Browsing The Seed

Beacons of Light Update

Now that we know the final Family of Parishes and the priests assigned to the family, many of us want to know: what now? What’s next? Does anything have to change? I want to address this because it is important to be upfront and honest with my parishioners.

Even though nothing has changed, this doesn’t mean nothing is going to change. The state of the Church is still as it is: Mass attendance has plummeted, and while the ratio of priests to practicing Catholics is better now than it was 10 years ago, the infrastructure of the Archdiocese no longer reflects the needs and the reality of the Church as she stands today. Many of us – including your priests – on a certain level want things to carry on as they have been; both Fr. Jacquemin and I love serving you – we love you – and in some sense would like to just “stay the course.” But Archbishop Schnurr sent us here to teach, sanctify, and serve you, to care for your souls and spend ourselves helping get you to Heaven; the physical buildings – precious and beloved as they are – are simply a means to this end, but they are not the end in themselves. Knowing this, we have to ask ourselves: are things really as good as they could be? Is this current model in the Church really fostering Her mission, which is the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of souls? And is it healthy? Even though it seems fine and we are “good” with things, is it the “good” God wants for us? Where is He asking us to follow Him? These are things each of us must prayerfully consider – and I emphasize prayerfully; none of us will be able to follow the Lord through this and do what He is asking if we do not spend much time in prayer, seeking His will and not our own. While change is hard, that doesn’t mean it has to be bad: this whole process will be as good as we let it be, and it will be best if it is undertaken through constant and faithful prayer.

One of the most significant immediate changes we can expect is our Sunday Mass schedule. Our Family of Parishes will be reducing it’s Mass schedule on Sunday morning from 6 Masses to 4. I know for some of us this comes as a bit of a shock and sadness because this means there will no longer be Sunday Mass at each parish in the family. Some of us may experience some very deep anger and complex grief as we try to deal with the news. Please know that I am here for you and will do what I can to help everyone cross this bridge. I am your pastor – your shepherd; you call me “father” for a reason: I am here for you, not doing any of this to you; I am here doing all of this with you. We are a family – we are the Family of God – and if we stick together through these challenges, we will be okay. If we approach this challenge with deep faith – the deep faith I am always so edified to witness here – God will bless us in ways we can’t imagine. But we have to trust in the glory that really awaits us on the other side of the cross.

Right now, let’s all begin to foster a deep spirit of “yes” to the will of our Heavenly Father. In our prayer, let’s speak to the Lord – each of us in our own hearts – about the challenges we face and the concerns we have, but let us also tell Him that we want to do whatever He is asking of us. A humble prayer of faith and goodwill can change everything; most of the time we feel tension in our spiritual lives because we are afraid to do what God is asking us to do. Don’t be afraid, but pray: “Lord, I don’t know for certain what Your plan is, but I know that Your will is good. I want only what You want. Whatever You are asking of me, whatever You are asking of my parish, help me always to say ‘yes’ to You and your plan for me. Even now, though Your will is not yet clear, I offer You my ‘yes’ and ask that you strengthen me for this task.” And remember: our Mother Mary is walking with us, teaching us by her own “yes”, a Yes that was not always easy, but a Yes which changed the world forever. May God bless you in the week ahead, and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,

Affectionately yours in Christ,

Fr. Hess

 

beacons of light pastoral planning

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