About

DECREE

September 26, 2007

Merging Saint John the Evangelist Parish, in Hudson, New Hampshire and Infant Jesus Parish in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Saint John the Evangelist Parish has served the Catholic faithful of the Town of Hudson since 1949.

Infant Jesus Parish has served the Catholic faithful of a portion of the City of Nashua since 1909.

During that time, many people have heard the Word of God, have worshiped and have received the sacraments of the Church in these parishes. Now, in an effort to strengthen the preaching of the Gospel and to ensure the vitality of parish life, with concern for the best stewardship of resources and the right of the people of God to receive assistance from the Church, especially the Word of God, spiritual sustenance and the sacraments, it is necessary to make new provisions for the spiritual care of the parishioners of these parishes.

To that end, having asked parishioners to make known their needs and desires, having received the recommendations of Cluster Task Force Number Twenty-four, consisting of the pastors from the parishes and two liaisons from each of the parishes, after consultation with the Dean of the Souhegan Deanery, the Long Range Planning Commission, the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Manchester, and the Diocesan Finance Council, and in accord with canons 121, 515 §2 and 518 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, I hereby:

1. Merge Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Hudson, New Hampshire, and Infant Jesus Parish in Nashua, New Hampshire, including Infant Jesus Parish School in Nashua. The merger shall take effect at midnight at the end of Sunday, October 7, 2007. This merged parish shall include the parish communities of the former Saint John the Evangelist Parish and the former Infant Jesus Parish, including Infant Jesus Parish School, and shall encompass the territory delineated by the two former parishes. The existing church edifice of each of the former parishes will remain the sites of worship for the merged parish community, until such time that the pastor, with the advice of his parish pastoral and finance council, and with my consent, determines otherwise.

2. Establish that the name of the new parish be *Blessed John XXIII Parish, but that the names of the current Saint John the Evangelist Church edifice and Infant Jesus Church edifice shall remain unchanged. The name of the Infant Jesus Parish School shall remain unchanged unless the pastor, having heard the parish pastoral and finance council of *Blessed John XXIII Parish, wishes to request permission from the diocesan bishop to do in accordance with diocesan norms.

3. Establish that, in accord with canon 519, a pastor will be appointed by decree to foster the pastoral care of *Blessed John XXIII Parish.

This decision is based upon a number of components, among them the spiritual welfare of the parish communities, the spread of the Gospel, the fostering of unity of the People of God in the Souhegan Deanery, the enhancement of collaborative ministry, and the best use of available priest personnel.

All parish registers containing the records of baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, marriage, and deaths preserved at Saint John the Evangelist Parish and Infant Jesus Parish will be transferred to *Blessed John XXIII Parish office at 121 Allds Street in Nashua, where they will be faithfully preserved in accord with canon 535, §§1-5. According to the norm of canon 121, all assets, whether movable or immovable, and all liabilities of the two former parishes will become the assets and liabilities of *Blessed John XXIII Parish. Furthermore, ownership of all ecclesiastical goods and all objects of artistic or historical value belonging to the former two parishes will be transferred to *Blessed John XXIII Parish and will be administered in accordance with the prescriptions of Church law.

The merger of Saint John the Evangelist Parish and Infant Jesus Parish will terminate the juridic personality of each of the former parishes, which they now possess by law, and no longer will they be the subjects in canon law of obligations and rights corresponding to their nature as juridic persons, nor will they be capable of acquiring, retaining, administering, or alienating temporal goods according to the norm of law.

I direct that this Decree be given to the pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Parish and Infant Jesus Parish, and that this information, as well as the “Manner of Initiating Hierarchical Recourse” against this Decree, be communicated at all Masses of obligation on the weekend of Saturday, October 6, 2007 and Sunday, October 7, 2007.

Given at Manchester this 26th day of September, 2007.

John B. McCormack Bishop of Manchester  / Edward J. Arsenault Moderator of the Curia

*UPDATE*: Pope John the XXIII was canonized on October 27, 2014 and the parish was renamed to ‘Saint John the XXIII Parish’