09/08/08 DATF Meeting Summary PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 06 October 2008 16:59

The Dover Advisory Task Force (henceforth referred to as the DATF), whose purpose is to develop a plan for the merger of the three Dover parishes, that will have a mission of the Chapel in Barrington, gathered for its first meeting on Tuesday, September 30, 2008. Present for the meeting were Bishop Francis Christian, our Auxiliary Bishop, as well as Fr Bob Gorski and Mr. Patrick McGee from the Office of Long Range Planning.

Last year the Cluster Task Force, consisting of parishioners from the three Dover parishes and the Chapel, heard the concerns and input of the people of the parish communities by way of listening sessions. The final result was their recommendation to merge the three Dover parishes into one canonical parish with a mission, the Chapel of the Nativity. That recommendation was presented to and reviewed by the Long Range Planning Commission of the Diocese. It was then approved as presented by Bishop McCormack. Aware that no decision is going to be to everyone’s liking, the decision to merge the three parishes and chapel is believed to be what is best for the Catholic community in Dover and Barrington. That process, though imperfect, and the decision made, are now complete and no longer an open topic of discussion.

The work of the current DATF is to address the issues involved in, and establish a timeline for, the implementation of the merger. The DATF felt that it was important to clarify the following points:

 

  1. The parishes of St Mary, St Joseph, St Charles will merge as one canonical parish with a mission, the Chapel of the Nativity. 
  2. The merger of parishes into one new parish does not mean the closure of church buildings. A parish can, and sometimes does, have multiple sites of worship.
We will be keeping you informed as to the ongoing work of the DATF as it progresses. Questions may be forwarded directly to the committee at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Respectfully submitted through the collaborative effort of the Dover Advisory Task Force.

DATF Chair: Fr Marc Gagne. DATF members: Fr. Fritz Cerullo, O.S.A., Mr. Michael Kazmierczak, Ms. Doris Boutin-Cyr, Mr. Paul Butler, Mr. Marc Hebert, Dr. Gerald Daley, Ms. Gail Chasse, Ms. Ileana Hoeing, Mr. Dan Gabriel. Dated: 30 September 2008.