Last April, I invited parishioners to think about the future of our Catholic Community in Lexington. Because so many parishes are being merged throughout the Archdiocese, I invited parishioners to let me know their thoughts on whether we should be looking at this in Lexington. I indicated that I would be making a recommendation to Cardinal Sean before I retired in August.
I first want to say thank you to all the people who responded. Your thoughts and observations were very helpful. They all reflect a deep love for our two parishes and aspirations that our best days are ahead of us. They also reveal that Sacred Heart and Saint Brigid parishioners are faith-filled committed Catholics who want nothing better than to see our Lexington Catholic Community thrive and grow.
I began my time in Lexington on June 1, 2015. Fr. John Chen and I arrived at the same time and found ourselves in Phase III of the roll out of the Archdiocesan Plan for Mission called Disciples in Mission (DIM). We set about the task of implementing the plan that called for one pastoral staff to lead two separate parishes. Central to this task was the establishment of one Collaborative Pastoral Council (CPC). Council By-Laws were put in place and elections took place in the spring of 2016. Since then, a second election has taken place in the spring of 2019 which gave us our present CPC.
DIM also called for there to be two distinct Finance Councils. This reflected the general intent of the Archdiocese to link parishes together under one pastoral staff while maintaining their fiscal independence and autonomy. The existing members of the Finance Council were happy to stay on and continued to hold their meetings together.
The notion of merging our two parishes has been around for the past 30 years. When Sacred Heart was initially slated to be closed under Reconfiguration, Cardinal Sean was persuaded to rescind this decision after a strong presentation by Sacred Heart parishioners. At that time, Fr. Colletti was the pastor of Sacred Heart and was given the job of pastoring St. Brigid Parish, as well. In a real sense, this decision anticipated what eventually became the plan for the whole diocese: placing one pastor and pastoral staff in charge of two or more parishes.
For the past 6 years, I have enjoyed my time as pastor of our two parishes. Sacred Heart Church is a small worship space that creates a sense of intimacy between the celebrant and the congregation. It is a very enjoyable place to celebrate mass. (Joe Senneville’s funeral last week filled the Church and played beautifully to the strengths of this worship space.) Since my first day in Lexington, I was convinced that it would have been a terrible thing for Sacred Heart Church to have been closed during Reconfiguration. In fact, the first thing I did in the summer of 2015 was to install air-conditioning which makes a huge difference in heat waves like last weekend. (I could not do much about the parking.)
One of the greatest strengths of Sacred Heart is the potential for great adult faith formation on Sunday mornings. Hospitality (that is returning this weekend) provides a natural place for engaging speakers and the exploration of major issues in the life of our Catholic Church today. This potential needs to developed for the whole Lexington Catholic Community.
St. Brigid Church provides a very different worship experience with adequate space for large crowds of worshippers without that squished in feeling. The sanctuary affords great space for the ever-growing family liturgy music program. (A New Jersey visitor last Sunday went out of his way to say how he found Sunday’s 9:00 am mass so uplifting, and we are not even back to full strength yet). During the school year, Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) is a great option for young families with plenty of space in Keilty Hall and for hospitality after Mass and before Sunday morning Religious Education. St. Brigid Church is also very accommodating for large funerals, weddings and other significant gatherings.
My past 6 years in Lexington have been very rewarding. My life has been enriched by getting to know so many wonderful people in both parishes. It has also been a unique privilege to be with parishioners at great moments of joy and sadness. As I prepare to leave, I am convinced that Lexington is a very special place and is so fortunate to have two very distinct worship spaces and properties that play to different strengths. I continue to believe that synergy is not just a fancy word about working together but a dynamic reality that has exponential possibilities.
Years ago parishes competed with one another and underscored loyalty. In an age of plenty, this did not do great damage. In an age of scarcity, the love of one’s own gets in the way of true collaboration and prevents the realization of true collaboration. I believe that this is the reason that parishioners across the Archdiocese are opting for merging their parishes rather than insisting on their own independence. I have come to believe that had we been one parish in Lexington with two worship sites, playing to the strengths of each community, that much greater things could have been accomplished over the past 6 years. I am deeply grateful for my time in Lexington and will always keep this community in my thoughts and prayers.
God Bless, Msgr. Paul