15 01 January Pastoral Planning

Planning

a

Vision

for the

Future

Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Winona: Vision 2016 Update

by: Msgr. Richard M. Colletti, Vicar General/Chancellor

In this insert I am writing to share with you the progress of pastoral planning in the Diocese of Winona.

First and foremost, as Bishop Quinn has reminded us throughout the past three years of planning, you can be assured that the spiritual lives of the people of the diocese will be well cared for today and in the future.

One of the greatest challenges for all of us is that parish life will not look or feel exactly the same as it has in the past. But change is inevitable and has already been taking place throughout most of our spiritual lives—change in pastors, change in parishioners, change in Mass schedules, liturgical changes, and change in ministerial roles. Change is a part of our lives and part of our growth. You can see this in the VISION 2016 articles in this insert in The Courier.

The next immediate step to our process is for you to read and review the articles in this insert. The draft parish cluster plan for VISION 2016 will be published in our February 2015 issue The Courier and on our diocesan website. We will be seeking input and reflections from our clergy (priests and deacons), lay parish leaders, and all parishioners of our Winona Diocese from all five deaneries to review the draft recommendations. I will then share specific tasks that are to be addressed by the clusters and parishes that might be affected. During the coming months of 2015, we will need to identify how parishes will work as clusters, and how they will adjust their parish programming and Mass schedules in light of any recommended alignments or mergers.

I encourage you to visit often the diocesan website, www.dow.org for up-to-date information on the process. Information also will be printed in The Courier.

In closing, it is worth emphasizing that pastoral planning is ongoing and evolving. It will remain an important part of what we do as a diocese. It ensures that we have a plan in place or a mechanism to respond to unforeseen events that leave parishes without a resident pastor. The Office of Pastoral Planning will continue to work with each of the cluster planning groups and begin the very important work of identifying and coordinating appropriate training of much needed lay parish leadership.

Each of you is vitally important as we move forward. Your generosity and willingness to accept change and to be a part of this process both in prayer and involvement are crucial to the vibrancy of our diocese. Please join me in prayer for openness, wisdom and understanding.

Vision 2016 update from July July, 2014 - For over a year and half we have been involved in Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Winona, so that we might continue to learn what is the best way to use our priestly and lay leadership resources in order to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ more effectively. This planning process has been centered in the Eucharist. This 3-year process we embarked upon is a time of grace to strengthen our parish and diocesan life in Christ. It has taken us through five deanery convocations with over 160 lay representatives meeting with priests and deacons in our five deaneries from January through May of 2013. This first phase concluded with our advisory team reflecting upon the data that had been discovered over the past year of reflection.

In June of 2013, the planning process formal deanery meetings with parish representatives was suspended as we entered deanery and parish meetings for our very successful Capital Campaign, Rooted in Faith, Rejoice in Hope. During that same period we studied best practices for Diocese Pastoral Planning from neighboring dioceses in the Midwest. Now, as we continue with the diocesan planning process, we will together set goals toward Vision 2016 that will help us be the Light of Christ in the world. We are now at the point of refining what we have discovered in our study and some of the recommendations given by the deaneries during Phase 1 so that we might approach particular parishes and clusters on how to plan for the future. We begin again with a July 2 meeting with TeamWorks International

who guided us from the beginning of our planning process.

The Diocese of Winona is working with TeamWorks International, Inc. again to guide us in the implementation of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan and the parish transitions that will occur in the Deaneries over the next three years. Phase 2 will focus on parish and parish cluster needs in each of our 5 deaneries. This process will include: A. Development of a Parish Transition Process and training of local lay and diocesan facilitators B. Use of a beta-test in a specific set of parishes where there is need and a bit of urgency C. Use of local pastoral leadership and diocesan facilitation D. Use of a specific process and tools in written form E. Use of a Parish Transition Leadership Team with specific roles, responsibilities and accountability to the local pastor and bishop It is anticipated that the Parish Transition Process will include input from our lay and clergy leadership in our parishes and refinement of the initial planning documentation that was created during Phase 1 of Pastoral Planning. Next month I will give the outcome of our July 2 planning session and the next step in our Winona diocese planning process.

