‘We can trust’ God’s grace and providence

Monsignor Christopher Connelly has served as chaplain of Legatus’ Western Massachusetts Chapter since 2006. He grew up in an observant Catholic home in Springfield, MA; his father was a high school teacher and lawyer, and his mother a teacher. He earned a political science degree from Providence College in Rhode Island and entered the seminary for the Diocese of Springfield. He was ordained a priest in 1993. He has served as parish priest, secretary to bishops, diocesan master of ceremonies, vice chancellor, vicar general, moderator of the curia, and tribunal judge. He has a degree in canon law from the Catholic University of America.

He has been rector of the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Springfield since 2008. The cathedral has a prominent downtown location surrounded by museums and historic buildings, and it draws parishioners from throughout the diocese.

How did you come to enter the seminary? 
How were your experiences there?

I was inspired by the example of the Dominican friars who taught me at Providence College and the Sisters of St. Joseph who taught me in high school.
 
I attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA, and had a positive experience there. We were diverse in that the seminary served multiple dioceses, yet united because we all had the same goal: we wanted to serve the Lord.

Give us an overview of the Diocese of Springfield.
 
We have 89 active priests who work in 79 parishes. We are led by Bishop William Byrne, who was appointed to lead the diocese in 2020.
 
Like many New England dioceses, we’ve seen a considerable decline and diminishment in terms of sacramental statistics. In 1990, we had a Catholic population of 318,239, which fell to 199,289 by 2019. I don’t even know the number since the Covid-19 pandemic. Our numbers had been in decline for decades before 1990; in 1967, for example, our Catholic population was 386,917.
 
To give you an idea of how that affects other areas, consider infant baptisms. In 1967, we baptized 8,146 babies. In 1990, we baptized 5,327. In 2019, we baptized 1,474. This is all occurring at a time when the population of Springfield itself has been growing.

People say we need an increase in vocations to the priesthood, which we do. But our greater concern should be the lack of people in the pews. The reason we’ve closed, merged, or clustered parishes is not because of a lack of priests, but because there are no longer enough people attending Mass. The faithful are not filling the churches as they once did.

Why has there been such a decline?

I think it is a combination of reasons: we live in a secularized time, people don’t practice religion and follow Catholic values as they once did, and the Church has made mistakes. What is happening is not unique to Springfield, however. We mirror what is going on in every New England diocese and in many other places throughout the country.

How can we turn things around and increase participation in the Church?

The problem is, we can’t just look at a neighboring diocese that is doing well and then do what they are doing. There isn’t one. We have to keep in mind that with God’s grace, anything can happen.
 
I’m not discouraged with the situation of things. It is the time we’ve been called to serve the Church. The need for priests and committed laypeople is just as strong today as ever. God will continue to provide, and we can trust in Him.

How have your experiences been with Legatus?

Since I began as chaplain 16 years ago, I have found its members to possess a great work ethic and to be very dedicated to their Catholic faith. They have their priorities right in terms of faith and family. They have been a great blessing to the Church.