Sometime in the next six months, Sacred Heart Church, a staple of the community since 1931, will close its doors for the final time.

On Tuesday, Sacred Heart, located on Follen Road, was one of 65 parishes designated for closure by the Archdiocese of Boston. Like priests and parishioners from other parishes, Rev. Arnold F. Colletti learned of the decision when he received a letter from Archbishop Sean O'Malley via FedEx on Tuesday morning.

"Having considered the needs of the Catholic population in Lexington, it is my belief that one parish is sufficient to serve the needs of the faithful in Lexington," wrote O'Malley. "The small number of worshippers at Sacred Heart and its relatively low sacramental index, as well as its proximity to other parishes, have led me to conclude that the pastoral and spiritual needs of the people of God of Sacred Heart Parish can be appropriately served by Saint Brigid Parish as well as the remaining parishes in the area."

Colletti said he won't know specific details on the closing process until he, along with priests from other churches set to close, attends a meeting with O'Malley at St. Julia's in Weston today. However, Colletti said different parishes will have different timetables for closure, ranging from two to six months.

"We'll either have two, four, or six months to close. I hope it's not six months. I don't want to drag this out," said Colletti, who read O'Malley's letter to parishioners who attended morning mass on Tuesday. "Some parishioners were crying and hugging each other. There was a sadness as if there had been a death in the family."

Sister Mary Nagle, a pastoral associate at Sacred Heart, said not knowing exactly what will happen has been difficult.

"We have no details right now, and we're not sure when we will close," said Nagle. "It's really sad, because this is such a vibrant community. We have over 100 families that come here from outside of Lexington. I'm not sure where everyone will go. ... It's going to take awhile for everything to settle down, but new life will come from this."

Though he felt Sacred Heart was a "self-sustaining" parish, Colletti believed ultimately his parish was chosen for closure because "we can fit into St. Brigid's." He said Sacred Heart has 1,200 families in the parish, compared with 2,200 at St. Brigid's. Colletti feels many parishioners will move to St. Brigid's, and some others will go to St. Malachy's in Burlington because that parish's priest, Rev. Leonard O'Malley, was previously a curate at Sacred Heart.

"I think these closings had to happen," noted Colletti, who said he is not sure where he will be reassigned. "It has nothing to do with the abuse situation. We had closings before under Cardinal Law. This was necessary because of the changing population and the fact that some areas were overchurched ... [but] it's still a shame."

"I think it's the wrong decision ... I just think it's a shame, because it sounds like a lot of politics are involved," said Lexington resident and Sacred Heart parishioner Barry Cunha after learning his church was put on the recommended closure list in recent weeks. "I'm not that surprised, but I'm disappointed."

A celebration of the parish's life will be held on Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13. "Celebrate our Parish Weekend," will include a buffet dinner after 4 p.m. mass, breakfast after 7 a.m. mass, and brunch after 10 a.m. mass that weekend. If anyone has pictures or memorabilia of Sacred Heart, they are asked to drop the items off at the church office so they can be used in the celebration. For more information, call 781-862-4646.