A SAD HISTORY OF RETREAT
Busy factories brought generations of Catholic immigrants to New Britain from European countries seeking jobs and a better life. Upon their arrival, they built churches to worship in.
The first churches were ethnic churches. St. Mary- Irish; St. Peter - German; St. Andrew- Lithuanian; Sacred Heart - Polish; Holy Cross - Polish; St. Joseph - Irish; St. Ann - Italian and All Saints - Slovak.
Austrian and French Canadian immigrants joined St. Peter Church. The French Canadians were served by the then pastor, the Reverend Charles Coppens who spoke both French and German.
As the immigrants assimilated and New Britain grew in population, demand increased for territorial churches which were then formed. St. Maurice, St. John the Evangelist, St. Jerome and St. Francis of Assisi served that the northern, southern, eastern and western parts of New Britain. St. Joseph and St. Mary became territorial churches.
With the assistance and encouragement of their pastors, the faithful built Catholic elementary and junior high schools - St. Mary, St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, St. Ann, St. Maurice and St. Francis of Assisi. Two catholic high schools were formed as well - Mary Immaculate Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas. All these schools are closed. All Saints Church is closed. The Catholic Church in New Britain has been in retreat for decades.
The Archdiocese of Hartford now seeks to close St. Peter Church and two additional churches - St. Maurice and St. Andrew.
It is time to halt this retreat and to strengthen and encourage our eleven (11) remaining churches in New Britain, not to suppress any of them.
With tuition assistance from the Archdiocese of Hartford let us restart one or two Catholic elementary/middle schools on existing sites. Again, with tuition assistance, a new Catholic high school is possible. In the spirit of the immigrants, we need to begin again.
THE RETREAT CONTINUES
Pastoral Planning Two for New Britain has begun. Archbishop Leonard
P. Blair formally announced the Pastoral Planning Two by a letter in November 2021 to practicing Catholics in New Britain.
Pastoral Planning One left all churches intact but merged them, two by two, into parishes.
The legal and financial identity of six (6) churches was lost but they remained open.
In the new Pastoral Plan, two priests serving two of the merged parishes are being re-assigned. The Reverend Michael Casey, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Catholic Chaplain at Central Connecticut State University and Director of Vocations, has been appointed pastor of a new mega-parish for seven (7) churches. He will be assisted by a curate.
However, Archbishop Blair indicated that of these seven (7) churches, three will be suppressed because of the shortage of priests.
St. Maurice, St. Peter and St. Andrew will be closed. They will no longer be served a vigil mass or Sunday mass. They will be available for weddings and funerals only until they are sold.
Each of these churches is financially viable. No claim is made that any of these parishes is not financially viable. The shortage of priests is the stated reason.
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