish level but at the level of the whole Archdiocese. The viability of the
Church's mission is at stake.
7)
The decline in the number of priests is a
serious problem. We need to work hard to promote vocations to priesthood. Five
decades ago we were ordaining fifty or sixty priests a year for the Archdiocese
of Boston. This year we ordained seven. Over 100 of our present pastors are in
their 70's or 80's. We are blessed with fine men in the seminary, but they are
few in number. Therefore all Catholics need to help promote vocations and pray
for more good and holy priests, laborers for the Lord's harvest.
8)
The financial situation of the Archdiocese is
much worse than most people realize. This is not so much a result of the
settlements for the sexual abuse cases which have been paid in great part by
the sale of the Archbishop's Residence and adjacent property, as well as by insurance.
The 50 percent reduction of annual income to the diocese caused by the scandal
has dealt a very serious blow to our local Church. At the same time troubles in
the stock market that have adversely affected pension plans and retirement
accounts across the country have left us with an unfunded pension liability of
$80 million.
9)
The Archdiocese's operating budget has been
slashed by $14 million over the past three years, and we still have an annual
$10 million deficit. Subsidies to poor parishes, ethnic apostolates,
formation programs, and Catholic schools all are affected. Many parishes are
unable to pay their bills.The pension plans for laity
and clergy are in danger. $35 million borrowed three years ago to pay operating
expenses is exhausted and needs to be repaid. Many communities who meet their
expenses do so by selling land and buildings and spending down savings. (In the
last nine years parishes have sold 150 pieces of property mostly to pay bills).
Some people think that reconfiguration will mean a great surplus of money for
the Archdiocese. Unfortunately, this is not true.I
have asked the Finance Council to work on a strategic plan for the Archdiocese
which I shall share with you. I am committed to financial transparency and to
using our human and financial resources for the mission of the Church.
10)
I am appealing to all Catholics to be Catholics
first. I know that we all have a great love for our parish and parish church,
but our first love must be for Christ and the Body of Christ which is the Church.
Closing parishes is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in forty years of
religious life. I joined the monastery knowing that I would have to do
difficult things for the rest of my life, but I never imagined I would have to
be involved in anything so painful or so personally
repulsive to me as this. At times I ask God to call me home and let someone
else finish this job, but I keep waking up in the morning to face another day
of reconfiguration.So when people ask why I am doing
this, I can only say it is because I love the Church and want to give my life
to the service of the Church. If difficult decisions are not made now, the
mission of the Church will be seriously compromised in the future.
11)
The process is not easy, it is not perfect, but
the dire circumstances we are in demand this reconfiguration. I am grateful to
the countless number of parishioners and priests who have worked hard and made
many sacrifices for the good of the Church. I am also indebted to the newly
established committee which is reviewing what has been done and preparing
comments and recommendations.
12)
We should all be consoled to know that the
sacrifices we make allow the mission of the Church to continue. If your
"viable" parish was closed it was so some other "not
viable" parish or ministry could continue. If your parish is a receiving
parish, I urge you to go out of your way, as so many of you already have, to
welcome those coming from another parish.
13)
It is the call we all received in baptism that
unites us in the Body of Christ.Like those first
Christians who gathered in their homes and in the catacombs to celebrate the
Eucharist, we gather around the altar for the "breaking of the
bread." At the altar there can be no strangers, no rivals, only friends,
fellow disciples. Our attachment to Christ, our communion with Him affirms our
connectedness to each other in the Church. The Eucharistic Year invites us to
focus on what unites us. It is the Eucharist. Building strong Eucharistic
communities for the future must be our goal. To do this we must all be willing
to share who we are and what we have with one another.The
very name Catholic reminds us that we are part of a universal community that
looks beyond our individual parish to the local Church and the Church
throughout the world.
14)
We need to recognize and build on a unity that
transcends our individual parishes and is based on a commitment to live the
mission that Christ entrusts to us that begins with loving and forgiving one
another. Our energy and passion should be to serve the needs of the poor and
downtrodden, to teach our young people about the love of Christ and His Gospel.
Past generations of Catholics in
15)
Discipleship has always meant the cross, but the
cross is not the end. Out of the cross comes rebirth and resurrection. In this
time of pain we must turn to prayer so that God will strengthen our faith and
our faith will make us whole.
16)
Each day I pray for all of you at the altar,
especially for my brothers and sisters in the Church who are disappointed and
angry. I pray that the unity Christ desired as the hallmark of his followers be
ours. Only in unity can the Church's mission flourish. We continue to pray at
every Eucharist: "look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church and
grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom."
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