Dear Friends:

As you are well aware, the archdiocese of Boston is planning on closing up to 80 parishes around the archdiocese in the upcoming months. The first phase of the process that the archdiocese is following is scheduled to be completed March 8th. Each cluster (of 2-8 parishes) has been told that by that date they must recommend to Archbishop Sean O'Malley one parish within their cluster that should be closed.

Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) recognizes that these scheduled closings, and the decision-making process put in place to identify them, is causing an unnecessary amount of anxiety in parishes across the region. Recently, VOTF President James Post and John Hynes, Chair of VOTF's Boston Affiliates Task Force, sent a letter to Archbishop O'Malley detailing the organization's concerns and offering suggestions to ensure a better outcome for this difficult period.

Click here to read the letter.

At the core of our concerns is that the lessons learned from the clergy sexual abuse era - which include the need for meaningful lay involvement - must also be applied to something as fundamental as closing our parish communities. This is an opportunity for the archdiocese to demonstrate that they value the gifts of the laity; it is also an opportunity for the laity to make evident its resolve to be involved in matters of church governance, from the parish up through the archdiocesan levels.

We are looking for your input in addressing the many issues surrounding parish closings. A Day of Prayer will be held to kick off the new Boston VOTF Council. We welcome the ideas of all VOTF members in the archdiocese of Boston with respect to how that Day of Prayer should be planned. Please feel free to contact John Hynes at renewboston@voiceofthefaithful.org to discuss this and other ideas surrounding the parish closings. Thank you for your attention and we look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Suzanne N. Morse
Communications Manager
Voice of the Faithful