January, 2015 w The Courier

Vision 2016 update from September September, 2014 - This past July I updated you on Phase II of Pastoral Planning in our diocese. This phase will revise the current parish cluster plan (inaugurated in 2000). That plan reduced parish clusters from 63 to 51 over eight years. The new plan will reduce parish clusters by 5 more in years to come.

Why are we doing this? In a nutshell, we must match our available priests with changing demography in southern Minnesota. Only 6 of our 20 counties will grow significantly in the next 30 years. The other 14 will undergo continued stasis or further decline. In addition, 20 of our pastors will be at least 70 years old within ten years. On average, we currently ordain one priest per year; hence we cannot replace all who retire. And while several priests serve us from foreign lands, some do not remain here long term.

These facts require us to apply our labor responsibly. It isn’t a matter of a so-called “priest shortage” alone. In many places we have a “laity shortage.”

In part this is due to broader demography; but secularization also contributes.

Many no longer frequent the Eucharist as they did in generations past. As our faithful elders depart us, fewer laity replace them. Larger communities absorb these changes more readily; but smaller communities cannot. No doubt changes will be in store for some.

In July, I gathered several priests to hear their advice on a new cluster plan. We reviewed recommendations for each deanery, gathered during discussions among priests and laity in 2012-2013. They also offered key recommendations to guide a revised plan. For example, how many weekend Masses can our aging clergy reasonably provide? Among our active priests

the average age is 54; and it will likely rise in the next few years. Indeed 20 of our 51 pastors are currently over 60 years old.

For this reason (among others), we recommend that priests not be expected to provide more than three regular Sunday Masses (including Saturday evening). When their busy weekend arrives, most have worked for 40 hours in the days prior. And besides regular weekend Masses (which often involve travel), priests also serve weddings, funerals, baptisms, meetings, or pastoral gatherings each weekend. Few of us realize the dedication involved in their everyday mission.

As deliberations continue this autumn, we will need to identify those parishes where a weekend Mass might no longer be feasible. The process will be patient but deliberate, and will involve clergy as well as laity. Where change is needed, we hope to introduce it with grace and care. And in turn, we hope for support and understanding from our people. For in the end, the Church is not immune to the changes around her. Nevertheless, she will always grow – if not in numbers, then in holiness, vitality, and a commitment to her mission.

Let us pray for one another in this important and vital task!

Vision 2016 update from October October, 2014 - The ultimate goal of the planning process is to revitalize, strengthen and bring new life to our parishes, churches and Catholic families in the Diocese of Winona. Our society and way of life have changed immensely over the past 50 to 100 years. Our transportation and infrastructure have improved dramatically, large portions of our population have shifted from rural to urban areas, technology has transformed the way we communicate and we have seen the number of priests in our diocese both rise and fall over time.

The purpose of our diocesan planning is to address these significant changes to our way of life, and to ask ourselves, as a diocesan family: How might we best utilize our resources to most effectively serve our people, now and in the future? How do we continue to grow in faith and love as a community while adapting to the demands — and wonderful opportunities — of the 21st century Church?

Recently I’ve been writing about Phase II of Pastoral Planning in our diocese. In September I explained the need for a new parish cluster plan with five fewer pastors. This is due to two factors.

First, there will be fewer available priests in the next decade; and second, there are fewer laity in many communities because of demographic shifts or other declines in parish participation. These changes affect our smallest communities the most, requiring us to ask whether we can continue to offer Mass there.

January, 2015 w The Courier

It is not easy to imagine our favorite church without a weekend Mass. Our church is woven into the fabric of our lives. It is more than a building: it is a repository of memory, community, and grace. Our children were baptized there; our friends were married there; our loved ones were buried there. A sacred place always remains in our hearts, because it represents our bonds with God and neighbor.

And yet we know too, that no place lasts forever. Our lives change, our relationships change, our labors change, our communities change. Few live in the same house from birth to death! And the same is true for the Church: it is much larger than any single building. In fact, it is broader and deeper than all of them combined. In the end the Church is a mystery of faith: an edifice of grace consisting of believers themselves; for all the baptized comprise the Body of Christ in the world.

