Friends of St. Brendan School have created a petition to reject a recent proposal by the Boston Archdiocese. You can read the petition here.
Back in May, a committee was formed to come up with a financial proposal to keep St. Brendan Church open. The school was never part of the plan, but according to the petition post, the Archdiocese responded with a counter-proposal or “idea” to keep the church open as a new entity (a school with a chapel). The school would be “managed” by a school board overseen by Cardinal O’Malley.
The bottom line, the church would be kept open as a chapel leaving all fiscal responsibility to the school. The school would be financially responsible for all expenses and repairs for St. Brendan Church. Needless to say, friends and family of the school and church are concerned about transparency and the details of proposals, so they started a petition to reject the proposal offered by the Archdiocese.
“In signing this petition, you reject the Boston Archdiocese’s proposal to turn Saint Brendan School and Saint Brendan Church (chapel) into one entity under a new governance structure leaving all fiscal responsibility of the church to Saint Brendan School.”
You can sign the petition here.
The Backstory
For the past several years, the future of St. Brendan and St. Ann churches has been waiting in the balance. Due to declining attendance at Mass and a decrease in weekly offertories, combined with much-needed maintenance to the aging building (estimated to be roughly $2 million) and a debt of $850,000, both St. Brendan’s and St. Ann’s are struggling to stay afloat.
St. Brendan and St. Ann churches are part of one parish— St. Martin de Porres— created in 2018. It is believed that the parish has a debt of over $ 3 million.
Back in May, Cardinal Sean O’Malley issued a reprieve for St. Brendan’s Church which was supposed to close at the end of September.
A committee/working group of parishioners and officials from the Archdiocese was formed to develop a plan to keep the church open. St. Brendan’s School was never part of this plan.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
