Archdiocese Proposal Doesn't Threaten Sharon's Catholic Church

Sharon's has "a strong history, about a 106-year history" in town, notes the pastor, Fr. Scott Euvrard.

The Archdiocese of Boston has presented plans to have the Cottage Street parish and Walpole's Blessed Sacrament Church and St. Mary Parish eventually share "pastoral service teams" consisting of a pastor and central staff, he said Monday. This pastor would "most likely have at least an assistant pastor, associate pastor," he said.

Those plans don't threaten Our Lady of Sorrows, which counts about 1,000 familiies as members and is Sharon's lone Catholic church, Euvrard said.

"It might look a little different to people, but I think the reality of a strong Catholic life here in Sharon is really clear," he said.

The plan involving Our Lady of Sorrows and its two Walpole neighbors is among a number of "pastoral collaboratives" proposed throughout the Archdiocese. Lists of these groups by region are found at www.planning2012.com.

"I think underlying it is trying to better utilize all the resources that are available to us in order to organize the parishes better," Euvrard said.

Euvrard noted that the process is in a four- to six-month consultation period he expects to end about June 1.

"Then they're going to take their own time to review the consultation, all of the input that they're receiving from parishioners, from priests and staff, and to incorporate that into their final recommendation to the Cardinal," Euvrard said.

"I wouldn't think you'd see anything happen before January of 2013. And then, even then, they're speaking about several years of phasing this model into existence."

At 1,000 families, Our Lady of Sorrows is relatively small among Catholic parishes, Euvrard said. By comparison, Blessed Sacrament has about 2,500 families, he said.

These two parishes have collaborated on a small scale in recent years, he noted.

This weekend, March 3 to March 5, they'll hold a joint Lenten mission for the third year.

They'll share the cost of a "pretty well-known liturgical musician" who will be at the Walpole parish Sunday and the Sharon one Monday night, Euvrard said.

"On our own, we probably wouldn't have afforded bringing him to the area. But together, we can share the expenses and we can share the benefits of having him here.

"This proposal brings that (collaboration) to a whole other level."

The three parishes won't close under the Archdiocese proposal, he said.

"Every parish remains standing. They're just served in a different way," Euvrard said.

"It's not a merger. It's not a closing."

Euvrard said he has spoken with Our Lady of Sorrows' Pastoral Council and Finance Council about the Archdiocese's plan.

"Because of the work we've done already, there's at least an openness to it. There's a receptivity to it," Euvrard said.

"Now, is everybody happy about every detail of the proposal? No. At this point, my goal is to create a general receptivity, and the details will come."

Members of the two councils will learn more at a March 15 meeting in Medfield, then hold parish meetings to share that information, Euvrard said.

"My goal for the next two to three months is to inform as many parishioners as possible about the proposal, make sure they understand it, and provide them  the opportunity to give feedback," he added.