Archbishop O'Malley announces closing of 70 Boston parishes

Published: 2004-05-25

BOSTON (CNS) -- In what he called "a necessary reorganization for us to be positioned for the challenges of the future," Boston Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley announced the closing of 70 of the 357 parishes in the archdiocese. Another five parishes are scheduled to continue as worship sites and five new parishes are to be created, he said. At a May 25 news conference, Archbishop O'Malley said the archdiocesan reconfiguration was "in no way connected" with the $85 million legal settlement with victims of clergy sexual abuse. He said the settlement was financed by the sale of the former archbishop's residence and surrounding land in Brighton. "No money from the future sale of parish assets will be used to pay for the settlement," he said. "What these funds will do is allow us to financially support as needed the parishes and schools that do remain in the archdiocese as well as to recapitalize our pension and medical funds. This process of reconfiguration is directed not toward the past, but toward the future mission of the church." Among the factors leading to the closings were "changes in population, the movement of people from the cities to the suburbs (and) the decrease in the number of active Catholics," Archbishop O'Malley said.

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