Some time ago, the priests of the diocese completed a survey. A majority stated that a parish required a minimum number of households to be sustainable. In other words, below a certain level of participation, a parish simply cannot continue the church’s broader mission. It is just too small.

And based on those survey results, a significant number of parishes today are not sustainable.

Who wants to tell any parish that Mass is no longer possible at their church? It’s hard to say and even harder to hear. But deep down, many parishes already know their future is limited. continued on next page

Vision 2016 update from October, cont'd.

Time has passed their community by. Education, shopping, work, and health care take place a distance away.

And now, so will Eucharist. In other words, hearing that a local Mass is no longer possible will be sad news; but many will have known that the day would come.

They will now embrace – and be embraced by – a nearby parish community. They will learn afresh that life means change; but change is not all bad, after all.

While undeniably there will be some loss and grieving associated with this strategic planning initiative, we firmly believe that new life awaits our Church at the end of this inevitable grieving process. The goal of strategic planning is to move our diocese, and its people, for-

ward to this new, life-giving place. And hopefully, in so doing, also increase vocations within our diocese.

As planning discussions continue in these months, we will need to identify those parishes where a weekend Mass is no longer feasible. The process will be patient but deliberate, and will involve clergy as well as laity. Where change is needed, we hope to introduce it with grace and care. And in turn, we hope for support and understanding from our people. For in the end, the Church is not immune to the changes around her. Nevertheless, she will always grow – if not in numbers, then in holiness, vitality, and a commitment to her mission.

Let us pray for one another – and the future of the Body of Christ in our diocese!

Vision 2016 update from November November, 2014 - The past few months I have updated you on foreseeable changes in parish-cluster alignments in our diocese. In part this is due to population trends and shifts; and in part, to changes in the Catholic scene. The latter includes a reduced number of priests available to serve our diocese, as well as a reduced number of people in many parishes. In other words, change is all around us; but sometimes the changes happen so gradually, we are hardly aware. Perhaps it is like the process of human growth. On a day-to-day basis, we hardly notice the person in the mirror; but at various points we realize that he or she has changed significantly over time.

The same is true of our diocese. State demographers show us remarkable change in our landscape over the past decades. Once-thriving rural communities have declined, while urban centers around Mankato, Owatonna, and (especially) Rochester have grown. Population shifts in southwest and south central Minnesota are often due to decreased Anglo populations and increasing immigration (especially from Spanish-speaking lands); and where growth occurs in southeast Minnesota, it could be either Anglo or immigrant growth. Moreover our younger native generations are far more mobile than in the past, and just as likely to move away as to remain in their home areas.

The Church is not immune to these changes. In the 1990s Bishop Vlazny began a planning process that reshaped the diocese under Bishop Harrington. His 2000 plan reduced our parish clusters from 63 to 51 over eight years. Before long Bishop Quinn will publically propose a plan to reduce by 5 more, and seek local input for improvements. That would perhaps mean that about 20 of our current clusters could undergo an adjustment in the next five years or so. What kinds of changes might they see?

First, across the diocese, about ten clusters could be combined into five.

These would be among the smallest parish clusters in their deanery, whose size no longer warrants a full-time pastor. Assistance in identifying these clusters came from professional consultants who have carefully analyzed our diocesan data, as well as broader demographic trends in southern Minnesota.

These studies, completed in 2012, help us identify where our Bishop must distribute our priests in order to serve our various Catholic communities fairly

and resourcefully. We reviewed these studies with our parish priests and lay representatives in deanery planning meetings during 2012-13.

Second, about a half-dozen parishes would no longer have a resident Pastor. Although they would still have a local weekend Mass, for other needs they may have to phone him at a nearby parish, email him with a question, or travel for appointments or the like. In addition, some parishes would shift from one cluster to another, as new parish alignments take shape under a new plan. And various parishes would change their Mass schedule to accommodate new cluster arrangements.

Third, a fair number of churches would no longer have a weekend Mass.

