Is your parish on the list of churches that may close? If so, why do you think it should or shouldn't be closed?
Read the story: 60 churches will close in Boston archdiocese
Special report: Parish closings

Page 20

While people are contemplating if the archdiocese has made the right decision to close down 60 MA parishes, they should also think about how much money the archdiocese has spent in recent months on slandering gay couples looking for the legal protections of civil marriage. I had read that the church spent over a million dollars just to send out the famous "Marriage in Massachusetts" newsletter, a document (Co-sposored by O'Maley and the Springfield Bishop accused of abuse) that used church-created organizations and false statistics to promote prejudice and sway the votes of MA legislation. Who knows how much more they have spent on advertisements, transportation of protestors, fictional videos, and more. Perhaps if the MA Clergy was not so focused on imposing their own bias on political issues, many of these local parishes would not be receiving the news that they would be closing. My personal opinion is that if the church should also be taxed if they continue to ignore the US separation of church and state.

Jerry, Quincy

Somehow, that PSA for vanishing historical sites hit more to home. The 'Immac' in Cambridge is going, and I'm sure my parents will be heartbroken. They lived in that parish and got married there, and my siblings got baptized there. Eventually, it will be reduced down to an archival collection of boxes and records. I just hope they don't put a gas station in its place.

Tom, Frederick, MD

It is with regret and for many people, sadness, that so many churches have been closed. These parishes were the site of meaningful events small and large, in many people's lives. The catalysts of these closing are varied. Some are natural and some quite unnatural. But when dealing with something in the public eye that has, at its base, the subject of faith and religion, those who possess intelligence will do well to avoid comments such as those posted by "James, Boston." His summation of the closings articulate the notions of many ignorant individuals. When we are given a public forum on which to post our opinions, some choose to do so in the spirit of productive dialogue while others simply show how crassness reads. Whatever changes these closings will bring, positive forward thinking is not a possibility if meaningful discourse is shrouded by obtuse sensationalism. I hope the former prevails.

Beth, Boston

As a 22-year communicant of St. Susanna's Parish, I have many fond and important memories that will come to a close next month. It's troubling that the church has been ordered to shut down by Bishop O'Malley, but I am resigned to the fact that St. Mary's (Dedham) will offer all the same essential religious guidance that Father Steve Josoma and Father Curley and Father Lavin and Monsignor Durant have provided my family and me through the years. What bothers me more is the fact that when St. Susanna's is sold to the highest bidder, we might see either a mosque or a synagogue in its place. It's no secret that the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged - who have ample financial resources and are developing 160 acres adjacent to the church - are ready, willing and able buyers. Also, Nobles & Greenough, National Development and a boatload of Russian investors are all gleefull of the news that the Caholic Church is now selling off some prime real estate in Dedham and suburban areas. Some one once said, "Money talks and everyone else walks." That seems to be the case here!

Tom, Dedham

Times change, and with them, people's attitudes and views. The Church steadfastly refuses to acknowledge this, making it harder and harder for people to feel accepted, and they are now feeling the pinch.

Ben, boston

I feel as though my own parish here in Michigan is closing. My daughter & son-in-law and their family attend St. Bernard Church in Newton. When I visit that's my church as well. Fr. Paul has made my husband & I very welcome. I somewhat understand the why of the closing. I don't understand how they came to the conclusion that St. Bernard needed to close. Yes, there are other churches in the area, but there is a feeling at St. Bernard that will be hard to replace. My son-in-law's whole family went to St. Bernard and his parents were buried from there. His mother was very active in the parish and Patty & Brian were beginning to get into parish activities. Another year or so, my grandson would begin catechism classes. Hopefully, some changes would come about and St Bernard would be able to stay open. Thanks.

Frances, Livonia, Mich

Its a sign of the times as our country becomes more educated. And when a church begins to alienate those who would be different then them, such as homosexuals, and tell them they are a problem of society then they should expect their numbers to drop and the numbers of other faiths that welcome all and don't put them down to go up. Plus people in this country are getting tired of religion influencing government policy.

Jay, Somerville

i think it is really harsh that they are closing this church. many people's lives are connected to this church. by closing this church they are just makin' people hate the other churches. i think it's not fair and i think it's horrible !!

yesha, lowell

Obviously the archdiocese brought this on themselves for covering up unspeakable sins. People who are upset about the closing of their parish should just realize that they can still build a place of worship that really serves the Lord. The best thing to do is to begin a church that is not connected to the the archdiocese, but one that is governed by people who love God and serve only Him. Someday, they will all be held accountable for the lives they ruined and the mockery they have made of the Catholic church.

Jane, minnesota

I grew up in St Augustine's in South Boston, one of the parishes set for closure, and my parents were married there nearly 54 years ago. I can only say the church - by which I mean the clergy and the people who make up the church hierarchy - brought this on themselves. I can go back to the early 1960's and the introduction of Vatican II to pinpoint the start of the Catholic church's downfall, when the church ceased to be a moral compass for its adherents and became more politicized. In my opinion, it's no surprise that falling attendances coincided with the introduction of a more relaxed and casual attitude in the church in the late 60s and early 70s. As for the very great impact of the clergy sex scandal - why should parishoners be punished (by having their churches taken away from them) for something that church personnel brought about themeselves?

Mary, Birmingham, UK