Parish, administrative changes announced

A new parish with a new name is being formed and priest personnel changes are taking effect July 6. Bishop McManus announces the changes in an Official in the June 21  edition of The Catholic Free Press.
St. Francis of Assisi will be the name of the new parish in Barre. The choice of name was made to honor the Holy Father at the beginning of his pontificate, Bishop McManus said Tuesday. The new parish is being formed from the merging of St. Joseph Parish in Barre and St. Thomas-a-Becket Parish in South Barre.
Bishop McManus also announced changes in diocesan administration with the appointment of a moderator of the curia, a new vicar general and a new chancellor to begin duties on July 6.
Two pastors are retiring, three men to be ordained priests June 29 are becoming associate pastors and some others are becoming pastors or switching parishes or ministries.
Father Richard F. Reidy has been appointed vicar general and moderator of the curia. Bishop McManus said the two roles overlap somewhat. The moderator position has been vacant since Bishop Rueger retired as auxiliary bishop in June 2005.  Bishop McManus said he asked Bishop Rueger to remain as vicar general when he retired. Recently Bishop Rueger has had health problems.
The vicar general’s role is to be the bishop’s “alter ego,” the person who oversees the diocese on the bishop’s behalf and the one responsible when the bishop is away, Bishop McManus said.
The moderator of the curia coordinates the work in the Chancery and other diocesan ministries on a day-to-day basis, Bishop McManus said.
Some of that was being done by two administrators. As chancellor, Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan coordinated many things, with his involvement on diocesan committees, and Raymond L. Delisle, vice chancellor of operations, fulfilled that role in some ways, such as by gathering office directors for meetings, the bishop said.
Mr. Delisle is succeeding Msgr. Sullivan as chancellor. Bishop McManus said Mr. Delisle will work in conjunction with his office and with Father Reidy, but he has yet to work out with Mr. Delisle what his specific responsibilities will be.
Msgr. Sullivan will no longer hold a diocesan administrative position, Bishop McManus said, but, given his expertise, he will ask him to serve on certain committees. He will remain pastor of Christ the King Parish in Worcester, where Father Reidy will live.
Succeeding Father Reidy as pastor of St. Ann Parish in North Oxford is Father Michael N. Lavallee, pastor of St. Thomas-a-Becket, one of the Barre parishes merging to become St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Father James B. Callahan, presently pastor of St. Anna Parish in Leominster, will be pastor of Barre’s new parish.
Father Thomas H. Hultquist, pastor of the other merging Barre parish, St. Joseph’s, is being assigned to special ministry. Father Donald C. Ouellette, associate pastor of St. Brigid and Our Lady of the Assumption parishes in Millbury is also being assigned to special ministry and is to live at St. Paul Cathedral.
Bishop McManus explained that special ministry means these priests are making themselves available for sacramental ministry throughout the diocese, because often priests are needed to fill in.
The Barre merger will take effect at 12:01 a.m. July 6, according to the decrees published on Page 7 of today’s edition.
St. Thomas-a-Becket Church on Vernon Avenue will be the primary place for the celebration of Mass and other liturgical services, and St. Joseph Church at 29 South St. will be a chapel, the decrees say. The church buildings will retain their present names.
The new parish’s boundaries will be co-terminus with the boundaries of the town of Barre, including the area known as South Barre.
The new parish will assume the assets and liabilities of the two parishes and is to accommodate the spiritual traditions of both to the extent possible. The sacramental records of both are to be placed under the new parish’s guardianship.
First-time pastors appointed by Bishop McManus include Father Frederick D. Fraini III, who will head St. Anna Parish in Leominster and its associated school.
Father Nicholas Desimone, associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton, is becoming pastor of St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge. He will remain interim director of the diocesan Office for Youth Ministry until a successor is announced in a few weeks, Bishop McManus said.
Also becoming a pastor for the first time is Father Manuel A. Clavijo. He will take the helm at St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Boylston, whose pastor, Father Paul J. Tougas, is retiring. Father Clavijo is currently full-time chaplain of Anna Maria College in Paxton and will remain there part time. A successor is to be assigned to the Hispanic Ministry at St. Peter Parish and Saint Andrew Mission in Worcester, where Father Clavijo also currently serves, Bishop McManus said.
Someone will also be named to the ministry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where Father Tomasz J. Borkowski is Catholic chaplain, the bishop said. Father Borkowski is becoming pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Whitinsville, succeeding Father C. Michael Broderick. Father Broderick is becoming pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Rutland, whose pastor, Father James P. Kerrigan, died Feb. 15 in the rectory, having been sick for some time.
Father Richard G. Roger, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Worcester, is retiring and Father Steven M. LaBaire, pastor of St. Mary in Uxbridge, will succeed him.
The new chancellor, Mr. Delisle, has been the director of communications for the Diocese of Worcester since 1995. He was appointed vice chancellor of operations in October 2007.
He was president of WTM Communications, an advertising, marketing and public relations agency, and held positions at Xerox/Kurzweil, Exxon Office Systems, and Spaulding Company.
Mr. Delisle holds a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Anna Maria College, a master’s in nonprofit leadership from New England College, a certificate in Catholic leadership development from University of Notre Dame, as well as a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and politics from Assumption College and a licence in Eastern European studies and economics from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Prior to coming to the Diocese he was involved in  parish ministry and has also been an active pastoral musician.

