This story proves that the media and people don’t understand the archdiocese’s parish closing plan. The Globe claims that 20 percent of the 80 parish clusters in the archdiocese of Boston won’t recommend one of their parishes for closure “balking at the notion that any parish in their area should close.”
Look, there are 80 clusters. Each cluster is supposed to provide two ranked recommendations for closure. That means that 160 parishes out of the 380-odd would be listed. The archdiocese has made it clear that we’re not closing that many. The highest number I’ve seen is 60 and it’s likely to be fewer than that.
And balking at the process isn’t going to fly. I know of at least one cluster that told the diocese it couldn’t decide. The form was returned to them and they told they had to decide. If they don’t, the decision will be made for them. Wouldn’t it be better to have some input into it? Of course, clusters in growing areas, sparsely populated by churches, won’t have any closures. This isn’t just an arbitrary process. And just because a parish is recommended for closure doesn’t mean that the archdiocese won’t onstead pick a different parish in the cluster.
No, it’s not that their choice is meaningless. It is that the diocese has asked for their input as those closest the situations in each cluster to determine which parishes would close if they had to close one. The diocese then takes it into account when making the final decision.
The amazing thing is how the same people would be howling if the diocese didn’t ask for their input. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.