According to the archdiocese, a greater coordination of trained personnel and the consolidation of similar works and ministries in parishes within a pastoral collaborative will ease the burden currently experienced by pastors and staff.

Unlike the reconfiguration process that began in 2004 and closed or merged dozens of parishes, including six in Lowell, the new proposal does not mandate the closing of any parishes -- just the sharing of resources.

Each parish will retain its individual identities and assets.

"No parishes are supposed to be closed. The archdiocese is just trying to ensure that all parishes will have the services they need to continue to grow in new and vibrant ways," said the Rev. Brian Mahoney, pastor of St. Francis in Dracut.

"We recognize that right now there are great uncertainties that will cause people to feel unsettled and insecure, but the archdiocese is doing its best to serve the needs of all the parishes without having to close parishes," Mahoney said.

St. William in Tewksbury, which ranks among the largest parishes in the archdiocese and is the only Catholic church in Tewksbury, is the only Greater Lowell parish to stand alone.

Dual-parish proposed collaboratives include St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary, both large-faith communities of Chelmsford; St. Anne of Littleton and St. Catherine of Alexandria of Westford; St. Dorothy and St. Thomas of Villanova, both of Wilmington; and St. Francis of Assisi of Dracut and St. Michael of Lowell-Dracut.

The plan will be overseen by Pastoral Service Teams (PST), a group of priests, deacons, pastoral associates, lay ecclesial ministers, parish pastoral and finance councils which will provide pastoral services to multiple parishes.

According to the archdiocese, the plan is intended to address significant challenges facing the church today, including decreased Mass attendance, reduced financial resources, fewer men responding to vocations to the priesthood, a smaller number of men and women stepping forward to serve professionally in parishes, and the inevitability that pastors will be asked to take on the responsibility of a second and third parish.

Archdiocese statistics indicate that 40 percent of parishes cannot pay their bills and only 16 percent of Catholics attend weekend Masses.

Terrence Donilon, the archdiocese spokesman, said "It's important to remember that this is a draft and there is nothing finalized."

Through this consultation phase, Donilon expects the archdiocese to receive "valuable input from the pastors, priests and laity, and then be able to present to the cardinal a plan that allows us as a church to meet all the needs of the parishes, parishioners, schools and ministries. We are particularly encouraged by the input we have already received from the priests, who will be invaluable to us in these efforts."

According to the Rev. Paul Ring, pastor of Our Lady of Grace in Pepperell-Groton, "a lot of good can come from this, and that's the approach that I'm taking with the people, the councils and myself. The status quo is not working. We're still dealing with the challenges of the abuse crisis, and that will be felt for years to come. By grouping together, the parishes can be revitalized and the mission of bringing the Gospel to the people strengthened."

Ring, whose two former parishes, Sacred Heart/St. James in Groton and St. Joseph in Pepperell merged as Our Lady of Grace in 2009, is aware of the challenges and rewards that come with the sharing of individual parish resources.

"This will be a challenge for all concerned -- the priests, pastors, people, employees, staff. It will especially be a challenge for those who are in charge of the collaborative. But with the potential for the growth of faith, it will be worth it," he said.

Long-time parishioner Fran deMontigny immediately looked beyond her parish borders of St. Francis in Dracut when she heard yesterday about the proposed collaborative of St. Francis and St. Michael in Lowell.

"I think it's great. If we had to collaborate with someone, I love this. It makes sense," she said.

DeMontigny is the parish historian at St. Francis. From 1939 until 1963, at which time St. Francis was dedicated as a new parish, the East Dracut faith community operated as a mission church of St. Michael. Before a small church was built, Masses were celebrated by St. Michael clergy in a schoolhouse to ease the burden for those who found it a hardship to travel to Lowell, deMontigny said.

"Now it's right back, full circle," she said. "We're close distance-wise, and now we'll be in a position to help each other, just as they took over and helped us when we needed it."

DeMontigny acknowledges that some people will not be happy, "because no matter what, some people just don't want to collaborate with anyone else. But this is better for the priests and the church as a whole."

A bit ahead of the game are St. Rita and St. Marguerite D'Youville. They have shared resources for 18 months, including their pastor, the Rev. Marc Bishop. The two parishes will remain separate parishes, as will the third parish in their proposed collaborative, St. Mary Magdalen, which dedicated a modern and spacious new church late last year.

"The benefits of this plan should outweigh the challenges," said Deacon Everett Penney of St. Marguerite D'Youville and St. Rita.

Among those challenges, he said, is that all three parishes are from different communities. Although they abut, it covers a large geographical area.

Penney acknowledges that some parishioners will automatically assume that churches will close now or in the future, "but the Cardinal has said at numerous meetings that he wants to keep the buildings, parishes and properties open. He has said they are not going to close any more churches."

For more information on the 2012 Consultation and to submit opinions to the Archdiocese, visit www.planning2012.com/2012-consultation.

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