Jesus Christ calls us to constantly renew His Church. Renew My Church is the Archdiocese of Chicago's response to His call and our invitation for renewal.
We Need Your Input
Below is a summary of where we are today, but much more will be shared in our next parish meeting on
Monday, April 9 at 7 pm in the Gym - please come to learn more and share your feedback
and input.
Process Overview
Renewal requires envisioning, planning, and new means to bring Jesus Christ to others. There are nearly
100 groupings of parishes and schools across the Archdiocese. Each grouping will engage in a process to
address necessary questions of structure, how to work together across communities within each grouping,
and to establish a strong foundation for vitality through focused evangelization and faith formation efforts.
Supporting our parishes with the best structures enables us to breathe renewed life into our efforts to make
disciples, build communities, and inspire witness.
Initial Scenario
To initiate discussion, the Archdiocese has offered our grouping an initial scenario that shows a model of
how our parishes and schools could be configured. This initial scenario, outlined below, is a conversation
starter only. The teams from all parishes in our grouping are working together to determine if any additional
scenarios need to be evaluated.
These will be shared at our next Parish Town Hall meeting on Monday,
April 9 at 7 pm in the Gym
.
No decisions have been made
. These scenarios reflect our grouping's local
realities using these criteria:
Criteria for Supporting Vitality and Ensuring Viability
Ministerial and spiritual needs of the parish: To ensure quality resources for worship, pastoral care,
religious education, and evangelization, parishes ordinarily will have a justly-paid, professionally-trained staff
team. On average, a parish will need a minimum
operating revenue of $500,000
(excluding rental income)
to support staffing and other operating expenses.
Operating revenue of $750,000 or more (excluding
rental income) is strongly preferred to invest in important ministry roles.
Parishioner count and Mass attendance: Based on the projection of pastors available across the
Archdiocese, parishes ordinarily need
a minimum of 800 parishioners attending Mass each weekend to
be assigned
a full-time resident pastor
, with consideration given to particular local and cultural
circumstances; a
minimum of 1,200 parishioners attending weekend Mass for long-term vitality
.
Balanced workloads for priests: It is critical that our pastors are supported with the resources and teams
to support sacramental life, pastoral care, and parish administration.
Parish financial stability and facilities: Parish must have financial stability and adequate, accessible and
safe facilities with capacity for growth and ongoing repair/maintenance.
School vitality and financial stability: A key measure is the
potential to enroll a minimum of 240
students in PK-8
, considering area demographics and parish student population; as well as ensuring
quality education, strong student social development, and sustainable operations.
Initial Scenario to begin the conversation:
The archdiocese has offered this initial scenario. The intent is to spark a conversation about how to most effectively
minister to the entire community and how to provide an underlying structure to support that ministry. The grouping teams
are discerning possible alternatives that could as effectively or more effectively support ministry in the grouping.
As you read and consider the information below, ask:
How could a different structure support a foundation for vitality in the long-term future with the gifts and resources
in our grouping?
What are our particular local needs that need to be considered? Geographic considerations? Ministry to particular
language needs and cultures?
The initial scenario considerations refer to a united canonical parish: a model in which two or more current parishes
become one parish - with one pastor, budget, staff, Finance Council, etc. - but that can have multiple active church
worship sites.
-- -- --
Initial Scenario Proposed for Our Grouping-- -- -- --
A unique characteristic of our grouping is that two of the parishes are owned by their religious communities. The
Redemptorists both staff and own the property of St. Michael Parish, and the Vincentians both staff and own the property
of St. Vincent de Paul Parish. Based on this structure, both St. Michael and St. Vincent de Paul would continue in their
current structures as single-site parishes staffed by a full-time resident pastor from their respective religious communities,
unless they choose to create something different.
Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph officially united as one parish with two worship sites in 2016. These initial
considerations propose that the parish would continue in its current canonical status as a multi-site parish with a full-time
resident pastor. Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph School would continue with its current structure.
St. Josaphat and St. Teresa of Avila would unite as one canonical parish with two active church worship sites.
A united parish located at two sites could provide an underlying structure to use the strengths and talents of the
lay leadership of both communities in a focused manner under one pastor and pastoral team.
St. Josaphat School
would serve as the parish school
.
While reviewing the canonical structure posed above, the entire grouping would enhance its existing collaborative work by
identifying opportunities to invest more deeply in ministry by sharing some staff positions and setting a unified vision and
plan for programming.
As part of the grouping's collaborative work, the grouping is encouraged to explore opportunities to establish a shared
physical presence and operation for evangelization near the properties being developed in the area. This presence could
take many forms. The goal would be to establish a space to build relationships and trust with the Catholic Church before
people may be ready to come back to a church and participate in Mass.
Your input is needed
Again, these initial scenario considerations are conversation starters only.
No decisions have been made.
We are asked to provide feedback on the initial scenarios from the Archdiocese and propose alternative
scenarios and configuration models.
Please come to our next parish meeting on Monday, April 9 at 7 pm in the Gym to learn more
and share your feedback and input.