The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
CATHOLIC CHURCHES FACE MANY CHANGES
City’s cluster of parishes to be consolidated
Bernadette Rossi grew up attending Mass at Sacred Heart Church, a Catholic parish founded by Slovakian immigrants and descendents in 1915.
The Slovak nature of the church of her youth faded over the years, as those she grew up with moved away from the parish, and attendance dropped.
Now, Sacred Heart, along with St. Mary Parish, will no longer hold regular services. The four Catholic churches in the city cluster are set to merge under a plan recently released by the Hartford Archdiocese.
“(It’s) a sad thing, of course,” said Rossi. “It’s home; where you grow up, it’s home.”
The move has not come as a surprise to Rossi, or for the Rev. John C. Granato, the pastor for all four parishes.
A plan regarding the churches was created over the past two years, Granato said, and the archdiocese consulted with local parishioners and pastors.
“It’s a very sad day; a sad day for Torrington,” said Granato.
The churches now housing
St. Peter and St. Francis will both become part of the newly formed consolidated parish, known as St. John Paul the Great, while the future of the Sacred Heart and St. Mary buildings is still unknown.
Attendance at services has been decreasing over the decades and in recent years, according to Granato. Approximately 140 to 160 parishioners attend Mass at this point, he said.
Other factors considered in the decision, Granato said, included changes in demographics and population and the number of buildings available.
“I feel terrible that we have to close two parishes in town,” said Christopher Smedick, a trustee at St. Francis, noting that generations of people have worked at and built up the churches.
Smedick grew up attending Sacred Heart and has been going to Mass at St. Francis for approximately 30 years.
Some parishioners began to attend services based on their schedule, Smedick said, when the Catholic churches were brought into a cluster.
“It’s about Eucharist, and it’s about Mass,” said Smedick.
Rossi said she had attended other churches in the cluster and felt welcome there.
Both said they hope the consolidation will increase attendance at services and that the move will lead to positive developments in the future.
Rossi said attendance at Sacred Heart had stabilized and young people had begun to attend services.
“When you believe in God, that is your rock,” said Rossi.
Each of the parishes was formed with its own ethnic identity — St. Mary’s was formed by Polish immigrants, Sacred Heart by Slovakian residents, and St. Peter’s by Italians.
Sacred Heart celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2010.
St. Francis was founded in November 1887, according to the Torrington churches, while St. Peter’s was founded in 1907 and St. Mary’s in 1919.
Under the plan released by the Hartford archdiocese, which includes Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties, the number of parishes will decrease from 212 to 127.
The change is scheduled to take effect on June 29, according to the archdiocese.
“Despite our sadness... we need to be open to God’s gift,” said Granato. “The Eucharist will always be here in Torrington.”