‘Mass of Transition’ to be held Nov. 23 at St. Philip as preparations are made to sell church

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
 
The final, regularly scheduled Mass at St. Philip Church in Grafton is to be held tomorrow, Nov. 23, as preparations are made to sell the church.

The “Mass of Transition” is the 4 p.m. Lord’s Day vigil, with special additions for the occasion, according to Father Anthony J. Mpagi, pastor. This weekly Mass, the only one regularly celebrated at St. Philip’s at 12 West St., is to be moved to St. Mary Church at 17 Waterville St., starting Nov. 30. Funerals can still be held at St. Philip’s until it is sold.  

St. Philip, St. Mary and St. James at 89 Main St. were once separate parishes, the latter two growing out of St. Philip’s, which became a parish in November 1869.

In 2022 they were merged to form Our Lady of Hope Parish, which, up until now, has used all three church buildings and their properties. The other two churches and their properties will remain in use, Father Mpagi said.  

There is one parish staff/office, pastoral council, finance committee, and faith formation program, and outreach ministries work together, according to an answer to frequently asked questions. These were mailed to parishioners Nov. 18, said Patti Hart, who heads the communications management subcommittee for the transition.

The parish, which has no debt, is seeking to sell St. Philip’s for “purely pastoral” reasons, Father Mpagi said. The idea is to have a more vibrant parish that is not weighed down by maintenance. He said two full-time maintenance workers take care of the parish’s buildings and properties.

“Addressing the burden of excess facilities and the high costs of upkeep of underutilized buildings will slowly move the parish from ‘maintenance’ to ‘mission,’” one of the FAQ answers explained. Other answers said reducing expenses, which increase in the winter, had to occur quickly, and that the parish is currently using savings to cover normal operating costs, which is not sustainable over time.

The property at St. Philip’s includes the church, a garage and parking lots, on approximately three acres of land, Ms. Hart said.  

Father Mpagi said decisions have not been made about how proceeds of the sale will be used.

He said he wants parishioners to acknowledge their grief about St. Philip’s closing, but also rejoice in its legacy and find hope in the parish gaining new life.

Surrounding the closing, there are to be three special events at St. Philip’s, he said.  
At the Nov. 23 Mass, parishioners are to have small candles lit from the Paschal Candle; a litany of saints, which includes the patron, St. Philip Benizi, is to be sung, and there is to be a final prayer, a blessing. An invitation is to be extended to attend a gathering next year to remember St. Philip’s legacy and people.  

The last Mass is to be held when the sale is near complete. Father Mpagi said there is no buyer yet, just interested parties.

The future has been part of discussions for some time, as the parishes began working together even before the merger, he said.  

He said this year the pastoral council members and finance committee members looked further at possibilities and ultimately voted unanimously to sell St. Philip’s Church.  

At Lord’s Day Masses Oct. 19 and 20, a letter about the decision was read at Masses, and later mailed to parishioners, sent through Flocknote and posted on the parish website, Ms. Hart said.

“On July 30, 2024, Our Lady of Hope finance committee and pastoral council met together to review a proposal that would address the parish’s current and projected operating losses as well as its excess facilities capacity,” the letter began. “The meeting concluded that reducing capacity and associated expenses would require the closure and sale of a church. Our Lady of Hope’s St. Philip property was selected for sale due to its marketability and the sale’s limited impact on the parish mission.”

The FAQ list said the number of active parishioners in Grafton has declined, resulting in less income to manage properties.

Father Mpagi met with Bishop McManus on August 29 and the bishop gave his approval to begin the process of selling St. Philip’s, the letter said.

To guide the transition, an ad hoc leadership committee was established. Elizabeth A. Marcil, chairwoman of pastoral planning for the diocese, met with the committee on Nov. 4.

Members of the leadership committee’s subcommittees are to communicate plans and progress with parishioners; manage what is done with St. Philip’s records and religious and non-religious items; shut down the property; document associated expenses and income; and propose ways to celebrate St. Philip’s legacy.  

Parishioners are being encouraged to share their suggestions, questions and requests.
Among FAQ list responses to the question: “What are we doing to grow and revitalize our parish?” were the following.

A vision team has been established to articulate a parish vision and is working with Divine Renovation out of St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge.  

Divine Renovation is a Catholic ministry which provides tools and coaching to help priests and laity around the world lead their parish from maintenance to mission, explains the website divinerenovation.org.

From the vision team came Our Lady of Hope’s Year of Prayer (2024-2025), to help people grow their relationship with God.  

Parishioners are also asked to consider what it means to be a vibrant parish, what kind of parish they want, and how they evangelize.