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Cardinal says Masses will not cease at St. Brendan Church, for now

St. Brendan's Church on Gallivan Boulevard in the Dorchester, circa 1933.Globe Photographer/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

After an outcry from parishioners, St. Brendan Church in Dorchester will continue celebrating Mass past the end of this month, Cardinal Sean O’Malley said Friday, temporarily reversing his earlier decision and calling on congregants to help put together a financial plan for the church.

The Archdiocese of Boston will not suspend liturgies on May 31 at St. Brendan Church, which was merged in 2018 with St. Ann Parish in Neponset to form St. Martin de Porres Parish, O’Malley said in a letter to parishioners.

“After consulting with your pastor, Fr. Chris Palladino, and Archdiocesan leadership, we recognize that many in the parish and the wider community are not in favor of suspending liturgies at St. Brendan’s Church,” O’Malley said in the letter. “It seems clear that more discussion about these matters is needed.”

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To facilitate that conversation, O’Malley called for the formation of a working group that will include parish representation and be tasked with developing a financial plan by Sept. 30, including recommendations on how to support the parish’s buildings and operations, according to the letter.

“It is important that serious consideration is given to the impact that recommendations would have on both the parish and the school,” O’Malley said.

The cardinal said the parish “is facing significant operating shortfalls” and needs to make improvements to its facilities, which include two church buildings and a school.

He stressed that the congregation must still address “compelling financial pressures that necessitate decisions about how the parish will assure its future. The decisions that must be reached impact all those who worship at St. Ann Church, St. Brendan Church, as well as the St. Brendan school families.”

Palladino, the parish’s pastor, wrote to O’Malley earlier this year to share his members’ strong opposition to shutting down services, the Globe reported.

“Your Eminence, I must communicate to you the pain and anger my Parishioners have toward you and the Archdiocese that they find themselves in this situation which they believe could have been avoided,” Palladino wrote. “I invite you to consider celebrating Mass at St. Brendan Church and to pastorally address those who feel abandoned.”

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Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him @jeremycfox.