I know “Beacons of Light” is becoming a bit of a “bad word” and we may be tired of hearing about it, but it is one of the primary challenges standing before us today, one that has great potential if we maintain a spirit of hope. Recently, I reiterated to the parish councils that we will soon have one Family Parish Council for the cluster. This family council will consist of 10 members, 2 from each of our 5 parishes, and will primarily be concerned with facilitating our pastoral mission and communicating our pastoral vision for the future. It is not a lobbyist organization, but a council of dedicated persons with a Catholic sense of vision and mission. Separate committees for Finance and Buildings and Grounds will remain for the time being, but the parish council will now be organized to better foster collaboration and communion among our 5 respective parishes as we become a single parish, albeit with multiple church sites in the parish. This week, we went “live” with an online nomination form for this council. There is the option to self-nominate, or to nominate someone else you think would serve the parishes well in this capacity. The nomination deadline is May 30th. As always, take it to prayer and see what the Lord may be asking. This council will be up and running by July 1st of this year. Given that the Beacons process, once started, takes between 6-18 months, our general timeline is:
- July 2022 – Begin family council; structure sub-committees accordingly.
- February 2023 – Implement new Mass schedule (To be determined by August 2022).
- July 2023 – Complete merger process.
This is a very general overview; these are the “big-three” in terms of stages, but there will be many stages and tasks along the way, which will be addressed in time. It’s important to remember that merger is not the same as closure. A parish, which is a geographical territory, can be merged into another territory, while a church, which is an asset of the parish, can remain as a house of prayer within the parish. Every parish (territory) will continue to have Sunday Mass available for the Faithful who live there, even if Mass is not offered at each church within the parish. This all sounds foreign, but it is not so uncommon in other parts of the world, even in parts of the United States. This process will greatly challenge us, but as always strive to keep hope alive in your hearts, and seek opportunities to encourage and support one another through this process. I have faith in all of you and our ability to make something really good come from this, even if we can’t see what that looks like right now. God is with us, and we have Jesus in the Eucharist to give us strength for the task at hand.
Some good news! This summer, we have a seminarian staying in the cluster. His name is Tony Brandt, and some of you may remember him being here at Christmas time. He must have enjoyed himself because he came back! Below is a reintroduction from Tony, and please make him welcome while he is with us these next few months. 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
“My name is Tony Brandt, and I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. I will be entering First Theology in the fall. I am originally from Batavia, Ohio, which is a small town east of Cincinnati. My family is relatively small; just my parents, my older sister, and I. In my free time I enjoy studying French, reading philosophy, and weight training. I look forward to being involved in your parishes and getting to know some of you. I am grateful to Father Hess for this opportunity. Please pray for me and be assured of my prayers for all of you.”
