Blackstone Valley parishes plan for future

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

Blackstone Valley parishes are working together to prepare for a vibrant future with fewer priests. Decisions are still to be made about how to do that.
Leading the effort is Father Nicholas Desimone, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge.
He is also to become administrator of three of the parishes: Good Shepherd in the Linwood section of Uxbridge, St. Augustine’s in Millville and St. Paul’s in Blackstone. Father Victor Sierra, administrator of the first two parishes, is moving on, Father Desimone said. Father Dennis J. O’Brien, a retired priest who is also diocesan minister to priests, has been serving at St. Paul’s since its pastor, Father D. Timothy O’Mara, died recently. Two more priests are to be assigned to assist Father Desimone.
Father Thien X. Nguyen, who is to remain pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Blackstone, said he and Father Desimone will work together on the process. 
Bishop McManus made these announcements in a letter shared publicly with the five parishes last weekend, Father Desimone said.
“Beginning July 1, 2021, we will embark on a mission of parish renewal in the Blackstone Valley Region,” Bishop McManus wrote in the letter, dated May 9.
“We will engage each of the five parish communities in prayer, conversation, and discernment as we envision a vibrant future for the Church in the Blackstone Valley,” the bishop said.
He said that because there are fewer active priests now and many more are expected to retire soon, he anticipates ultimately having only two priests to serve these parishes.
“This means that we must also consider alternative models for parish configuration, including clustering (each parish remains a separate entity but shares a pastor) and merger (several parishes unite as one new parish entity with one or even multiple campuses),” he wrote.
Father Desimone said no decisions have been made yet about merging parishes or closing church buildings. The configuration process, which will involve members of the parishes, is expected to last one to two years, he said.
“The process of renewal – that is an ongoing process,” he said.
“Why do we need parish renewal?” Bishop McManus asked in his letter. “Our parishes face a number of challenges – the parishioner base of some parishes is small; the number of school-aged children in the area has decreased; we have fewer priests; some of our parishes are not able to carry on the mission of the Church; and many parishes have had to defer maintenance for many years, resulting in unaffordable capital needs. Because of this, we are led to ask the question: Does our current structure of parish life serve the Church’s mission, or is it holding us back?”
The bishop expressed hope that God’s people will participate in this mission, with their unique gifts and with their “apostolic identity” bolstered. 
“I recognize that the idea of change can be challenging, but I hope that all parishioners will also experience the enthusiasm that comes from imagining the possibility of belonging to a parish renewed by vibrant worship, rich community life, ever-deepening formation in the faith, service to the poor and a tireless commitment to the work of evangelization, the Church’s essential mission,” he wrote.
He quoted from Pope Francis’ “The Joy of the Gospel”: “I dream of … a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything so that the church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”
The process the Blackstone Valley parishes are using is a transparent one that examines present challenges “but also leads us to imagine with enthusiasm and hopefulness what parish life can be,” Father Desimone said.
On May 1 the priests spoke with members of their parish staff and of the finance and parish councils, he said.
On May 5 these leaders, about 75 in all, met with him and Bishop McManus, so he could share a vision for renewal and the bishop could explain why he thinks the process is needed, Father Desimone said. All participants were allowed to share their feelings and ask questions, he said.
“The overall tone of the meeting was very positive,” he said. “Of course change is difficult … But there was a sense of reliance on the Holy Spirit and the hope was that, as a result of this opportunity to share, we begin to move towards enthusiasm.” He said he was edified by the thought that participants put into their comments and questions, and the respect participants showed.
At last weekend’s Masses the priests “spoke from the pulpit to the people in the pews,” Father Desimone said.
The next step is prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit, he said; “each parish will be invited to pray a novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for Pentecost.”
Then he will offer to hold listening sessions at each parish, so any interested parishioners can comment and ask questions, he said.
The priests are also to choose three or four representatives from their parishes to serve on a renewal/revitalization committee, he said. (The process is about more than configuration of parishes; it’s more about the renewal of parish life, he said.)
These steps are in preparation for beginning the process July 1, as priests begin their new assignments, he said.