Planning For a Bright Future

One couple shares their experience of their parish going through the 'intentional planning' process

By Annie Lust

GROWING UP IN BASCOM

Bascom is part of Bob Swartzmiller’s identity. He was raised in the small community on the western side of Seneca County. There are no stoplights in Bascom. It’s the kind of place where you know your neighbors. In Bob’s case, he was related to many of them. “I couldn’t date anyone from Bascom,” Bob joked. He met Alicia at the nearby vocational school, and they married. After his military service, Bob and Alicia settled in Bascom to raise their family. Both lifelong Catholics, it was apparent that St. Patrick, less than half a mile from their home, would be their parish. For decades, it was. Their three sons received First Holy Communion there. On Sunday mornings, they sat in the familiar pews, often on the side with the St. Patrick statue looking down onto them. The small brick church was home, like it had been to generations before them.

DIFFICULT DECISIONS

In the early 2000s, while Bob and Alicia were busy raising three young boys, the parishes of western Seneca County were undertaking a momentous task of their own. A decade prior, then-Toledo Bishop James R. Hoffman, who served from 1981-2003, recognized the trend of lower

Mass attendance and fewer seminarians and began looking toward the future. The six rural parishes in the area: St. Andrew in Liberty, St. Boniface in New Riegel, St. James in Kansas, St. Nicholas in Frenchtown, St. Patrick in Bascom and Sts. Peter & Paul in Alvada — were among the first to grapple with these difficult realities. In 2005, three of those parishes (St. Boniface, St. Nicholas and Sts. Peter & Paul) were merged to create All Saints Parish. St. James closed, as well. In 2010, St. Patrick and St. Andrew began sharing a pastor with All Saints Parish. In 2018, St. Patrick and St. Andrew closed. The six former parishes became one parish.

For many, the process was understandably heartbreaking. Each church had a history, an identity and a group of parishioners who were emotionally and spiritually attached to the church. While many made the transition to becoming members of the newly formed All Saints Parish, not everyone did. In some cases, the heartbreak or anger was overwhelming. Some decided to attend other parishes. Some left altogether.

Bob and Alicia can’t recall every detail of the transition of St. Patrick in Bascom, one of the last churches in the area to close. “Many,

many meetings” stand out the most in their memory. Despite their apprehension with the changes, they felt heard throughout the process. “Looking back, they asked our opinion and listened to everyone,” Alicia said. In the moment, though, it was very painful and emotional. Still, they were very grateful for a compassionate leader. “We were lucky to have someone like Fr. Tim [Kummerer] to guide us through the process. He has a gift for listening,” Alicia continued.

PAINFUL GOODBYE

While St. Patrick Parish closed in 2018, the church was still used for a weekend Mass until 2020, so Bob and Alicia continued attending Mass at St. Patrick. Despite the proximity (only 7.8 miles) and activities at All Saints, Bob and Alicia did not fully embrace the change at first. “It’s unbelievable the things that were taking place so close to us that we didn’t even know about because we focused just on our own local church,” Bob said. Then, in March 2020, Fr. Tim Kummerer announced there would no longer be Masses at St. Patrick — it was closing completely. “I remember sitting there,” Alicia said, “I had to fight back tears.” For both Bob and Alicia, it was painful to say goodbye. There was sadness and anger. The attachment of parishioners to their churches is an intimate familial and sacramental reality.

Despite the heartbreak of losing the church building they loved, Bob and Alicia decided to fully embrace All Saints Parish. “I realized I was angry over a building,” Bob said. It was not immediate, but they found a way to let go. “Wherever pain is, grace abounds more,” Bob said.

SAYING YES

Alicia and Bob resolved to jump into life as members of All Saints Parish. “We started taking the opportunity to say yes … to projects, to invitations, to things I saw in the bulletin.” At St. Patrick, they knew most of the parishioners because of proximity. If they were going to build a true community at All Saints, they needed to work to accomplish that, so they volunteered as much as possible and accepted every invitation. And the invitations and opportunities were abundant. They were amazed at how much was happening at All Saints Parish. Before long, they were involved in Mass coordinating, festival committee, prayer shawl ministry, pastoral council and finance council, just to name a few. “We both recently did

Cursillo weekends," Alicia said. Cursillo weekends offer an intense opportunity for prayer, discussion and personal testimony on a range of topics. "They were incredible, and it’s something we never would have even heard about [until we began attending All Saints Parish],” she said.

For Bob, one event stands out as an example of six former parishes truly becoming one — the 2023 All Saints Parish Festival. One of the largest parish events of the year, the festival is two days of delicious food and fun for the family. The setup is arduous for the group of volunteers. After days of work, everything came crashing down when a sudden, vicious storm rolled through. “It was carnage. We had 15 tents and three survived,” Bob said. The massive tents were blown around the campus with the metal poles twisted. As the storm passed, they surveyed the damage. And then something incredible happened — people from the nearby communities began showing up to help fix the damage and set up again. “We had 100 people there to help,” Bob said. “Father said it was a miracle. I don’t know if it was a miracle, but if you didn’t see God working, you weren’t paying attention,” Bob quipped. “To me, this tells the story of all of these parishes coming together as All Saints.”

A NEW HOME

In less than four years, Bob and Alicia’s lives have changed. It’s not only their involvement in exciting parish events. It’s not just the new friendships they’ve built. Their lives have changed. “The doors that have opened for us … I don’t even have the words to express how beautiful it’s been,” Alicia said. Bob added, “It didn’t come without a price, but the reward has been incredible.” In short, they’ve found a new home.

Bob and Alicia drive 7.8 miles for Mass on Sundays, but they don’t mind. When they arrive at All Saints, they see friends — new and old. They pick up a bulletin and noted the faith-enrichment and community-building events they plan to attend. And inside the church, they see the familiar St. Patrick statue that used to reside in Bascom. It’s not the only piece of the former church that has been incorporated into All Saints. “All of the saints that were in the different churches are mounted on the walls; there’s a statue that represents each one of the six churches. And they don’t look out of place,” Alicia noted. “They look natural, as if they’ve been there forever.” It is truly a perfect fit. Their experience and witness of discipleship in Christ grew beyond focusing on buildings and structures to focus on the vibrant practice of living out their Catholic faith.