Diocese Planning Listening Sessions

By Tammy Daniels
03:00PM / Thursday, November 15, 2007

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NORTH ADAMS - The Diocese of Western Massachusetts is reaching out to parishioners over the coming months to help it decide how to best use its resources.

The so-called listening sessions will take place on Saturdays in the diocese's 10 regions under the auspices of the Pastoral Planning Committee.

Diocese spokesman Mark E. Dupont said not all the dates have been set for the sessions but the diocese wanted to get the word out to parishioners.

"We had a compelling interest to get this out now in hopes people will hear about it and come forward [to participate]," he said on Thursday.

According to a press release, these will be important opportunities for parish communities, meeting together regionally, to have input into plans to help the diocese reconfigure its resources to meet the future needs of the Catholic population in the four western counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire.

Attendance will be limited to delegations chosen by parishes and the planning committee. Dupont said the idea is to create an atmosphere at the sessions that will allow frank and open discussions.

That means neither media nor diocesan officials will be allowed to attend, he said.

The sessions are being built around the 74-page Mullin Report that was released last March. The report was an analysis of the parishes in terms of declining and shifting populations, a decrease in the number of priests available and the costs of maintaining parish properties. It also provided recommendations, which have been under review by the diocesan planning committee.

For example, the report found the North Adams Region is "characterized by a high level of linkage among parishes and by the rural, sparsely populated section of Western Massachusetts its parishes serve. ... In general, financial indicators suggest that parishes in this region are not in financial difficulty." Among its recommendations were merging St. Francis' and St. Anthony's parishes to improve their financial status.

The planning committee has been reviewing the findings along with other data, meeting with priests throughout the diocese and preparing a strategy for these listening sessions. Depending on the number of parishes in each region, every parish will be allowed to send a specific number of participants. Parishes are being encouraged to send delegations comprised of people representing a cross section of the community who are also active within the parish.

"This is a critical part of the pastoral planning process," said Monsignor John J. Bonzagni, director of pastoral planning for the diocese, in a press release. "Until now, we have been focusing on data. This is the time for the committee to hear from our people about their thoughts and ideas concerning the reconfiguring of the resources of the diocese."

The Pastoral Planning committee has targeted Easter 2008 to have the listening sessions completed, but that will depend on the availability of parishioners over the winter months and weather related factors. The committee plans to provide recommendations to Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell on an ongoing basis as they work with each region and its parishes.

The overall goal of the pastoral planning process is to develop a plan that will ensure that parishes can function with 65 diocesan priests by 2010 and that all Catholics have equitable access to the Eucharist and sacraments.

"I think pastors will have a well-rounded choice of delegates," said Dupont. "But we want to parishioners who feel they want to be involved to know they can approach their local pastors."

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