Archdiocese of Boston
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ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON PARISH CLOSING MANUAL “Rebuild My Church” VERSION 1.0 Tab 1 – Letter from Archbishop O’Malley May 25, 2004 Dear Father and your parish staff, Closing one parish makes me sad, but closing many is truly heartbreaking. Never would I ask this of you if I were not certain that it was necessary. Please know that your feelings of sorrow, frustration and anguish are normal and completely understandable. As Catholics we love our parishes and our parish churches, and we will grieve together as we endure the hard work of closing. This decision to close your parish was not made easily; rather it was made after a careful consideration of the entire Archdiocese and with much consultation with many people. Our intentions were to be fair to everyone; I am sorry for you and your parish that what has been such an important part of your lives can no longer continue. I know many parishioners are having difficulty seeing where this is all going to take us, but all must get ready to start rebuilding the church in Boston. We are ready to move forward with some serious thinking and some hard work that will enable us to rebuild from a solid foundation. We need to be morally solid, spiritually solid and financially solid in order to give life to our hopes and dreams for our faith community. We really do need to put more energy into our youth than into our heating bills, and more effort into reaching out to those who need us than to fixing buildings that are beyond repair. The ultimate goal of reconfiguration is to further the Mission of the Church. It is about announcing the good news of the faith. It is about fulfilling Jesus’ great commandment to love one and other. We are going to better use our resources to strengthen our parishes so that we can educate our children, feed the poor, clothe the naked, house the homeless, heal the wounded and ill and the broken-hearted. The parishes that remain will work to energize themselves as places of spiritual renewal and evangelization. The possibility of growth as a faith community will depend on our willingness to rebuild the church by renewing our commitment to her mission. We are anxious to have effective Parish Pastoral Councils and Finance Councils. We pledge the Archdiocese to complete transparency in all our financial affairs. Moneys that are realized by the sale of Church properties, as well as the use of those revenues, will be used to pay past bills and obligations of the parishes that are closing as well as for assistance to parishes that are unable to fund needed Church repairs, for expenses for providing current support services to parishes, for establishing an endowment fund for parish support, for recapitalizing the Revolving Fund, and for other necessary works of the Archdiocese. This Manual is designed to help answer your questions so that you can help your parish to close well. Within it, you will find the authorized procedure for closure. Whatever is contained within this Manual has my approval. Please be faithful to its instructions and ready to do this as completely and as well as it can be done. Ultimately, so much of the success of this time of rebuilding the Church in the Archdiocese of Boston rests upon your shoulders and mine. We need each other to do this. Again, I would not have asked for this unless I was convinced that it is absolutely necessary Christ never promised that discipleship would be easy, but He promised to be with us and send His spirit to guide us. The spirit brings new life and makes all things new again. May God’s Holy Spirit fill all our hearts and give us the wisdom and courage to heed His words to St. Francis, “Rebuild my Church.” Fraternally Yours in Christ, + Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap. Archbishop of Boston Tab 2 – Explanation of the Manual and the Process for Closing Parishes – A Letter from Bishop Lennon May 25, 2004 Dear Pastor and parish staff, First of all be assured of my deep gratitude for the goodwill and hard work you have and will be undertaking on behalf of the People of God. Through the closing process, remember to take care of your own spiritual and emotional needs. Take your day off, allow time each day for prayer, and ask for help when you need it. This Manual is a tool for you to help your parish close its doors. It standardizes the procedure for your closing as much as that is possible. At the same time, I recognize that every parish slated for closing is unique, and that although much effort has been put into writing this manual, inevitably questions will arise from your experience that will not be handled adequately here. If the manual does nothing else, however, it should lead you to the proper person within the Chancery to call to ask questions. I am very aware that as you as pastor begin this task of closing, among the most present things on your mind will be your own status here in the Archdiocese and what will be your next assignment. Contained within this manual is a section entitled “Clergy Issues” that begins the conversation. However, I want to assure you that the Personnel Board and I will be ready to work with you to find a suitable place to continue your ministry in the Archdiocese. The fact that your parish has been chosen to close is not any reflection upon your good work there. Please do not see this closure is such a way. Closing your parish is not going to be an easy task. You cannot do it without help. While all of us here in Chancery are ready and willing to help you, the most important resource will be the parish staff and parish volunteers. I would urge you to review the entire manual and then gather people together whom you think will be able to and want to work with you. The task will call for many skills, including spiritual, financial, liturgical, canonical, archival, technical, and other expertise. Your good efforts to wind up the work of your parish and ensure the gentle transition of your parishioners will form the foundation of renewal for the Archdiocese. Along with your parish staff and team of volunteers, people from the Chancery will come to your parish and help organize and execute both account reconciliation and inventory. Shortly after you receive this Manual, our finance department will contact you to schedule a parish audit. It is essential that you cooperate with this important process. They will need access to all financial records and bank accounts of the Parish and parish organizations so that required Federal and State tax filings can be completed. You will also be receiving people from our facilities department to survey the Church buildings and indicate what needs to done to care for the buildings before their future use or sale. These people are automatically assigned to your parish; however, there are others who work in Chancery whom it is up to you to schedule. These include the archivist who will help you think about and organize your historical records so that the important history of your parish is preserved. The Spiritual Development people are available to you as a resource to help your parishioners deal with this difficult time, and our Human Resource and Benefits people can further explain their part of the Manual. While the manual will explain our many resources and give you contact numbers, for those types of questions that remain beyond the scope of the manual please feel free to call my Assistant for Canonical Affairs, Father Mark O’Connell, or my Special Assistant for Parish Reconfiguration, Mrs. Kathleen Heck. It is impossible to predict the most difficult aspects of this as you prepare to face this daunting task, but I can predict some of them. Certainly, the greatest will be simply handling the grief of your parishioners while at the same time that you are dealing with your own. We will provide resources for this, but without a doubt the most important people to aid the parish through this will be you and your staff. Your leadership remains essential to the wellbeing of your parishioners at this moment and as they move to new parishes. A word about Weddings: Without a doubt, some of the most upset people will be those who have scheduled Weddings for a date after the effective date of closing. Please do all that you can to help them through this process to find a suitable location to hold the Wedding on the same date and at the same time as it was originally scheduled. Within this manual you will find a protocol for rescheduling Weddings, and how to get help with this very important task. A third, very important focus should be your stewardship of the patrimony of your parish. Be vigilant so that nothing in your parish disappears. Inventories of your financial books and your material goods must be taken accurately and these assets must be protected. There is a process for the redistribution of these items and it must be followed closely. Otherwise chaos will abound and the assets of your parish will be lost. Any deliberate distribution of the assets of your parish outside of Canon Law or the system created here without express permission will be handled strictly and appropriately. Please help us account for the goods of your parish.