Parish Updates

July 20, 2022

ST. MARY’S – ST. HELEN’S – ST. THECLA’S PARISH TAKES
MAJOR STEP TOWARDS BUILDING A NEW CHURCH

The growth in Catholic families participating in parish life in communities in the South Shore region has increased substantially in recent years. Active and engaged parishes providing diverse programs and initiatives focused on evangelization have been at the center of this growth. Our newly merged parish with churches in Hanover, Norwell, and Pembroke, MA has reached a point where its current footprint no longer meets the overall parish needs given the anticipated growth based on current trends.

A substantial initiative has been underway to develop a long-range plan to meet the continued growth and to enhance the common pastoral needs of St. Mary’s in Hanover, St. Helen’s in Norwell, and St. Thecla’s in Pembroke.

A decision has been reached by the parish to close all three churches, sell two of the three properties, and build a larger and more diverse campus that will bring the entire worshipping community under one roof. The Hanover property has been selected as the location for this new church and will remain open during construction of the new church.

In support of this endeavor, the Archdiocese of Boston has engaged a broker for the potential sale of St. Helen’s in Norwell and St. Thecla’s in Pembroke. The sale of any Church property follows established protocols that are conducted by the Real Estate Division in cooperation with the parish. Great care is given to proposals that meet the needs of the parish, do not conflict with Catholic teaching, and are good for the community.

“Our communities are at a crossroads given the incredible growth we are experiencing,” said Rev. Chris Hickey, Pastor. “Parish life is at the center of our evangelization efforts. Seeing we are one parish community, it makes sense to bring us all under one roof while investing in our future with a new church.”

A brief overview of the sacramental life of the three churches will show substantial growth. In 2005 there were 128 baptisms; this year that number is expected to exceed 200. In 2005, there were approximately 172 first communions; that number has increased to over 240. Confirmations have seen the greatest rise, likely as a result of a very successful Life Teen program. In 2005, there were 175 confirmations; this past year there were 460. Funerals have also greatly increased. From 2005 to 2006 there were 28 funerals; last year, over 160 funerals were celebrated, and it is anticipated that over 200 funerals will be celebrated before the end of the present year.

Mass attendance in 2005 was approximately 2,000 congregants at all Masses. Pre-COVID attendance at St. Mary’s and St. Helen’s was about 3,200 and at St. Thecla’s was about 1,000. Mass attendance has been increasing steadily this past year, and the parish is confident this fall’s count will be well over 3,300. Once the parish is back to pre-COVID participation, the attendance should be approximately 4,000.

Daily Mass numbers have returned to their pre-pandemic levels, as the parish welcomes about 100 people a day with considerably more during Lent.

Listing agent: Jay Driscoll from Avison Young - 617-821-6021

HMC Parish Bulletin (February 23, 2020)

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS:
Dear parishioners,
In the next few weeks, St. Thecla’s. Pembroke and the Holy Mothers Collaborative will be writing to Cardinal Sean to request the merger of St. Thecla’s, St. Mary’s, and St. Helen’s. This merger, which would be effective sometime after January 2021, would result in our three parishes becoming one parish. The eventual hope is that our one parish would then pray together at one new worship site. 

In Christ,
Fr. Chris Hickey (HMC Pastor) and Fr. Joe McCarthy (St. Thecla’s Pastor)
 

HMC Parish Bulletin (April 21 & 28,2019)

Dear Parishioners,
I write to you at an exciting time, both to wish you the joy of the risen Lord in this season of Easter and also to update you on our unified worship site. As we begin our Easter season, we do so with a renewed hope in the resurrection. Lent has ended and the crucifixion has given way to the bright promise of immortality.

On a more practical note, our time of preparation and waiting for a new church appears to be coming to an end. Although the final details are still being worked out, we feel that the land will be secured and our dream of one worship site will become a reality in the very near future. Together our collaborative can make this happen. We need still more patience and lots of prayer. The process is indeed challenging, but we know it will be worth the effort.

May our Lord and His Blessed Mother watch over our collaborative and our families for a blessed Easter season.

Sincerely yours in the risen Lord,

Father Chris

Email blast to HMC Parishioners (January 2018)

Dear Friends, 

This is a truly exciting time for the parishes of St. Mary of the Sacred Heart and St. Helen, Mother of the Emperor Constantine. The community of the Holy Mothers Collaborative is getting stronger every day, and I am so pleased with the vibrant programs and ministries we are now offering to parishioners of all ages. In particular, our thriving religious education and Life Teen programs have more youth (and parents) involved than at any time in the past five years. Our Masses are packed with faithful parishioners and visitors alike, and I am so pleased that our baptisms, confirmations, and first communions are up the past two years. Thank you for your part in making this happen. 
 
We are indeed blessed with a vibrant faith community, but we are also challenged by our lack of space. Last November, we undertook an extensive review of our options for expanding or relocating, and this past spring both parishes responded with tremendous enthusiasm for proceeding with planning for a new, unified church for the collaborative.
 
To make this dream a reality, we need to examine our potential for generating philanthropic support in addition to the assets we could bring to the table.  In its earliest stages, we are hoping to raise $5 million. We are conducting a feasibility study to test the viability of raising $5 million for this effort and to collect parishioner feedback on the plans.
 
