Our Lady of Peace: New parish community forms in Somerset, Swansea following church merger
SOMERSET — This weekend, a new parish will be born in the Fall River diocese — one featuring the same places, the same faces, but a new name.
On Oct. 1, three churches — St. Thomas More and St. Patrick's in Somerset, and St. Louis de France in Swansea — will form a new parish community, but not under the same roof.
They will officially merge into Our Lady of Peace, with three separate worship sites.
In June, the Rev. David A. Costa, pastor of Our Lady of Peace, laid out his pastoral plan to merge the trio of churches, which was approved by Fall River Diocese Bishop Edgar Da Cunha this week.
Costa, who oversees all three churches, said the bishop's decree just makes formal what they've been doing for the past three years: working together.
"We're not focusing on buildings, we're focusing more on people and that's the most important thing, the community. How can we work together? How can we form this Catholic Christian community? That's our big challenge now," Costa added.
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The merger is not something that comes as a shock to the parishioners involved, as they have been inching toward it since Costa came on board in 2019. In fact, beyond their parish name not much will change.
All three church buildings will remain open, daily masses will be offered at St Louis de France, the home base for religious education will remain at St. Thomas More and weekend masses will be held at all three - as they have been for the past three years.
"We have seven masses on a weekend, and how many parishes can say that? Not many," said Costa.
While many church mergers involve the closure of a worship site, that was not so in this case largely thanks to the help of a handful of priests who serve as weekend assistants. Their priest power includes Dominican fathers from Providence College, the Rev. Kenneth Sicard (a native of Fall River), Rev. Gabriel Pivarnik and Rev. James Quigley.
They, along with Costa, take turns presiding over weekend masses at all three churches so parishioners have gotten to know them over the past few years.
"If I didn't have those priests helping me it'd be a different story we'd be telling today," said Costa, noting Deacon Bob Craig and Rev. James Butler are also a part of that team, as well as Sister Kathee Corrigan, who serves as pastoral associate.
It also helps that each one of their properties has something to offer the larger parish community.
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St. Thomas More — with ample classroom space and a large hall — is used for religious education, St. Patrick's site — with an accessible hall and an industrial-sized kitchen — is utilized for social events, and St. Louis de France is an "ideal size to bring community together." The latter features a hall that they use as a gym for basketball teams and adult exercise groups. The parish office will be located at St. Thomas More Church, 386 Luther Ave., Somerset.
"It's really cool how it's worked out," Costa said.
According to Costa, an aging population, dwindling church participation and COVID have all contributed to a decline in membership at his churches, and those across the Northeast, over the years. At the newly formed Our Lady of Peace, Costa said membership currently stands at approximately 3,000 households combined, spread evenly among the three churches.
Costa recalls when he was assigned to St. Thomas More 37 years ago, there were 450 kids in religious education at that church alone, as well as another 300 to 400 at both St. Patrick's and St. Louis de France. Now, there are about 300 kids total in grades 1 to 9 at the combined Our Lady of Peace.
"Looking at the needs of the present as well as looking toward the future we said we have to start working together," said Costa, of his decision to craft a pastoral plan.
He noted church members have been very supportive and understanding through it all. A committee of 15 church members even helped land on the new parish's name.
"A building is not the church, it's the community that counts. But the building has a lot of meaning for people and we never want to separate that," he said.
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To mark the new union, Costa said they are hoping to host an open house for all parishioners at each church, "so people get to experience the feel of those three worship sites, because they are all different." Plans may also include a dinner event to celebrate, he said.
But Our Lady of Peace parishioners from legacy parishes have already hit the ground running as a team, collaborating on the parish's holiday bazaar in November.
While Costa acknowledges that the need for any church merger is never good news, he said he also recognizes the potential this move brings.
"I see it as a way to grow our Catholic faith in this area," he said. "Yes, we are becoming smaller numbers-wise maybe and certainly priest-wise ... we want to tap into the energy and the giftedness and the faith of who we have now so we can build on this foundation in the future."
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Our Lady of Peace parish formed after Somerset, Swansea church merger
