2 parishes say they'll fight to stay open
Archdiocese recommends closing 15 in region
Catholic parishes in Dedham and Weymouth plan to fight the decision by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston that they close.
St. Susanna in Dedham and St. Albert the Great in Weymouth are among 15 parishes south of Boston to be closed under a consolidation plan announced by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley on Tuesday.
The closings will reduce the number of parishes in the 41 communities in the south region of the archdiocese from 80 to 65. Overall, the archdiocese is slated to shrink from 357 parishes to 292.
Parishioners at St. Albert, one of five Catholic parishes in Weymouth, say they plan to file an appeal with the archdiocese and are considering a court injunction to halt the closing.
Mary Akoury, a member of the Parish Council, said a letter will be distributed to all parishioners during today's Masses outlining details of the appeal process, which she said allows 30 days for a response from the archdiocese.
"We've already set things in motion to gather as much information as possible to support the appeal," Akoury said. "We're going to explore every avenue."
At St. Susanna in Dedham, the Rev. Stephen Josoma and members of the Parish Council sent a letter of appeal to the archdiocese the day the closings were announced.
Like their counterparts at St. Albert, they say they believe their priest and parish were targeted: Josoma for signing a letter calling for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard F. Law following the sex abuse scandal, and parishioners for participating in an outspoken chapter of the lay group Voice of the Faithful.
"I have no doubt that this is a strike against him and us," said parishioner and Voice of the Faithful leader Elizabeth Murray. "Here we have a man who speaks the truth. They want to rein him in."
Last week, Murray and her husband, Jim, wrote a letter to O'Malley, urging him to "give the true story behind these closings."
"Bishop Sean, when you chose to make the Cathedral your home . . . it was a hopeful sign that you would be in touch with the faithful of this archdiocese," the letter reads. "Sadly, this doesn't seem to be so. As our bishop, it is your role to be accountable to all of us who make up this church."
A lifelong parishioner, Murray said she believes that many Catholics are sympathetic to the need to close churches that are beyond repair or have dwindling congregations.
"But there's been a complete about-face, where vibrant, healthy parishes are being shut down," she said. "It makes no sense."
Chris McEachern, a parishioner at St. Susanna for 30 years, said she "won't give another nickel to the Catholic Church" if her parish is closed.
"I will not go to one of those other churches; this is my church," she said. "It would be too heartbreaking."
While other area parishes slated for closure do not plan to appeal the decision, parishioners say they are equally as heartbroken.
Members of St. George in Norwood were already grappling with the pending retirement of their longtime priest when they learned they will lose their parish, too.
Finance Council member Dolores Sheehan said the closing is "a slap in the face" to the Rev. William Wolkovich, who has served the parish for 22 years.
"We've known for years that they've been looking for a reason to close us," she said. "What they did with the [regional] cluster meetings was cruel; they knew what they were going to do, but wanted to make it look like we had a say."
Parishioners at St. James in Stoughton say they were caught off guard by the announcement their parish will close. It was not included on the list of parishes recommended for closure by the regional cluster, but was nevertheless picked to close by the archdiocese.
Our Lady of the Rosary, the Stoughton parish recommended to close by the regional cluster, will stay open.
Three of the eight parishes in Quincy were chosen to close. But two, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Most Blessed Sacrament, are slated to form a new parish at one of the existing buildings.
In Brockton -- where one parish, St. Margaret, was recommended to close and two others, Sacred Heart and St. Colman of Cloyne, will complete a merger already underway -- some parishioners said the city fared better than they had feared. Five parishes, including the new parish resulting from the merger, will remain.
The spirit was more joyful in recent days at parishes spared from closing.
Church bells rang in downtown Plymouth Tuesday morning when parishioners at St. Mary learned their church won't be closing. When the parish was added earlier this month to the list of those under consideration, many thought it would be shuttered.
"It didn't bode well when we were added to the list at the end of the process," said the Rev. Bryan Parrish. "People are just overjoyed our faith community is staying open. Their prayers have been answered."
At St. Rose of Lima in Rochester, parishioners were granted what the Rev. James Lanergan called "a half victory."
The parish will close, but the church building will stay open as a worship site.
Lanergan said the parish that will serve as a welcoming parish for St. Rose of Lima parishioners, most likely the parish in Lakeville or Middleborough, will be responsible for upkeep of the building and for holding at least two Masses a week in Rochester.
"Our sacramental index and attendance aren't high enough to keep open a parish, but we're 15 miles from the next nearest church, and roads down this way aren't so great, especially in the winter," Lanergan said. "As long as people don't have to go someplace else to go to church, it's not so bad."
Joanna Massey can be reached at massey@globe.com. 