St. Hedwig and St. Mary Churches Will Be Closing

After nine months of speculation, it has been announced that St. Hedwig Church in the Union City section of Naugatuck will be closed. Nearby Saint Mary Church, which was linked to St. Hedwig, will also be closing. St. Mary parishioner Rocky Vitale posted that there will be "more information and time frames at a meeting in June."

In July of last year, Naugatuck Patch posted that the two Roman Catholic churches may be facing closure.

I had been a member of St. Hedwig parish for at least ten years. My two youngest sons attended St. Hedwig CCD, made their First Holy Communion there and were confirmed with the St. Hedwig class combined with the St. Mary group when the bishop came for Confirmation at St. Francis of Assisi Church. When the closure seemed to be inevitable, I decided to join the choir at St. Vincent Ferrer, a church very close to my home.

While most parishioners knew that the closures were probably going to happen, it is still difficult for many to accept. The news is so recent that there was nothing written in this Sunday's bulletin. Online reaction has been swift and heartfelt.

Former mayor Joan Taf told me on Tuesday that if the decision was made this week, the entire process would be done by July. She expressed to me that she was very upset about St. Hedwig's closure. Soon after the news she posted: "I am heartsick over this entire situation. Instead of bringing people back to the church they are pushing them away. My entire family are parishioners there. I always say a family that prays together stays together but I guess the Archdiocese doesn't care!"

Longtime parishioner Tricia Carlson posted: My beloved church is closing. To say I am heartbroken is truly an understatement. Some of the most important moments of my life have happened in that church. And some of the best people I have ever known were a part of my life because of St. Hedwig's. I don't know where I will end up, and I know you're not supposed to be so attached to a place. But for me, it was always home.

At first I was sad, now I'm just getting progressively more upset and angry about the closing of St. Hedwig's. What happens to all the historical records and pictures? The statues and relics? My mother and I paid to restore St. Joseph years ago. All the money from St. Mary's and St. Hedwig's is getting transferred to St. Francis. Is that fair?

I have been sitting here thinking of how my life is so indelibly entwined in this church. My grandmother came to live in the rectory and play the organ in 1929. She and my grandfather were married there in 1935. My mother and her two brothers made their communion and confirmation there. I went to school there K-8 and have been a loyal parishioner my whole life. Because of my teacher there, I attended Westover. My best friend is in my life because of St. Hedwig's. Ally was baptized there. Chris and I had our marriage blessed there. It goes on and on. And it all just gets thrown away. Memories are great, but to know everything just gets scattered to the wind is extremely unfair and sad.

Ms. Carlson gave me permission to share how she feels, but wanted to make it clear that she does not blame the current administrator at both St. Hedwig and St. Mary Father Sebastian Kos. "I realize it's the archdiocese's doing, not his," she told me.

Mr. Vitale posted that it "looks like parishioners will be 'assigned' to St. Francis of Assisi. Speculation is that assignment will mean records will be available at St. Francis.

Photos 1, 2, 3 contributed by Tricia Carlson Photos 4, 5, 6 by Nancy Sasso Janis