The closing of a parish can be a painful process involving the closing of a church that has been a part of the community for decades – a place where marriages, baptisms and first communions were celebrated and a place, too, were loved ones were remembered and eulogized.

Father Robert Marciano, pastor of St. Kevin Church and president of Bishop Hendricken High School, doesn’t pretend the closing of St. Benedict Church in Conimicut will be easy for some parishioners. Yet, he said in an interview Monday many in the church have found new life at St. Kevin and are excited to be there.

Fr. Marciano pointed out that coming from a parish of 195 families, many of St. Benedict’s parishioners were older and the church lacked the vitality of young people and children. He said it must be difficult to watch the congregation age and lose members. By comparison, St. Kevin has more than 1,000 family parishioners and an active school.

Over the past 10 years, Fr. Marciano said, St. Kevin Church held 297 weddings as compared to five or six at St. Benedict.

Not since the pandemic shutdown in March 2020 have services been held at St. Benedict. As in-person church services resumed, St, Benedict parishioners attended Mass at St. Kevin. Fr. Marciano doesn’t believe there will be a final Mass at St. Benedict. He is thinking of a ceremony with the statute of St. Benedict being transported to St. Kevin to commemorate the event.

The merger of parishes comes at the request of the St. Benedict parish administrator, parish trustees, and parish finance council, according to a release on the Diocese of Providence website.

After consulting with the affected parishes, the diocesan College of Consultors, and the Council of Priests, Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence, has approved the request effective Nov. 17, 2021. Parishioners were informed of the decision at Masses last weekend.

St. Benedict parishioners could see what was coming when in 2017 the two churches were “yoked.” Up until the pandemic, often with the assistance of retired St. Benedict Pastor Roland Simoneau, Fr. Marciano would conduct mass at St. Benedict as well as St. Kevin.

Fr. Marciano said parishes close for one or a combination of three reasons: no parishioners; the physical premises are in such disrepair that it would be impossible to maintain operations without a substantial investment or that the parish is out of money.

In the case of St. Benedict, Fr. Marciano said, it’s a lack of people although there are some aspects of the premises – he mentions the parking lot – that need repairs. He said the church has funds and the intention is to keep St. Benedict incorporation intact.

“Why spend the money on an empty building?” heasked rhetorically.

The degree signed by Bishop Tobin and Chancellor Rev. Timothy Reilly, notes that the annual operating cost of the church total approximately $138,269 and that in addition to the parking lot the property needs repairs estimated at $80,000.

Parishioners wishing recourse against the decree must do so in writing to Bishop Tobin by Nov. 5. And what might be the future for the church and the school that it once ran?

Fr. Marciano said there have already been some inquiries about the buildings.

He imagines the school could be transformed into condos with each of its classrooms large enough for a single unit. As for the church, he’s thinking another faith institution, or maybe, even an organization such as the Knights of Columbus.

He didn’t put a value on the property, but noted it had been insured for $3 million.

St. Benedict will be the third Warwick Catholic parish to close in less than 10 years. Both St. Catherine in Apponaug and St. Francis on Jefferson Boulevard arenow closed.

“As in life, when a senior parent can move in with a child for those future golden years, so too, St. Benedict parish, who gave birth to St. Kevin parish more than 60 years ago, can now take up residence with a grateful child for a future of stability, faith and good works. The good news for all is that the Catholic presence in Warwick remains strong in this new vibrant parish strong with virtues of family, charity and faith,” Fr. Marciano is quoted in the diocese release