With the work of bringing parish communities together ahead, Priest Conveners and their Core Teams gathered at deanery meetings this month for an overview of the Merger Manual and to review a range of practical matters related to parish mergers.
From Oct. 8-Oct. 30, five two-hour evening sessions were held in each area of the diocese. The last session is being held next week.
In addition to the overview of the various sections of the Merger Manual, the sessions provided a review of the pastoral, canonical, civil and administrative work that must occur before mergers are established formally by decree. A suggested sequence of Priest Convener/Core Team meetings was also provided. A question and answer period followed.
The meetings were moderated by Father Terry Odien, vicar for clergy. Bishop Galante opened the meeting with a prayer and reflection.
Bishop commended the Priest Conveners and Core Team members for their willingness to take on the work of bringing parish communities together and recommended Moses as their patron saint. “Moses was called by God to leadership, to help lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but was reluctant, telling God he was not the best candidate for such a mission. When he finally accepted, he heard the frustrations and complaints of the people. Each time, he prayed to God and God intervened. He became a saint not because he made it to the Promised Land, but because he was faithful to the mission to which God called him.”
With scripture references on Power Point behind them, Sr. Marilyn Vollmer, director of pastoral planning for the diocese, and Sr. Antoine Lawlor, associate director of pastoral planning, stressed the importance of prayer, collaboration, and communication, as well as the need to listen with humility, to foster unity and to plan for the common good as Priest Conveners and Core Teams move forward with their work.
Bill Murray, the Bishop’s delegate for temporalities, posed a series of questions to the Priest Conveners and Core Team members on the care of temporal goods. He asked them to review the Merger Manual to obtain answers to questions that will arise regarding property and facilities management, finance/accounting procedures, human resources, inventory, information technology, and budgeting.
Roberta Small, vice chancellor of the diocese, provided a comprehensive review of canonical considerations, including the characteristics of a parish, the role of pastors, what constitutes a merger, how goods, assets, debts and liabilities of existing parishes migrate to the new parish, the records that must be kept and transferred, the disposition of sacred goods, as well as goods of historic or artistic value, in addition to various civil considerations.
Reviewing a range of ministries that serve parishioners of all age groups, Sister Roseann Quinn, the Bishop’s delegate for lifelong faith formation, outlined the need for the Priest Conveners and Core Teams to make adequate provision in their plans for professional ministries to carry out lifelong formation. Lifelong formation was identified by the people of the diocese as a major pastoral priority during Speak Up sessions in 2005 and 2006. Earlier this month, the diocese announced a major initiative to help laity engaged in parish work to obtain the educational credentials specific to their area of ministry. Beginning in January, the diocese’s “Lay Ministry Formation Program” will offer college and university degree and certificate courses for parish leaders and staff in the diocese who serve in various pastoral ministries.
In explaining the merger manual, Sr. Marilyn Vollmer said, “Every parish is unique, but the manual is an approved guide that helps lay the foundation for the work ahead. It provides a pathway and resource based on the input, knowledge and experience of clergy, religious and laity who have contributed to the manual.”
Priest Conveners and Core Team members were asked to take time to review the merger manual thoroughly, then begin to assess those areas or details that need to be addressed by each Core Team based on local needs and situations.
Presenters stressed that parishes were coming into the merging process as equals. “Larger parishes do not have greater influence or rights than smaller parishes,” said Sr. Marilyn Vollmer. “We come together to form something new, but drawing on the strengths of each parish community,” she said. “A merger must be inclusional by involving each parish, which is why we have Core Teams with equal representation from each parish.”
Priest Conveners will direct and coordinate various Core Team tasks, develop a timeline for the work of the Core Team, and oversees the work necessary to ensure that all preparations have occurred before he notifies Bishop Galante of the parishes’ readiness to merge.
The Core Teams will hold their first meetings this fall, while the number of meetings and timeline for meetings will vary, depending on local circumstances. When Bishop Galante’s intentions for reconfiguration were announced in April, he indicated that it would take 12-24 months before he would issue decrees establishing the new parishes.
For more information, see http://www.GatheringGodsGifts.org