Thursday, 4:30 PM
Archdiocese looks to revive membership thinned by scandal, parish closures
By April Yee, Globe Correspondent
After years of scandal and parish closures, the Archdiocese of Boston has tapped a consultant to help revive its membership with tactics that include a regionwide survey, training for pastors and staff, and groups of eight to 12 people following a set six-week curriculum.
The program, which starts this fall, is meant to be the focus of the 200th anniversary of the archdiocese, which includes 295 parishes. Twenty years ago the archdiocese oversaw more than 400 parishes, according to its spokesman, Terrence C. Donilon.
"We want people to come back to the church," Donilon said today. "But it's not numbers for numbers' sake."
RENEW International, the organization selected by the archdiocese, was founded in 1976 by two priests in the Archdiocese of Newark and has since ministered to 13,000 parishes in the United States and to populations in Rwanda, Pakistan, and India, according to its website. It is based in Plainfield, N.J. Donilon said individual parishes would likely shoulder part of any cost for the program.
A survey on RENEW International’s website invites parishioners to evaluate the Church and its leadership.
"Please be forthright and honest," the survey asks, before cautioning parishioners not to identify themselves or their parish. It asks participants to rate their priorities, from encouraging "social justice and other works of charity" to regaining "trust in Church leaders" and implementing "a plan that will make your parish financially transparent and secure."
