Responses to Your Questions About Pastoral Planning

Question #1:   We were told by the Planning Team that, beginning in June 2007, there will be three priests serving the parishes of St. Mary, Waterloo, St. Patrick, Seneca Falls and the Roman Catholic Community of Geneva.  But I hear through the grapevine that we shouldn’t count on having three.  What gives?

Answer #1:    Currently we have 4 priests as described below:

Beginning in June 2007 we WILL have 3 priests! The diocesan Pastoral Planning Office and Priest Personnel Board have worked together to plan how many priests will be available in each of the 36 planning groups within our diocese over the coming 10 years.  We will have 3 beginning in June 2007 and likely as long as until 2015 when there may be further reductions.  However, we need to keep in mind the following:

·        All three priests will not be Pastors.

      (The four priests we currently have are not all Pastors-see chart above).

·        All three priests may not be full-time but they likely will be. 

      While it cannot be guaranteed, it seems very likely that the 3 priests available to the four churches starting in June 2007 will be full time because of the high sacramental need within our parishes and the hospital, campus and migrant ministries.  This does not rule out the possibility of a Pastoral Administrator leading one or both of the communities. 

·        All three priests may or may not be diocesan priests.

We may have seasoned priests as well as those in their first or second assignments after ordination.  One or more priests could be extern priests (from another diocese with their Bishop’s permission) – priests from another diocese within the United States who are searching for a new diocesan “home” or priests from another country here for sabbatical or study.

Prayer for our Parishes During Pastoral Planning

Jesus Christ, our Lord and our brother, you have called us to be your one Church.

Make us one in our faith and hope, and one in our loving service.

Make us one in worship and daily living.

Lord Jesus, send us your Spirit to make us one as you want us to be.

We ask this, Jesus, for you are our Lord and our Savior forever.

 Amen.

Question #2:   My understanding is that when Fr. Weis retired as Pastor of St. Mary’s, no priests applied for his position.  What makes you think that a priest would apply to lead the proposed St. Mary/St. Patrick cluster?

Answer #2:       The situation in 2004 was quite different:

·        Priests (and Pastoral Administrators) realized that St. Mary’s, St. Patrick’s and the RCC of Geneva were just beginning pastoral planning and that their appointment would be for a short time of undetermined length, not the typical full six-year term.  Most priests like to be able to settle into a community and expect to be with it for a long time. 

·        St. Mary’s and St. Patrick’s schools were in the process of consolidating into St. John Bosco School. 

·        St. Mary’s parish was in serious financial difficulties.  Fortunately, Sr. Kathleen was willing to accept an appointment by Bishop Clark to lead St. Mary’s during these challenging times.  Under her leadership, the parish has made steady progress on the long road back to financial health and renewed the vitality of its ministries.

There are a lot of reasons to think that one or more priests would be attracted to apply for the pastorate of the proposed St. Mary/St. Patrick cluster:

·        The two communities have worked hard to recover from difficult circumstances.

·        The two communities have worked together to create a promising future for St. John Bosco School which provides an excellent Catholic education while using parish resources more efficiently and effectively.

·        While “everyone” seems to think that St. Mary’s and St. Patrick’s cannot work together, there is increasing evidence that this statement is a myth.  Shared social ministry and several joint faith formation efforts have been effective.  Those parishioners who participated in the May listening sessions seemed to be cautiously optimistic about the proposed changes.  There has been no furor in response to the proposed clustering of the two parishes.  Rather, people seem to be determined to make any needed changes work so that the Church can continue to be healthy and life-giving.

·        There are a lot of diocesan priests who either grew up at St. Mary’s or St. Patrick’s or ministered in one of these communities at some point during their priesthood.  They have a deep love for these churches and their parishioners.  They will very possibly invite and encourage their brother priests to consider applying to be the first Pastor of the two communities.