Lexington, MA 02421

6/1/04

Dear Archbishop O’Malley,

Sacred Heart is a vibrant parish with a strong community connection. I have been attending Sacred Heart since 1992 when I lived in Cambridge. It was a bonus for me when I purchased my first home in 1999, that it was so close to Sacred Heart. I have been an active participant in this parish. I have not known a community so committed to stewardship and Christian service. We are truly an anchor of the community.

East Lexington is a better place for the presence of Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart is a home to Catholic families in East Lexington as well as Lexington preschool PTA, Alcoholics Anonymous and the Boy/Cub Scouts. We are a tight group of people from all over. I know parishioners from Lexington, Medford, Belmont, Bedford and Arlington. It is a special place for my family and me. My daughter was particularly upset to learn that the parish was slated to close. I wish that you would consider your position on closing Sacred Heart.  Here I have connected with such a diverse group of people. I fear that in closing Sacred Heart my family will lose touch with the community. Where else can I turn? In no other institution can we form such a tight community. By closing Sacred Heart, you are destroying my community. There is no way to replace it.