OFFICIAL

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bishop Robert J. McManus, announced the following,

effective July 6, 2013:

REV. TOMASZ J. BORKOWSKI, from campus ministry,
Worcester Polytechnic Institute and studies at
Boston College, to pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Whitinsville;

REV. C. MICHAEL BRODERICK, from pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Whitinsville,
to pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Rutland;

REV. JAMES B. CALLAHAN, from pastor, St. Anna
Parish, Leominster, to pastor, of the newly configured
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, South Barre;

REV. MANUEL A. CLAVIJO,  from Hispanic Ministry
St. Peter Parish and St. Andrew Mission, Worcester,
and full time chaplain, Anna Maria College, Paxton,
to pastor, St. Mary of the Hills Parish, Boylston,
and part-time chaplain, Anna Maria College;

REV. NICHOLAS DESIMONE, from associate pastor,
St. Joseph Parish, Charlton, to pastor, St. MaryParish, Uxbridge;

REV. FREDERICK D. FRAINI III, from associate
pastor, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and Sacred
Heart of Jesus Parishes, Gardner, to pastor, St.
Anna Parish, Leominster;

REV. JOHN HAMM, newly ordained, to associate
pastor, St. Bernadette Parish, Northborough;

REV. THOMAS H. HULTQUIST, from pastor, St.
Joseph Parish, Barre, to Special Ministry;

REV. STEVEN M. LABAIRE, from pastor, St. Mary
Parish, Uxbridge, to pastor, Holy Family Parish,  Worcester;

REV. MICHAEL N. LAVALLEE, from pastor, St. Thomas-a-Becket Parish, South Barre,
to pastor, St. Ann Parish, North Oxford;

REV. DONALD C. OUELLETTE, from associate
pastor, St Brigid and Our Lady of the Assumption  parishes, Millbury,
to Special Ministry, with
residence at St. Paul Cathedral, Worcester;

REV. MARK RAINVILLE, newly ordained, to associate pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Charlton;

REV. RICHARD F. REIDY, from pastor, St. Ann
Parish, North Oxford, to vicar general and moderator
of the curia, with residence at Christ the King Parish,
Worcester;

REV. RICHARD G. ROGER, from pastor, Holy
Family Parish, Worcester, to retirement;

REV. PAUL J. TOUGAS, from pastor, St. Mary of the Hills Parish, Boylston,
to retirement;

MR. RAYMOND L. DELISLE, from vice-chancellor of operations, to chancellor;

effective August 1, 2013:

REV. DARIO ACEVEDO, newly ordained, to associate
pastor, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Milford;

REV. GUILLERMO J. OCHOA, from associate
pastor, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Milford, to
associate pastor, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parishes, Gardner;