Coinciding with our campaign, there will be a capital campaign held by the Archdiocese of Boston aimed at strengthening parishes, schools, social services, and support of priests. We are collaborating with the Archdiocese and will have the chance to contribute a percentage of our funds from our campaign to support Cardinal Seán’s vision for our greater community. 
 
Taking 10-15 minutes to share your thoughts on our proposed plans and our collaboration with the Archdiocese would be very helpful to us, and very much appreciated:
 
•             First, please take a moment to read the Background Statement:  Holy Mothers Collaborative Background Statement
•             Then share your feedback with us by responding to a short survey
 
Your counsel, along with that of numerous other participants, will help us to determine our best course of action.  The electronic survey will close Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 5pm.  Thank you for your time and advice.
 
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Father Chris

Results from Collaborative Vote May 13 & 14, 2017:

Dear parishioners,

I would like to thank you for your patience in the ongoing process of a potential unification of our churches. This past weekend, 2162 parishioners (including absentee voters) cast ballots regarding the potential merger of our parishes. There were 1635 parishioners (76%) who voted “Yes”, supporting the “Collaborative’s effort to continue the process to find and develop a unified worship site,” and 527 parishioners (24%) who voted “No.” We believe 76% is a solid mandate to continue on with the process. As was stated, there is nothing binding about the results of this vote – it simply affirms that the Parish Council and I may continue to move forward toward one worship site. While it is impossible to make everyone happy, I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in this awesome opportunity.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Chris
 

RESULTS BREAKDOWN

Deacon John Murray chaired the subcommittee of the Parish Council, which was in charge of tallying ballots. The subcommittee included: Dave Capaldo, Henry Kozowyk, Deacon John Murray (chair), and Jim Wasiolek.

Upcoming Vote- Tuesday, May 2, 2017 (posted):
Two weeks ago, on Monday, April 17, the Parish Council met and discussed our future as a Collaborative. It was decided unanimously by the council members that all parishioners should have a vote about the potential merger of Saint Helen’s and Saint Mary’s.

Last Monday evening (April 24th) , we had yet another successful Collaborative Meeting at which this idea was further discussed. It was quite apparent that all those in attendance felt that a parish-wide vote is a good idea.

On the weekend of May 13 and 14 (Mothers’ Day weekend), we will take up a vote about one mutual worship site. The vote will be open to any regular church-goer of at least Confirmation age. Absentee ballots may be cast during the week leading up to the vote by visiting the Parish Offices between Monday, May 8 and Friday, May 12 (during normal office hours).

The results of the vote will be shared the following week, which will help us implement our future plans accordingly. Thank you to all who attended the Collaborative Meeting last week. It is wonderful to see how much love we all have for our parishes. The patience everyone has shown throughout this process has been greatly appreciated. Let us all continue to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 

Monday, April 24, 2017 at 7:15PM we had our Fourth Collaborative Town Hall at St. Mary's Church.

This meeting was well attended and moderated by Deacon Roger Vierra with Father Chris addressing as many questions as possible at the end of the questions and comments from parishioners.

We will be asking Parishioners to vote in the coming weeks about whether we should proceed with this endeavor. Detail of how voting will be handled are being worked out now and will be made available as quickly as possible.  For those of you able to attend, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to listen and be heard as we decide how to move forward with our collaborative.  Here is a link to the frequently asked question sheet (FAQs) that was handed out at this Monday night meeting. Stay tuned for more details!!!!

Monday, November 28, 2016 our Third Collaborative Town Hall Meeting was on held at Saint Helen's Church. 

Feasibility Study conducted by Holmes and Edwards Architects

On Monday, November 26, we had a very productive meeting in which we heard the results of the Feasibility Study from the architects Holmes & Edwards. The study showed that neither of the present properties (Saint Helen’s and Saint Mary’s) would be able to accommodate the projected expansion of both a new worship space and  adequate parking . The third option of moving to a common ground is by far the best based on their findings.  At the end of the "town hall" session, it was decided unanimously by vote of the 327 parishioners present to continue moving forward by having a market evaluation conducted on the three properties. We will proceed with that next step and have another collaborative town hall meeting early in the new year.

Monday, June 13, 2016  our Second Collaborative Town Hall Meeting was held at Saint Mary's Church. 

On Monday evening, we had our second town hall meeting. There were over 300 parishioners in attendance. We discussed our options for accomodating the on-going issue of standing room only crowds at some of our masses as well as parking problems.

An overwhelming majority voted in favor of hiring an architectural firm to perform a feasibility study. This study will look into the possibility of the St. Mary’s and St. Helen’s communities coming together at one worship site. We thank everyone for their interest and participation in this endeavor. In order to be as transparent as possible, we will continue to inform you of our progress in the bulletin, at Mass, and through the collaborative website. We hope to be able to gather again this coming fall to discuss the results of the feasibility study.

“God never goes back; he always moves forward, and God always wants our future to be bigger than our past.” - "Rediscover Catholicism" by Matthew Kelly
 

Please see the FAQ section of the Pastoral Planning website.