The archdiocese of Boston released the list of parishes that are slated for closure, and there were a few familiar names on the list.

Most familiar is St. James the Great here in Wellesley, which Sarah and I had been going to for a time before moving over to St. Joseph's in Needham (go figure that we found a church we like just as we're planning on moving out of the area). Kind of saw that coming given the statistical comparisons with the other churches in town.

Another with a personal connection is St. Joachim's in Rockport, which has seen a few Coens come through for baptism or funerals. It's a nice church, very New Englandy. It may stay open as a "worship space," the meaning of which I haven't quite figured out.

There's a church in Newton that my office-mate used to go to that's closing; he said they averaged about 10 people a Mass, so he wasn't surprised at all (the one time Sarah and I tried to find it we got lost, so perhaps location is an issue, too). There's also a church in Chestnut Hill that's closing whose location is such that the land alone should bring some serious coin. Probably for the best, given that a new round of lawsuits is supposed to be on deck.