Dear Archbishop Sean,
I was heartened when you moved from the huge mansion in
modest home in the South End. "At last," I thought, "the
hierarchy is
following in the footsteps of Jesus." I admired your resolution of
the
horrific child molestation cases, at least the
monetary gesture. My
husband and I felt that we could once again contribute to the archdiocesan
appeals in good conscience, and did, contributing dollars and stock.
As you have pointed out, it is sometimes difficult to remain faithful to
the message of Christ in today's world. And now we have one more reason
to
question the faithfulness of church leadership in
You and your committees have chosen to "suppress" our church
community here
at Sacred Heart in
JUDGE THE VITALITY OF A PARISH. I CANNOT ACCEPT THAT THIS REFLECTS THE
ESSENCE OF JESUS' MESSAGE OF LOVE AND SERVICE. If you had walked among us
in our parish, I don't think you would have agreed with our closure.
Sacred Heart is more than a valuable Church building on the auction block.
It is literally the home for many of us who are trying to live their lives
as followers of Christ.
SACRED HEART IS A VITAL COMMUNITY WHOSE MEMBERS, INCLUDING THE PASTOR AND
STAFF, NOT ONLY SUSTAIN EACH OTHER THROUGH EUCHARIST AND LITURGY, BUT OFFER
OUTREACH-LOCALLY NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY-TO HELP TO THOSE LIVING IN
POVERTY.. They actively seek ways to root out
the underlying causes of poverty and violence. Sacred Heart is not the
only community at risk because of your decision--Habitat for Humanity, Rosie's
Place, Bread for the World, CREA, The Haiti
Fund, Honduras Mission, Somerville Family Center, Helping Hands of the
Lakota, Framingham Prison Ministry, Project Soup, Food Pantries (in
Lexington, Roxbury and Dorchester,), Amnesty
International, AIDS Ministry, St. John/St. Hugh's parish in Dorchester AND
archdiocesan charities may also suffer. All of these ministries took years
to develop and require the organization of dedicated advocates and the support
of a large number of parishioners. What will happen to these needy
communities when our community dissolves?
The dissolution of vital parish communities such as Sacred Heart is as much an
attack on the Church as any of the outside influences that you speak
against. Some parishioners will simply leave with a broken and bitter
spirit. Some will doubt the authenticity of the hierarchy as Christ's
leaders and form their own Christian communities. Both groups
represent a loss to the archdiocese and its missions.
Fifteen years ago, after much prayer and searching, we sought out a parish that
was SMALL enough so that "the saints" could know each other and could
work together as a real community. We looked for a welcoming church with
liturgy that fed us and provided opportunities to serve others. We looked
for a pastor who was open to collaboration and encouraged laypeople to use
their gifts. We found this in Sacred Heart. If this community is
not allowed to remain open, even as a worship space, it will be a great loss to
the Church and the Archdiocese. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO RECONSIDER.
With prayers for your discernment,