For the past nine years, parishes and their pastors have been engaged in a concentrated planning process. Parish planning committees have been asked to assess their viability and to establish goals and objectives for the next three to five years in order to sustain or increase their effectiveness as parishes. In some cases, because of insufficient parish membership, reduced finances, or both, parishes have agreed to close or be established as oratories.

The second phase of parish planning was the Collaboration/Reconfiguration aspect. Experience has proven the value of working together with others for the "common good." A sharing of ideas, resources, talents, and even staff members or volunteers has enriched our parishes that are already collaborating. Each parish was to review their resources, both financial and personnel, as well as programs to see if there were ways they might share with neighboring parishes. Such collaboration can reduce expenses, expand parish programs and create a bond between or among parishes.

Parish reconfiguration, such as twinning or clustering or even merging, has become necessary in light of the ever-increasing priest shortage. We have, in 2007, 79 of our parishes share a pastor. Every effort must made in our planning to ensure the health of our parishes and priests so that future parishes will enjoy the celebration of Sunday Eucharist and a viable, vibrant parish community.

The following is a brief summary of various options for parishes in our diocese, all of which been used at one time or another in our diocesan history:

Linked Parishes: Two or possibly three parishes remain independent parishes and share one pastor. This can be very demanding on the priest without the consolidation of mass schedules and the assistance of deacons or laity in parish roles.

Mission: A linked parish, usually quite smaller than the parish to which it is linked.

Clustered Parishes: Three or four independent parishes that share more than one priest and staff and work together in several areas of parish ministry. Clustering requires much joint activity and can also serve as a step toward the consolidation or merging of parishes.

Consolidated Parishes: A merger takes place when two or more parishes join together to form a new parish. The new parish corporation, usually with a new name, obtains all the assets as well as the liabilities of the parishes that formed it. A consolidation may center all parish activities at one site or continue to use two or more building sites.

Merged Parish: Takes place when one or more parishes are merged or absorbed by one larger parish.

Oratory: Oratory status designates a church that is no longer a parish church and which no longer has regularly scheduled services. The oratory is the responsibility of a nearby parish. An oratory may still be used for special liturgies such as a funeral of a long time parishioner or to celebrate the oratory’s patronal feast.

Worship Site:  A church that remains open for Sunday worship, even thought the parish itself has been either consolidated or merged.

Pastoral Associate: person hired by the pastor to assist him in various parish duties that are determined locally and in reference to diocesan guidelines. This person may be a religious sister or brother, deacon, or qualified layperson.

Pastoral Delegate: A person appointed by the bishop who will oversee the administration of the day-to-day life of the parish and who work closely with a non-resident pastor who is assigned to celebrate liturgy and sacraments for the parish.  

THE PLANNING PROCESS:

When the parishes completed their long range plans and prepared their Collaboration/Reconfiguration suggestions, a Deanery Planning Committee was set up in each deanery, comprised of the Dean as well as a representative selection of pastors and laity. These committees have met in order to review and summarize the various suggestions from the parishes for realignment of parishes, and offered further recommendations regarding deanery restructuring. Each deanery committee must completed its work, and submitted their summaries and suggestions to the Diocesan Planning Committee.

This final committee reviewed all the deanery materials, synthesized the recommendations, and establish a time line for the implementation of these recommendations. This diocesan committee, like the deanery planning committees, is representative: all eight deans are on this committee, as well as the Director of Priest Personnel and Chancellor, and selected religious and lay people from the eight deaneries.