Reading's Catholic Churches May Soon Be Part of Common Parish

Reading’s two Catholic Churches may see a slight decrease in autonomy before long, under a plan by the Archdiocese of Boston to cluster its 290 parishes into 125 smaller groupings. The goal is to counter fewer priests, falling Mass attendance and reduced finances.

Under the plan put forth by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Saint Athanasius and Saint Agnes churches—currently separate parishes—would be joined with common administrative and pastoral services.

Here’s a link to the proposed groupings for the North region.

Parishioners need not worry, however, as if there is one point Father Darin Colarusso of Saint Athanasius wants made perfectly clear, it is that this proposal is far from a merger. Both churches will continue to exist independently, regardless of the proposed pastoral cooperatives.

“Both churches will exist, and all church buildings will be maintained,” said Colarusso, a member of the pastoral planning commission, in a telephone interview. “We’re hoping that by combining our efforts on a administrative level, we’ll increase savings and efficiency.”

While the proposal is certainly something for the future, according to Colarusso, much of the thinking behind it is geared towards a return to the past. Currently, he says, the rate of worship, or number of baptized catholics who attend church services, is lower than 20 percent, compared to around 70 percent in the 1970s. That means that less than one fifth of those who are baptized and receive first communion remain active within the church.

According to Colarusso, the goal is a return to the past, in terms of bringing people back into the church and reversing the four decades of decline.

“How do you reach out to people who no longer come to church,” he asked. “At the end of the day, it’s about bringing christ to the people.”

In the past, the response to these developments has included closing churches. In the past 20 years, Colarusso said the Archdiocese has shuttered some 120 churches. Obviously, this practice is not one the church wishes to continue.

“The goal is to close no parishes,” said Colarusso. “The idea is to take naturally fitting parishes and bring them under a common administration with a single pastor ... We’re trying to reach out ... the focuses of the new parishes will be bringing people back.

“Our hope is that this common pastoral model will be so successful that, eventually, parishes will delink.”

For pious residents, very little will change under these plans—which are still in the very early stages, and could be years away from actually being implemented.

As Colarusso points out, Saint Athanasius and Saint Agnes have worked closely together for years, and having a common pastoral service and administration would be a barely perceptible change for churchgoers.

“I don’t think the fact that we are going to collaborate with Saint Agnes will surprise anyone,” said Colarusso. “Our parishes have been collaborating on a common religious education curriculum for years.”

Another issue of the proposal is the potential for layoffs as parishes come under a common administration, and positions become redundant. Colarusso said there are currently no plans for any layoffs. That being said, he also said that each parish will have to make some decisions if this plan was to win approval. 

While Reading’s two churches may not be in any financial trouble, Colarusso said that 40 percent of the Boston Archdiocese’s parishes are in financial distress, and pastoral collaboratives will also help address that issue.

While there is no hard and fast time frame for the Archdiocese’s plan, the church will be holding a series of meetings and forums to discuss the proposal. More information can be found on the Boston Archdiocese website, or by inquiring at your local church.