Posted on 06/04/2004 2:23:47 PM PDT by Rutles4Ever
ELLSWORTH — The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has a proposal to address the shortage of priests that could bring about the reduction of Maine’s 135 parishes to 35.
Around the state, the change could mean longer commutes for priests and parishioners to attend Mass.
How the proposal would affect the parishes and satellite worship sites in Hancock County is unknown.
“They’re talking about merging smaller parishes together into larger canonical parishes,” said Diocese Communications Director Sue Bernard.
“We’re looking at how the church can best do its mission over five to 10 years,” Bernard said. “What this is, basically, is a long-range plan.”
A change in the state’s Catholic population, as well as fewer priests, led to the plan.
“We have a declining number of priests on top of a shift in population,” Bernard said. “We’ve lost several thousand people in northern Maine who have migrated to southern Maine.”
The church’s plan is described in a document titled “Toward a New Evangelization: A Rationale.” The document can be read online at www.portlanddiocese.net.
The document states that “a maximum of 30-35 parishes for the entire diocese is proposed for consideration.
“At present, there are not enough priests to provide a resident pastor in every parish, and the number who will be able to do that in the future is in decline,” the document stated.
Voice of the Faithful Maine, a lay organization created two years ago as a result of the priest sexual abuse scandal, has been observing the bishop’s restructuring work. Spokesman Michael Sweatt described the proposal as “a significant and bold move for the diocese.”
“Our fear is that something like this could be the next crisis for Catholics in Maine,” said Sweatt. “It has to be a collaborative effort for this to work.”
The newly configured parishes could have former parish churches designated as worship sites, the proposal states.
For example, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ellsworth has summer worship sites in Winter Harbor (St. Margaret’s Chapel) and Green Lake (Our Lady of the Lake) and in Blue Hill at George Stevens Academy.
All of these sites are considered the same parish.
Under the new plan, St. Joseph and its worship sites could become part of another parish.
“My understanding is the priest would go from worship site to worship site to worship site,” Sweatt said.
Sweatt said Bishop Richard J. Malone had said in a recent interview that priests had already been traveling to multiple worship sites.
“I guess the real question is, how is this model very different,” Sweatt said. “Over time, one pastoral council would be created, which would make a recommendation to the bishop to close worship sites.
“That strategy would get the bishop out of the hot seat of closing worship sites,” Sweatt said.
The Rev. Lou Phillips, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ellsworth, said the bishop has “made it clear he doesn’t intend to close worship centers.”
“I think the bishop is very concerned about keeping the worship centers open but staffing them creatively,” Phillips said.
The diocese plan may be handled differently depending on the region, he said.
“It’s much easier to come up with a workable plan in the urban areas like Augusta,” said Phillips.
During the summer, the number of Masses for the Ellsworth parish doubles to six. Phillips manages this with the help of The Rev. Richard MacDonough, who has been spending summers in the parish for 40 years.
Phillips or MacDonough will travel about 175 miles a weekend to say Mass at the Blue Hill, Green Lake and Winter Harbor worship sites.
Of the priest shortage, Sweatt said, “We should be able to talk about what it means to be a priest.”
Catholic priests are not allowed to marry.
Sweatt said Maine had lost 25 to 30 men who left the priesthood to marry. He predicted 75 percent of them would return to their parishes — with their families — if allowed.
Bishop Malone will name a committee June 10 to “work out a plan,” Bernard said. The committee will make recommendations to the bishop in January.
Maine is not the only state to be affected by parish restructuring.
Sweatt said the Boston Archdiocese will lose 66 of its parishes.
Archbishop Sean O’Malley of the Boston Archdiocese cited the following reasons for the reduction: declining Mass attendance, a shortage of priests and the inability of the archdiocese to support struggling parishes, especially in light of financial struggles brought about by the sex abuse crisis, according to an Associated Press report.
What precisely is a "worship site"?
WHY may I ask is VOTF the main source for this article?!?!?! Why didn't they have Catholic input instead?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.