Most Reverend Sean P. O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Boston

Dear Archbishop O’Malley,

We are writing to you in support of the appeal of Sacred Heart Parish of Lexington to reconsider and rescind the decision to close this parish as part of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Parish Reconfiguration. We are fully in accord with the statements and arguments contained within this appeal, and urge you, as our Archbishop, to carefully consider again the decision to close our parish.

For nearly 25 years, we have been active parishioners at Sacred Heart. We can attest to the fact that Sacred Heart has taken to its heart and very successfully continually implemented the words of St Francis of Assisi (who is both your and Frank’s patron saint!), “Preach the Gospel Daily. If necessary, use words.” Whether it be on a local level, providing support to Habitat for Humanities in Lexington, on a regional level, with involvement in our sister parish St John –St. Hughes or performing the opening skit at the youth ministry day you recently attended, or on an international level by our support via money, supplies and people to the Church’s efforts in Haiti and Honduras, Sacred Heart has given to the Church in a way that is disproportionately greater than its physical size or numbers. These gifts, freely and humbly given as our response to Christ’s call, are not items that show up on a sacramental index!

Sacred Heart is a vibrant and thriving Roman Catholic community. Many of our parishioners have an intentional commitment to the parish – coming from outside our geographical parish boundaries to regularly attend religious services and events, being involved in various ministries, and maintaining a caring, faith-filled community. It is a growing community, with an excellent religious education program serving over 400 young people, a newly established, but growing youth teen ministry, with a high level of involvement by parishioners of all ages.

Despite our love and deep spiritual and emotional attachment to Sacred Heart in Lexington, it is the process utilized to determine the Parish Reconfiguration that has been most upsetting and of concern to us. You are right on the mark with the statement during your remarks on May 25, 2004, “that all that has happened has shaken the trust that many had in the Archdiocese as an institution.” The actions of our Church leaders, over the last few years and as recently as this past week, have too frequently demonstrated to many that those in “control” are more interested in protecting and preserving the institutional aspects of the Church than in fulfilling the Christ instituted role of shepherds to God’s people.

As is noted in the Sacred Heart appeal, the reconfiguration process considered limited data that does not present a true or accurate picture of what is going on, not only at Sacred Heart, Lexington, but also at many other parishes slated to “be suppressed.” For example, the Sacramental Index was one measure utilized during the reconfiguration process. This index, which is based upon the total number of baptisms, marriages and funerals held at a parish during a given year, consisted of 84 events at Sacred Heart, Lexington as compared to 108 events at St Brigid, Lexington (of which more than half were funerals), despite the fact that St. Brigid has a parish population three times the size of Sacred Heart!

The Reconfiguration Report notes that “closures were not to be made solely on the basis of economics alone.” This statement implies that economics was a factor in some cases. In the case of Sacred Heart, and a number of other financially viable parishes to be closed, was the economic value of the property a consideration? The Report also notes that a factor considered was whether or not the “remaining parish had the resources, physical and financial, to sustain the addition of more activity.” How were the available absorption resources of the remaining parish determined? Did the determination presume that the resources of the suppressed parish would be available to fund the need for increased resources? Was consideration given to the observed fact that a large percentage of the population from a suppressed parish does not necessarily go to the remaining parish? Are these the criteria that Christ might use in determining parish viability?

Reflect upon the following. All figures are taken from the Demographics information (as of 2001 or 2002) on the Archdiocese of Boston’s internet web page. As of 2002, the Catholic population of the Archdiocese was 2,083,899 persons. Adding up the Mass Attendance numbers from the 2001 Demographics, 311, 942 persons attended mass (not including 32 parishes for which mass attendance data was not available). These figures indicate that only 15% of the Catholic population in the Archdiocese attends mass! This percentage is made more painful when one considers that recent national poles indicate that 90% of our people believe in God. Here in Boston, the breach of faith and loss of trust that resulted from the actions of our Church leadership is a major factor in the decisions of people who “believe in God, but not in our institutions!”

If we are truly looking, again using your words of May 25, “to strengthen relationships and build a strong Church,” is it spiritually responsible to ‘penalize’ the faithful few, and severely restrict the potential for the future growth by closing many viable parishes while ignoring the vast majority of non active Catholics within our Archdiocese? Would not an Archdiocesan wide Mission of Outreach to non-active Catholics, based upon true Christ-like principals, be a more worthwhile means of bringing unity and growth to our church?

The mass attendance in those parishes involved in the reconfiguration is just over 32,000 person, or about 10% of the total Catholics who attend mass in the Archdiocese. It has been reported that, based upon past parish closing, approximately 20% of the parishioners of the “suppressed” parish leave the Catholic faith. Based upon this, it can be expected that some 6,400 currently active persons in the reconfigured parishes will decide to no longer be Catholics. As the non-regular church going Catholics (often called CEO’s – attending services for Christmas and Easter Only), outnumber the mass attendees by 6 to 1, the loss of Catholics could be even more significant. How can the leadership of the church, Christ’s successors, who are sworn to protect and serve His people, write off so many of the faithful? How does the loss of so many active Catholics “strengthen relationships and build a strong church”?

As you correctly noted in your May 25 remarks, the people of the Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Boston are strong and faithful. They are also knowledgeable and Spirit-moved members of the Church, with the God-given abilities and rights to be of great assistance in bringing the Church through these difficult times, putting things back on course and rebuilding the trust in our institutions squandered by our leaders. The leadership of the Church needs to work with, not against the laity, particularly in regards to the Reconfiguration program.

It is our sincere hope that you reconsider and reverse the decision to close Sacred Heart parish in Lexington. It is our even more sincere hope that you and the other leaders of our Church reconsider how you deal with and for the laity, for, in your words, “The Lord is counting on us. We cannot let Him down. We are His people.”