"Our model of parish life was built for a different time."
That statement from the facilitator of our grouping captures the motivation for the two-fold renewal that the Renew My Church initiative is driving forward - structural
and spiritual renewal.
No one needs convincing that the role of faith in our current culture is vastly different from that of generations past. And yet, a majority of Catholic parishes continue to operate in the same way as they did in those different times. That leads to frustration, fruitlessness, and even infidelity to The Great Commission of Jesus Christ.
Looked at a different way, we live in a transition of ages; the movement from an age of Christendom to a new apostolic age. The different characteristics of this new age demand a radical change in the Church if we are to successfully invite our world to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. And that, of course, is the
only reason the Church exists.
While never the driving force of the mission of the Church, the "numbers" can be enlightening in this regard:
In the past 20 years, Mass attendance in the Archdiocese of Chicago has decreased by 27%;
In the U.S.A., 2 in 5 children baptized are not confirmed;
85% of children confirmed stop practicing their faith by 21 years old;
In the 6 parishes in our grouping, Mass attendance over the past 20 years is down by 37%.
Renew My Church is bringing about structural renewal, to ensure our parishes have adequate resources for vitality,
and spiritual renewal, to help us re-encounter Jesus and become true disciples. As a whole, this transforming initiative of the Archdiocese of Chicago seeks to
make disciples, build communities, and inspire witness.
Our meeting last night was a chance for the teams from the 6 parishes (Our Lady of Hope, Our Lady of Ransom, Paul of the Cross, Mary Seat of Wisdom, St. Juliana, Immaculate Conception) to begin to get to know one another, including what we value the most about each of our parishes. We were also invited to go deeper into our understanding of Renew My Church, to see it as our long-awaited chance to boldly step into a future of energy, growth, and fruitfulness.
We were reminded that to qualify for a resident pastor (or, put another way, to remain an independent parish) the average weekend Mass attendance must be 800 people, and the yearly collections must reach $750,000.
While the diocese is clear that no physical site will be closed, there need to be conversations about how our grouping can provide proper pastoral care for all the people in our geographical area. In the next meeting, February 9, the diocese will present us with a variety of models (also called scenarios) about structural changes within the grouping. These scenarios were crafted by the 6 pastors of the grouping working with the leadership of Renew My Church.
On February 11 at 7:30pm, you are invited to join us for "Renew My Church 101." This is an opportunity for our entire community to hear from the Archdiocese about the need for renewal, the principles of Renew My Church, and specific information regarding our grouping. I'll send out more information as we get closer.
Also in February, our community will be invited to come together to learn the different structural scenarios and offer feedback on what we perceive as the strengths and weaknesses of each. The Senior Leadership Team will then take your comments back to the grouping, and all of that will be compiled into written feedback submitted to Cardinal Cupich. He will make a decision on which scenario will be used, and July 1 any inter-parish changes will take effect.
I left the meeting last night feeling hopeful. As I've said to you many times, I will joyfully embrace anything that helps more people drop their nets and become disciples of Jesus Christ. In these next few months, we will intentionally and intensively discern where the Holy Spirit is calling to better equip us to do just that.