In Boston, preservations are concerned

Preservation groups, who have had an often unhappy history with Catholic church leaders in Boston, have begun quietly meeting with church officials and with government agencies in an effort to prevent the destruction of church buildings that they say have come to define many neighborhoods, and that in some cases are of historical or architectural significance. The preservationists, seeking to avoid confrontation with the archdiocese, say that they understand and respect the archdiocese’s need and right to close churches, but that they want to help the church preserve buildings associated with parishes that do close.

“We have seen, on a national basis, a burgeoning trend of historic religious properties being abandoned because of shrinking congregations, flight to the suburbs, and declining clergy, especially in the Catholic Church,” said Marilyn M. Fenollosa, senior program officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Northeast office. “These buildings have stood as community landmarks from the time they were built, and many of them deserve to be preserved because they are important architecturally, historically, and from a community perspective.”