NEWS STORY: Massachusetts Catholics Use Sit-ins to Protest Parish Closings

c. 2004 Religion News Service SUDBURY, Mass. _ In the eyes of the Archdiocese of Boston, St. Anselm Parish no longer exists. But for the dozens of members who sleep, sing and keep watch in the sanctuary, the church is very much alive, and fighting to stay that way. Equipped with tissues, air mattresses and […]

c. 2004 Religion News Service

SUDBURY, Mass. _ In the eyes of the Archdiocese of Boston, St. Anselm Parish no longer exists. But for the dozens of members who sleep, sing and keep watch in the sanctuary, the church is very much alive, and fighting to stay that way.

Equipped with tissues, air mattresses and enough consecrated hosts to last several weeks, many of the 175 active families at St. Anselm are hunkering down alongside a growing number of Boston area Catholics who refuse to vacate parishes on a list for closure.


Parishioners at St. Albert the Great Parish in Weymouth have held a sit-in at their building 24 hours a day since Aug. 30. Members of St. Bernard Parish in Newton have indicated plans to follow suit in October. And at least two other parishes in the diocese are considering the tactic, according to archdiocese spokesman the Rev. Chris Coyne.

For the archdiocese, the domino effect of civil disobedience is frustrating plans to create savings and increase efficiencies by closing 82 of its 357 parishes. But some parishioners feel they have not been heard, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get Archbishop Sean O’Malley’s attention.

“His view of `change the church’ is `sell off parishes,’ said Jamie Hanson, a parishioner and eucharistic minister at St. Anselm’s. “If this is the only way we can get him to listen to us, we’re going to stay here.”

Staying put since the church officially closed Sept. 15 has meant keeping the spirit alive. Posted sign-up sheets greet vigil attendees at the door of this 41-year-old building, as do written testimonies on the value of St. Anselm Parish. Inside, a draped box welcomes donations for utilities and other necessities. At any given time, half a dozen men and women kneel in prayer while a choir of three sings with piano accompaniment.

Every few minutes, faces brighten to the sound of car horns, responding to a sign out front: “honk if you support St. Anselm’s.”

Meanwhile at Archdiocesan headquarters in Brighton, high-ranking officials have been conferring regularly on how to end and prevent what they term “occupations.” Among the plans, Coyne said, is to meet with pastors in the 61 parishes yet to be closed to make sure they don’t encourage revolt.

“Everyone’s very concerned,” Coyne said. “Sudbury is obviously a case of a second parish following suit … due in large part to poor leadership” at the parish level. In both Weymouth and Sudbury, Coyne said, local priests have encouraged members to resist the closure process.


For the roughly 2 million Catholics who comprise the Boston diocese, parish closures have dealt yet another blow to a church still reeling from the clergy abuse scandal of 2002. Dwindling revenues, shifting demographics and an acute clergy shortage have made closures a necessity, according to the restructuring proposal.

In specific cases, parishioners have cried foul at a vitality measuring formula that seems to favor the largest and busiest parishes. St. Anselm members, for instance, cite new renovations, a debt-free status and a part-time pastor as overlooked indicators of long-term viability for their relatively small community.

As they demand a hearing _ and a reconsideration of closure plans _ defiant parishioners are bidding goodbye to some fellow members who, as Hanson says, “don’t have it in them to keep fighting.” As some leave to seek a new church home, others from outside the parish are arriving with gestures of solidarity.

“These activities show an emergence of a real sense of responsibility that lay Catholics have,” said Suzanne Morse, spokesperson for Voice of the Faithful, an international lay reform group organized after the abuse scandal. “This is a direction that we’ll need to take in the future.”

Throughout the day at St. Anselm, supporters dropped by to offer encouragement. Lorraine Dray came from Sacred Heart Church in Lexington, which is also scheduled for closure, to kneel, pray and “show we still have faith in God, even though the archbishop has given up on us.” Stan Kaplan of Sudbury stopped by after attending Rosh Hashanah services up the road.

“It’s not fair that they should suffer for someone else’s sins,” Kaplan said. “I think what we’re seeing here is the community being replanted.”


(OPTIONAL TRIM BEGINS)

Even as acts of protest have gained momentum in recent weeks, however, their cause has stumbled in court. A judge this month denied an injunction request from members of St. Albert, who claimed ownership of the property and sought to block plans for closure. Though their suit is going forward, the judge’s ruling nonetheless marked an important victory for the archdiocese.

At this point, both sides are bracing for what could be a long road ahead. One parishioner installed Internet service for those able to work remotely from the church building.

Laity will lead daily prayer and serve Holy Communion every Sunday, using sacred elements now hidden in the church until certain unnamed “sympathetic priests” consecrate more, Hanson said. The vigil will continue, he said, with the ultimate goal of reopening the church as an official Catholic parish. But on that point, the archdiocese has been resolute.

“The archbishop is not going to reverse his decision because of an occupation of a building and lawsuit,” Coyne said.

Meanwhile at St. Anselm, the fight continues with lit candles, soft music and tempered words of hope.

“It feels so right to stand up for the church,” said seventh-grader Monica Wiles of Framingham. “But we all kind of know inside that it might not work, so it’s kind of emotional.”


MO/JL END

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