St. Jean Baptiste Church in the West End of Lynn, Mass., is to be leveled for a housing development (Steve Lindsey)

UPDATE: On March 12, 2004, the St. Jean Baptiste Church was demolished.

Dear Preservation 911,

The opening salvo has been fired in the latest New England preservation battle: the fate of older Catholic Churches. The Boston Archdiocese has announced the need to consolidate parishes, leaving historically significant church buildings without purpose.

"I want the Catholics to realize we are family and we must see ourselves as something bigger than our own parishes," Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley said in a meeting with 600 priests on Dec. 16.

Declining enrollment, a shortage of priests, an emigration of parishioners to the suburbs, and a sexual-abuse scandal have left the church in financial straits. Consolidation is necessary. But this will leave vacant buildings in city neighborhoods. The church's presence will be missed in many locales where social outreach work was undertaken.

Some priests estimate that 50 or 60 of the 360 parishes in the archdiocese could close, according to an Associated Press account. O'Malley didn't say how many or which parishes would be shuttered. A complex formula will determine which parishes close, but a defining criteria will be the maintenance costs of a particular building, a standard that falls heavily on older structures.

Church closings are not new. In the past 20 years, about 50 churches have been closed in the archdiocese. But the accelerated rate of closure and a burgeoning real estate market will mean many will face the wrecking ball.

The time to organize and come up with practical reuses for these venerable edifices is now. Hesitation will result in substantial losses. Already heavy equipment has been trucked to the St. Jean Baptiste church in Lynn, Mass., outside Boston. This beautiful Romanesque building will fall. Others are soon to follow.

Sincerely,

Steve Lindsey

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