. Scenario 3: St. Viator + St. Wenceslaus unite, St. Bartholomew discerns west. 3 churches with Sunday Mass.
St. Viator and St. Wenceslaus unite as one parish. Both churches continue to have at least 1 Sunday Mass each weekend. This could take the form of creating a new (and newly named) parish or one parish uniting into the other and retaining the one of the two current parish names. St. Bartholomew joins another grouping's discussion to consider possibilities that would support expanding Hispanic ministry west.
RENEW MY CHURCH ASPIRATION • How well does this scenario challenge the grouping to move beyond maintaining current structures to invest a higher % of time and resources in ministry? • How will this scenario support vitality and stability for the long-term (1 O+ years), considering demographic and parishioner trends? • How does this structure support the vision of evangelization and Building the New Reality (E.g., parish has inviting space for community gathering and meeting spaces for faith sharing and formation events)? Creating larger parishes can help increase the focus of how resources are used for ministry in the territory covered by each parish. The challenge of truly uniting as one new parish community exists with 2 churches within one parish as it does with 3 churches within one parish (2 Eucharistic tables vs. 1 Eucharistic table). However, continuing 2 churches offers flexibility for a Mass schedule that can accommodate English language and Spanish language Masses and community gathering after each Mass. I.e., There wouldn't be pressure to schedule Masses back to back to back to be able to fit everyone. Conversation throughout the discernment should include consideration of how well the facilities will support gathering and meeting spaces for the work of evangelization and Building the New Reality. St. Bartholomew discerning to the west opens up some concerns about finding the right partner(s), as St. Bartholomew as a standalone parish is not financially sustainable given the RMC principles, but offers a fruitful possibility for addressing continued Hispanic population growth to the west.
MEETS LOCAL MISSION NEEDS: How well does this scenario address particular local needs? • Respects particular local vitality and culture • Prevents geographical Catholic deserts • Accounts for demographic trends such as shifts in population [The Archdiocese and RMC Commission look to the grouping team to comment how each scenario does or does not address local needs.]