Massachusetts Diocese Announces Layoffs

If ever there were a recession-proof entity in the United States, one might think the Catholic Church ought to be it. Not so, according to the Diocese of Springfield Massachusetts, which on Friday announced that it was laying off 49 people. The layoffs represent 36 percent of the Diocese’s current workforce.

Most of the Blame for the layoffs was placed on the investment portfolio of the Diocese: “With the economic collapse, the investment income on which the diocese depended for much of the operating budget of its central offices has all but disappeared,” said Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell. The Springfield staff will be reduced from 138 to 89 people on July 1st.