One more story on parish closings: This one shows that the “Catholic revolt” is not as widespread as some would have you believe. In Natick, some people at closing Sacred Heart Parish tried to organize protesters but failed.
In the hopes of luring back parishioners who have left Sacred Heart since the Boston archdiocese targeted it for closure, a 12-member committee, called Parishioners and Friends of Sacred Heart, sponsored a “Homecoming Mass” last Sunday. Their intent was to appeal to people who have begun attending services at neighboring parishes, including St. Patrick’s in Natick and St. Linus in Framingham.
First, “targeted for closure”? Could they think of a more belligerent word to use? They make it sound like the archdiocese is at war with its parishes. A less-slanted phrase might have been “since the Boston archdiocese decided to close it.” At least that phrase would remove the anti-archdiocese bias. In any case, how did the effort turn out?
The Homecoming Mass was half full and the reception sparsely attended. Green later expressed disappointment at the turnout and the lack of interest in the prayer vigil, which gained only one new potential participant, bringing the total to 15 people.
Sounds like the people in Natick have more sense than in other towns. Even so, my guess is that the 15 will hold their sit-in and the newspapers will proclaim that a new parish revolt has started.
