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	'No Need to Close Churches … Help Is out There' By Bronislaus Kush Telegram & Gazette June 4, 2008 http://www.telegram.com/article/20080604/COLUMN45/806040655/1008/NEWS02 Catholic parishes are being closed across the country, in large part because church officials maintain that there aren't enough priests to staff the churches. But is that really the case? Peter Borre, a member of the Council of Parishes, doesn't believe so. The council has served for years as a sort of "support group" for members of parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston that have been threatened with closure. Mr. Borre met Sunday with some parishioners of St. Casimir's Church on Providence Street, who are hoping to convince Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus that their parish is viable and should not be closed July 1. Four other churches in the city are also slated to be shut down. Mr. Borre told the gathering of St. Casimir's parishioners at Maironis Park in Shrewsbury that officials at many dioceses around the country have at their disposal a pool of priests who can assist diocesan clergy with their duties. For example, he said that non-diocesan priests, such as those who are members of orders such as the Jesuits, are more than willing to pinch-hit. There are a number of orders assigned to hospitals, schools, colleges and social service programs in many communities. Mr. Borre also said that many countries have a surplus of priests and those clergy are available to help out American dioceses. He said, for example, that many bishops have recruited priests from Poland, the Philippines and central Africa to help them with their staffing crunch. "There's no need to close churches because there is help out there and we're not talking about the controversial idea of ordaining women," Mr. Borre said. He told the St. Casimir's parishioners that some bishops have had ulterior motives for closing churches. For example, he charged that some dioceses have sold off valuable church property to pay off settlements in sexual abuse court cases involving priests. Mr. Borre said he believes that 10 parishes in the archdiocese were targeted because their pastors were dissatisfied with then Cardinal Bernard J. Law's handling of the clergy sexual abuse crisis and had asked the prelate to step down. "The bottom line is that many bishops just haven't done a good job in recruiting diocesan priests," he said. "But in cases where there are shortages, options are available." • Worcester resident Robin Spaulding was one of 21 volunteers honored at the New England Patriots' annual Community MVP Luncheon, which was held recently at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Ms. Spaulding volunteers with the Visiting Nurse Association Care Hospice in Worcester. She works at the VNA's residence once a week, cooking for and visiting with patients. She also helped raise $50,000 to build the kitchen at the residence. The Patriots made contributions to the respective nonprofit organization of each volunteer. On behalf of Ms. Spaulding, the VNA received a $1,500 grant. • Some Worcester Academy middle school students visited New York City recently and had a chance to hook up with some well-known alumni working in the Big Apple. The kids, for example, met Michael Shulan (class of 1970), the creative director at the World Trade Center Memorial Museum, and Ira E. Stoll (class of 1990), the managing editor and vice president of the New York Sun. About 50 students made the trip.
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