Sudbury's St. Anselm Catholic Church Ordered To Close

SUDBURY, MA — The Archdiocese of Boston has decided to close Sudbury's St. Anselm Catholic Church, ending an institution that first opened almost 60 years ago.

The church will officially close on Oct. 3 the Rev. Gerald Souza announced in a recent letter to parishioners, partly due to "financial considerations."

"The decision to conclude the mission of the Rectorate was reached after careful review of several factors that included the viability of keeping the worship site open and the potential impact on the Collaborative as well as financial considerations," the Archdiocese of Boston said in a letter about the closure.

The closure concludes a rocky few decades for St. Anselm.

The church opened as a parish in 1963. But in 2004, the Archdiocese decided to close St. Anselm. Parishioners held nearly two years of vigils at the church, leading to a 2006 decision to transform St. Anselm into the first rectorate in the U.S.

In May, the Archdiocese decided to merge St. Anselm with St. Bridget in Maynard and Our Lady of Fatima in Sudbury.

"While I am personally disappointed in this decision, I remain hopeful that we can build a community of faith in Sudbury, Maynard and Framingham. In the few months I have led Saint Anselm, I have witnessed your welcoming culture, your active ministries and your support of our mission," Souza wrote in a letter to parishioners. "Please know how much I value your warm welcome and all of the relationships we’ve created."

St. Anselm has suspended all worship services ahead of the Oct. 3 closing.