As I explained in September, our priests cannot provide an unlimited number of liturgies, due to their various weekday responsibilities along with the press of their weekend commitments (including travel). Indeed, below a certain threshold, an individual parish Mass is no longer warranted, as I wrote in October. Parishioners would be welcomed in new settings, even as they grieve losing a house of worship once dear to them on Sundays. They could still retain their church as an “oratory” for weddings, funerals, or local prayer, for as long as they could maintain it; but they would now be welcomed for weekend Mass at a different parish nearby, where more people are at hand.

As planning discussions continue in these months, we will need to identify those parishes where changes of these kinds have become necessary.

In a few months we hope to publicize a draft plan for review in a patient but deliberate process. Both clergy and lay representatives will be consulted to see if improvements to the draft plan are possible. Perhaps the Bishop could finalize the plan by the spring of 2016, and then implement it over five years or so, as pastors complete their tenure in the clusters to be affected. Where change is needed, we hope to introduce it with grace and care. And in turn, we hope for support and understanding from our people.

For in the end, the Church is not immune to the changes around her.

Nevertheless, she will always grow – if not in numbers, then in holiness, vitality, and a commitment to her mission. Let us pray for one another – and the future of the Body of Christ in our diocese!

January, 2015 w The Courier

Vision 2016

Vision 2016 update from December December, 2014 - This month Bishop Quinn will receive a final draft of the pastoral plan VISION 2016 for our diocese. This draft has been prepared by a clergy planning subcommittee and reviewed by the Presbyteral Council and others. It distills over two years of study and conversation at the local and deanery level, including clergy and lay representatives. After his review, the draft will be published in the Courier in February, for study and informed comment from our whole diocese. Local planning meetings will then take place at the deanery and cluster levels, from February through December of 2015, in the hopes of finalizing the plan by spring of 2016. This will be an important moment for parishes and clusters to provide input for our diocesan future.

Interestingly, at the same time we have been working on Pastoral Planning, the Archdiocese of New York presented their pastoral plan for reorganizing their archdiocese. As has been our goal in the Diocese of Winona, their goal was to create parishes that are even more alive, vibrant, stable and strong. Like them we need to make certain that our resources are being used properly as good stewards of the gospel.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, wrote in his column in Catholic New York on October 30, that the archdiocese had “too many parishes” in areas that once had “huge” Catholic populations that have since moved away. Cardinal Dolan said the archdiocese could no longer staff all the urban parishes and acknowledged that the mergers might inflict deep emotional pain on the parishioners who will lose beloved churches that some have attended faithfully for decades. The Cardinal said, “Let me be candid: There will soon be a real sense of grief at some of our parishes as we get set to announce publicly what we’ve been preparing for the last five years, namely, the merging of some of our beloved parishes,” he wrote. “In a few places, there might even be a feeling that something has died.”

We have a similar trend in many parts of our diocese, especially in our smallest rural communities. Many Catholics have left the farm and the small town. Meanwhile, more Catholics have stopped attending Mass and participating in parish life. Young, single people also tend to be less churchgoing, at least until they marry, have children and begin attending Mass again with their families, according to Mark Gray, a senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. “There are not enough people in the pews to justify the cost of maintaining the worship space,” Gray said.

“Another factor you have to be concerned about is the fewer number of priests that there are for these parishes. When you have a situation where you have one priest

January, 2015 w The Courier

responsible for two or three parishes, it becomes pretty demanding.”

Our Winona Diocese pastoral-planning process has encompassed over two years of study and consultation between parishioners, priests, deacons

and religious. It will continue through the promulgation of VISION 2016 and into the future. In fact, planning will be ongoing into the future as we strive to be an active, engaged Church, and pass on our faith. Guided by the Holy Spirit, clergy, religious and laity alike are asked to enter a time of discernment around the mission of the Church, and together with Bishop Quinn create a dynamic, life-giving vision for our future.

Pastoral planning is built on consultation and dialogue that leads to action. All Catholics are invited to be a part of the conversation that creates our future as well as lending their gifts to living out our mission together. All of us are called to participate fully in the life and mission of the Church. This mission of the Church is rooted in the mission of Christ who commanded everyone – clergy, religious, and laity – to, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Matt 16:15). Please continue to pray for our pastoral planning process!