On church contraction and protesting open space

Letters August 30, 2014

On church contraction and protecting open space To the editor:

T

he sale and development of Annunciation Cemetery property in Danvers, which is owned by St. Mary’s Church, is an issue of great concern to many residents. In addition to the environmental, health, and quality of life factors discussed in letters published online and in our local newspapers, I am concerned about what this sale portends for the future. As several individuals have indicated, church officials have not been forthcoming with information; therefore, we are only left to speculate.

The Archdiocese of Boston has been plagued by the same problems that confront the Catholic Church nationwide: declining church attendance, a shortage of priests, and financial difficulties.

The Archdiocese reports that only about 17 percent of Catholics attend Mass regularly. Since 1988, the number of priests has declined by 37 percent, and over the next decade, the loss is expected to be between one-third and one-half. Financially, the church is hard-pressed to meet its obligations, which include salaries and benefits, insurance, heating, repairs and maintenance, in addition to costs incurred by the sex abuse scandal. The Archdiocese reports that 40 percent of its parishes cannot meet these obligations.

One response to the crisis has been to close churches. Since 1990 in Massachusetts, 125 churches have been closed. At the end of last year, the Archdiocese had 15 church properties on the market, including a church, convent, and school in Methuen and a school building in Reading. In Peabody, St. Thomas’ school is for lease. In Salem, St. James Rectory is now up for sale.

When selecting which churches to close, age and historic value carry little weight. In Maine, for example, a dozen church properties have been sold since 2013. St. Joseph’s Church in Lewis-ton, which dates back to 1864, was bought by a healthcare organization, with plans to install a parking lot.

The Archdiocese of Boston says it is struggling to meet the costs of making all of its premises safe and suitable for “an acceptable standard of usability.” Construction, maintenance, and renovation efforts, it says, must be “necessary” and “address the needs of the Parish,” without having “adverse implications.”

The sale of Annunciation Cemetery land, however, will not be used to finance ordinary and extraordinary costs of operation. Rather, the funds will be used to reconstruct St. Mary’s Church, improve handicapped access and demolish the historically significant Mackey Funeral Home to make way for a parking lot. The cost of the project: $3.75 million.

In addition to the sale and lease of properties, the church is reconfiguring its parishes into collaboratives. The 288 parishes in Massachusetts will be reduced to 125 collaboratives. In Danvers, the parishes of St. Mary’s and St. Richard’s will form one of these collaboratives, with one administrative team led by one pastor.

The Salem Catholic Collaborative has already deemed St. James Rectory to be redundant. The collaborative’s pastor, the Rev. Dan Riley, says the sale is necessary in order to decrease expenses and “so that all of the priests of the collaborative will live in one rectory.” He goes on to say: “This will strengthen the priests’ community and communication. ... I believe we are the last of the 12 collaboratives in phase one to have a plan to get the priests living together in one rectory.”

Will St. Richard’s Rectory also be deemed redundant? Are St. Richard’s Church and its approximately 11 acres also in danger of being divested? The Archdiocese specifies that in making decisions about which church properties to close, criteria include: handicapped access and parking availability and public transportation. Sale of Annunciation Cemetery land may be the beginning of an even greater loss for Danvers.

In 2009, the Danvers Open Space and Recreation Plan recommended that in the event that St. Richard’s Church becomes available for purchase, the town should acquire “part or all of this parcel to expand Endicott Park and increase its contiguity.”

The report also recommended “the acquisition either by easement or purchase of a small portion of the (Annunciation) cemetery,” thereby providing “a continuous link from the trails within Endicott Park to Clark Farm and ultimately to Gates Field and the Highlands School.”

In May, the Open Space and Recreation Advisory Committee called for “an access easement from the end of Sandpiper Circle to the town’s property, which would allow for a pedestrian connection to the town’s Endicott park property.”

We must act now to protect and preserve what is left of our green space. We should accept the Advisory Committee’s recommendation and expand it to include the access recommended in the 2009 Open Space Plan. We must ensure that, as the plan states, “the attractiveness and quality of life of town inhabitants will remain.”