A much-publiched scandal within its ranks forces the Archdiocese of Boston to rethink its development plan.

By David Mckenna

The improvement in 2003 was dramatic, but the Appeal had other problems. Because it has a miniscule endowment, the archdiocese had initiated an ongoing capital and endowment campaign in 2001, which cut into the Appeal’s donor base. The base was further threatened in 2004 as the archdiocese approached reconfiguration, a term for the closing of under-attended parish schools and churches.