January 10, 2004

Dear Monsignor / Father:

This letter is a follow-up to Archbishop Seán’s letter to all the Faithful giving more specifics about the process that he has decided will be used by all the parishes of the Archdiocese for the reconfiguration initiative. This letter offers an outline of the process that I hope will be clear and helpful as we move forward with this Archdiocesan effort.

It is imperative that all parishes be involved in the conversations that are asked for so that the best possible information and responses may be forthcoming, for only then will the Archbishop be prepared to offer mandates in the spring which will, when fulfilled, bring forth a configuration of our parishes which will respond to the needs of all the faithful and will be better able to carry out the Mission of the Church.

I have asked each of the Vicars Forane to have a meeting as soon as possible with the priests of the Vicariate to discuss this process and to offer an opportunity for all as brother priests to support and encourage one another as the Archbishop calls pastors and all priests to a leadership role in this process. This will be a challenging and demanding task for all of us, as it will be for all the Faithful of the Archdiocese. However, united with one another and united around our Archbishop there will be strength and wisdom in our endeavors for the goal of Rebuilding My Church is worth all of our efforts and will be blessed by God as it is the future of His Church we are concerned about in this Archdiocesan initiative.

The process from now until March 8, 2004 calls for conversations on the cluster level leading to responses to the following two questions:

1. If the Archbishop needs to close a parish in your cluster for the greater good of the Archdiocese, how would you recommend that your cluster of parishes be reconfigured and why?

2. If the Archbishop needs to close more than one parish in your cluster, how many parishes would you recommend for closure and how would you recommend that your cluster be reconfigured and why?

It is essential that all clusters answer these questions carefully with the wider interest of the Archdiocese in mind, even though the final outcome may be that no parishes close in your cluster.

It is important that the meetings of the cluster parishes involve a number of people. These people will, as the conversations proceed, become the leadership group of the cluster. The composition of membership for the meetings includes pastors, one or two staff persons from each parish, and a member of each parish’s Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council. The cluster meetings should begin as soon as possible after the meeting with the Vicar Forane mentioned above, unless that meeting cannot be scheduled at this time then the cluster meetings should begin before the Vicariate meeting happens.

In order to guide you, there are three points I wish to offer regarding these cluster meetings. First, the meetings should begin with prayer for it reminds us that we are the people of God in His Church. Second, there needs to be an expressed awareness that what is being called for at this time is an Archdiocesan response to the challenge to Rebuild My Church and not solely a look at the cluster parishes in isolation from the Archdiocese. And third, there must be a forthright exchange of information and data about each parish, e.g., financial viability, Mass attendance, Sacramental activity, state of physical properties, etc. To assist with this third point I have enclosed a one-sheet inventory which you may find helpful. Without such openness, the deliberations of the cluster group will be compromised as the members strive to respond to the above two questions. Without prayer, an appreciation of an archdiocesan perspective, and sharing of information, I would dare say the responses from the clusters to the two questions may not be the best responses for the Church going forward.

It will be most important that over these next several weeks leading up to March 8, 2004 that there be communication and opportunity for discussion at the parish level about what is happening. The cluster group that will be meeting and discussing these matters should not carry on their deliberations in a vacuum. Regular notices in parish bulletins should keep parishioners informed. Also, the conversations of the cluster group should be shared with staff and with the Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils. Lastly, pastors may wish to offer parish meetings for the parishioners in order to explain reconfiguration and why it is happening, along with the questions to which the clusters are asked to respond. Every effort should be made to help people understand what is happening so that our faithful Catholics are informed and may have opportunity to offer their thoughts on all of this.

Some have said that this process may be too quick; however, others have suggested that the Archbishop should just name the parishes to close and let’s get on with it. What the Archbishop desires is to address the issue in a way that offers opportunity for input from parishes and clusters and at the same time to realize an outcome in a timely fashion so that we, as the Church of Boston, may begin to move forward revitalized and energized. I offer these remarks to help us understand this process and to assist us in explaining to our parishioners the desired goal as a result of reconfiguration.

The responses to the questions mentioned earlier in the letter must be received by the Vicars Forane by March 8, 2004. For your information the Vicars Forane will review the responses and pass them on to the Regional Bishop along with his thoughts about the responses. Considering the responses and the Vicars Foranes’ assessments, the Regional Bishops will forward them, along with his recommendation to me, for the Archbishop’s consideration. The Archbishop will review these three items: the cluster’s responses, the Vicars Foranes’ assessments, and the Regional Bishops’ recommendations, along with the Central Committee’s advice. He will, in April, issue mandates to parishes in a town or city or in a cluster for specific reconfiguration action. The mandates may differ from the original cluster’s recommendation, either in light of the recommendations of the Vicar Forane, the Regional Bishop, the advice of the Central Committee or the Archbishop’s decision taking into account the overall needs of the Archdiocese.

It is my earnest prayer and hope that the contents of this letter are helpful to all of us as we embark upon this challenging work. Let us go forward with confidence and a vision that being about such an important work we do so with the support of one another and with God’s Grace.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon
Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia