Supreme Court justices will review petition from ‘Friends of St. Frances’ Thursday
The parishioners have been keeping a round-the-clock vigil for more than 11 years.
Parishioners of St. Frances X. Cabrini Church have pursued every legal avenue in an effort to keep their beloved Scituate church open. That road, which has taken 11 years, has brought them to the Supreme Court, who will discuss whether to hear their case during a conference session Thursday.
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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston decided to shutter the church in 2004 as part of a reorganization plan, but about 100 parishioners—known as the “Friends of St. Frances X. Cabrini’’—have kept a 24/7 vigil inside the church for more than 11 years. In October, the the state Appeals Court ruled that parishioners of St. Frances X. Cabrini Church were trespassing on property owned by the Archdiocese, and would need to leave.
The parishioners filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in March. They also filed a supplemental brief in April that they believe shows how the most recent interpretation of Canon law on Church closures demonstrates that the civil trespass case against St. Frances is an “ecclesiastical matter” and should have been dismissed in the civil court on First Amendment grounds.
“Now, with the Court hearing the case, there’s a myriad of actions that could happen,” group spokeswoman Maryellen Rogers said. “They could deny the case, they could request more information, or they could accept it. From what I’ve been advised, there’s no firm timeline.”
A spokesman for the Archdiocese declined to comment about Thursday’s Supreme Court conference or specify when the parishioners might be evicted if the court decides not to hear the case.
In the meantime, the parishioners said they’re praying for the justices to intervene.
“This affects everyone in country, not just our church in town of Scituate overlooking the ocean,” Rogers said. “We’re praying they see the value in the case.”
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