Renew My Church Decision

Dear Our Lady of Ransom Family,

Many of you already know that after a long and laborious process of discernment,  Cardinal Cupich has decided that Our Lady of Hope (Rosemont) will become a mission of Mary Seat of Wisdom (Park Ridge). St. Juliana, Immaculate Conception, Paul of the Cross, and our parish will retain their current structures.

As these two communities prepare for a new future, I want all of us to keep them in our prayers. At the core, we are not members of Our Lady of Ransom, Mary Seat of Wisdom, or Our Lady of Hope. We are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, and what affects one part of the body affects the whole. 

From the beginning of the Renew My Church initiative some six years ago, one core principle has repeatedly been emphasized, one that I wish to echo now:  Just because there are no structural alterations doesn’t mean a parish is free from significant and dramatic changes. Every parish in the Archdiocese - and across the world! - must radically and completely reimagine its interior structures, forms of leadership, and prioritization of ministries. They must dream big in terms of what can be done under the Holy Spirit's guidance while prioritizing their limited resources for those things that  engage seekers, enliven believers, and empower disciples. 

We have already begun to taste what the Lord has in store for us, and with discernment and boldness have put in place new structures and priorities that we hope will more fully center us on Jesus Christ. Everything we do must be in service of the mission – yes, our particular mission, but especially The Great Commission of Jesus Christ to, “Go, make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Some things we have gotten wrong, some things right. That will continue because there is not a roadmap or program that will magically bring about Spirit-driven renewal. Our strategic plan has prioritized raising up leaders and empowering the baptized to serve out of their gifts and charisms. From The Fruitful Branch to our Alpha experience; from the parish missionaries that have joined our community to our Ransom Responds soft-entry point – we have just begun the next stage of a journey that I am convinced will invite all of you into a new experience of  our Heavenly Father’s personal and individual love for you.

I would be remiss if I failed to offer a  special word of gratitude to our Senior Leadership Team. These men and women have poured an incredible amount of time into the Renew My Church process, prayerfully discerning where they felt the Spirit was leading while ensuring that you and your feedback were well represented. Please, if you see  Isabel DuPont, Jerry Merkel, Kevin O’Connell, Colleen O’Dowd, or Mike Virgilio, thank them for their dedication and the sacrifices they’ve made for our community. 

Dear brothers and sisters, I have deep gratitude that I will continue to be the pastor of this community that has become so dear to me. I promise that, as we move forward into the uncharted and uncertain territory that comes from actively yielding to the Holy Spirit, I will give all that I have to try to help  you say yes to the Lord’s invitation to eternal life. Every day I pray that, together, we will become a community of  fruitful disciples proclaiming freedom in Christ.

He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Fr. Matt

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[ You can click here to watch a recording of the event on MS Teams]