I was right. I initially said that between 45 and 60 parishes would close, and it is 60. Here is the complete list. Several parishes are going to merge and several others are going to have their buildings remain open for now with a Mass on Sunday, but have the parish life switch to a neighboring parish.
There were some surprises for Salem. As I expected, St. Joseph’s is closing, but St. Jamesart in the North End, that I mentioned yesterday, is one of those that will have the building stay open, where the religious order priests who serve it will say a Mass on Sunday, but will shift to a nearby parish for everything else. Lots to reflect on in that list, but I will say that it’s less damaging, overall, than expected, although I suspect the people of those affected parishes will disagree.
Oh yes, Fr. Bob Bowers’ church in Charlestown is closing, too. Are you going to follow through on your threat or will it be like Alec Baldwin’s empty threat to move to France if Bush was elected? Like I said, a priest who is so ready to throw away his vocation over such a thing probably shouldn’t be a priest anymore.
