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BOSTON, Mass. - April 15, 2008 - The Boston Archdiocese is in recovery mode as it marks its Bicentennial this year.

Distrustfrom the clergy abuse crisis lingers, some parishioners say the churchis too outdated to remain relevant, and most parishes that were closedor merged are still struggling.

Today, we continue our series,"The Future of the Faith," in one of those merged parishes: SaintCecilia, Boston. WBUR's Martha Bebinger has the story.

Audio for this story will be available on WBUR's web site later today.

TEXT OF STORY:

FATHERJOHN UNNI: Hello everyone and welcome to St. Cecilia's, just as webegin, it's good to know with whom we are celebrating, let's take aminute, shake a hand, say hi, introduce ourselves, but please, sayhello....

MARTHA BEBINGER: Father John Unni smiles as he watchesparishioners lean across pews to embrace, slap five, tickle babies andthen adjust to make room for latecomers. The 6 pm Sunday mass ispacked...as were the 9:30 and 11:00 morning services. It's an uncommonsight in the Boston archdiocese...and a relatively new experience atSt. Cecilia. Irish servants of Back Bay elite built this ornate churchwith frescoes, a vast white marble alter and towering stained glasswindows in 1894. 75-year-old Carl Pucci remembers a vibrant parishbefore construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike ripped through theneighborhood.

CARL PUCCI: It was sad, to see the parish die the way it did, cause it was a thriving parish.

BEBINGER: Pucci says, today, his church is rebounding after another rocky period.

PUCCI: It isn't like it was in the 40s, but it's getting there.

UNNI: Hear our prayer this evening, the prayer of this newborn people and strengthen us as people to answer that call

BEBINGER:Three and a half years ago, St. Cecilia's merged with one of 63parishes the Boston archdiocese has closed since 2004 to save money,consolidate buildings and manage a dwindling number of priests. Many ofthese parishes are still struggling with anger and distrust and theupheaval. Merging St. Cecilia's, where parishioners were used to Latinand the organ, with St. Ann's, where there was lots of hugging andguitars, did not look easy.

UNNI: I used to jokingly say, that when St. Ann's and St. Cecilia's came together it was like merging St. Water and St. Oil

BEBINGER:Father Unni and his parishioners lost their church St. Ann's. Membersof Saint Cecilia's lost their priest, but kept their church. Leaders ofboth parishes formed a transition team Susan Donnelly says memberstalked about and focused on their shared faith. She eventually embracedthe change.

SUSAN DONNELLY: I like it that not everybody's likeme. That's actually a more lovely thing than the safe in my own littleCatholic church. It's enhanced my faith.

BEBINGER: Last August,St. Cecilia's invited The Jesuit Urban Center, most of whose memberswere gay, to join the parish. Frank Lapiana has been overwhelmed by thewelcome.

FRANK LAPIANA: My mother used to say, you know, Godcloses one door and opens another one. I rejoice with the joy I get outof this community. The street people, the children, the college kids. Ifeel part of whole now; I've never felt such joy and love as I do here.

BEBINGER: Lapiana and long time St. Cecilia's member, KayO'Halloran, give Father Unni much of the credit for the welcomingspirit that guides this merger.

KAY O'HALLORAN: We're notthere, wherever there is, but it's pretty amazing to take 3 entirelydifferent communities and I do attribute a lot of that to John'sleadership.

UNNI: It's messy to get out and break bread ordonuts and to share our bread with one another, but that's where Jesusis really present too, you with me?

ALEX WILCOCKI: During thehomily, Father John is talking directly to me, even though there are 20million other people in the church.

BEBINGER: Alex Wilcockicomes St. Cecilia's with a growing group of students from theMassachusetts College of Pharmacy. Fellow parishioner Christie saysUnni helps her feel closer to God.

CHRISTIE: If you reallyfeel like somebody's speaking from their heart, and you could see,kinda Christ, I think that's what's going to get people back.

UNNI AND PARISHIONERS: Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name....

BEBINGER:People are coming back to St. Cecilia's...in contrast to theArchdiocese where about 20% of Catholics attend weekly services. Thenational average is 36%. The merging or closing of parishes in Boston,and the clergy abuse scandal are certainly factors. But Phil Lawler,author of "The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's CatholicCulture" argues the decline of the church started decades earlier.

PHILLAWLER: A lot of people sought to enhance the social and politicalpower of the church first, rather than the spiritual welfare ofcommunities. And that's a wrongheaded approach because the social andpolitical power is a consequence of the spiritual vitality.

BEBINGER:Lawler says Cardinal Sean O'Malley is shifting the focus in Boston backto the spiritual life of the church. But he's skeptical about the groupthe Boston archdiocese is working with to re-engage Catholics ...sayingits approach is gimmicky. Renew International, based in New Jersey,will run a 3 year program where small parish groups meet regularly topray and discuss spiritual themes. More than half the parishes in thearchdiocese have signed up. Workshops for parish clergy and lay leaderteams began last week. Cardinal O'Malley says the program has beensuccessful in other parts of the country.

CARDINAL SEANO'MALLEY: In many of places where Renew has taken place, the no. ofvolunteers in ministries has increased greatly, so we're hoping thatwe'll have the same good fortune here in Boston.

BEBINGER:Boston's Renew program is called "Arise Together in Christ." Mary AnnMcLaughlin, the Coordinator for the Archdiocese, says it's is animportant part of the church's recovery plan.

MARY ANNMCLAUGHLIN: With parishes closing, the sexual abuse crisis, we have alot of people who are hurt, I know in my own parish the communityscattered between 10 parishes that I can count. Arise gives us anopportunity to recognize that woundedness in people. If they're hurt,we want to be able to respond to that.

BEBINGER: St. Ceciliahasn't decided whether it will participate. Parish leaders say they arebusy with a major renovation, missions to Haiti or work in local soupkitchens and a growing number of marriages, baptisms and confirmations.The Renew program aside, many parishioners, including Bill Croke, arewary of the institutional church.

BILL CROKE: The Catholic Church is more concerned with doctrine and dogma, that's more important than people and their feelings.

BEBINGER: Croke's face softens as he gazes across the crowd of parishioners lingering after mass.

CROKE: This is the way all churches should be, full of love and full of the spirit.

BEBINGER:St. Cecilia's is attracting old and young alike. BU Student GillianTaratunio got lost and wandered into the church last September. Now,she comes every Sunday.

GILLIAN TARATUNIO: When I went to churchat home, they almost made you feel like you had to know all thedoctrine or you weren't a good Catholic and here's its more to be agood person and have compassion for those around you rather thanknowing Matthew, Mark, Luke...and the other one.

BEBINGER: Seamus Matlack, who turned 12 yesterday, wants to be sure St.Cecilia's is there when he grows up.

SEAMUSMATLACK: It feels like you will always have a home to go to, no matterwhat you do. And people there will be believe in you and help youalong. Especially in our church, no matter who you are, you're alwaysconnected and help each other.

BEBINGER: Kay O'Halloran isconcerned about protecting this new parish community. She says St.Cecilia's will be fine as long as the larger church leaves it alone.

O'HALLORAN: The only possible problem is outside interference.

UNNI: The Lord be with you (and also with you). Our Celebration's over, let's go forth to live out tonight's gospel.

For WBUR, I'm Martha Bebinger.