MASSACHUSETTS
The Christian Century
May 23, 2012 by G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Religion News Service BOSTON (RNS) Groups of Boston-area Catholics who have waged an eight-year battle to block the sale of parish buildings are running out of options as the Vatican has rejected their appeals.
In rulings dated March through May, Rome’s Congregation for the Clergy upheld the Archdiocese of Boston’s plans to convert six parish buildings from sacred to profane (non-church) use.
Now parishioners, including vigil keepers who’ve occupied two church buildings round-the-clock since a wave of parish closures began in 2004, must decide whether to appeal one more time to the Vatican’s top court.
Five of the six groups are resolving to fight on, according to Peter Borre, co-founder of the Council of Parishes, which represents members of closed parishes. A sixth, St. Jeanne d’Arc in Lowell, has not yet decided on next steps, Borre said.
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