Called to BE Church

PASTORAL PLANNING FOR THE DIOCESE OF ALBANY -- 2006-2008

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The Catholic parish has historically been the center of the church’s sacramental and community life, the place where Catholics come together for prayer, celebration, and support. 

Parishes in many dioceses, including Albany, were founded to accommodate an expanding urban and immigrant Church. Over the last half-century the Church population in the northeastern United States has changed.  The Church is currently in a period of contraction and population redistribution. This contraction and redistribution is evidenced by declines in the number of vocations to the ordained and vowed religious life, decreases in the number of Catholics attending Mass and celebrating sacraments, and migration of Catholics from urban to suburban areas. Projections for the next twenty years suggest that these trends are unlikely to reverse, and may accelerate. Therefore, our current configuration of parishes is no longer sustainable. We must change.

The reality of Church life as lived out in parishes will not change. Within the Albany Diocese, the parish will continue to be the center of the Church’s life.

However, if we are to remain vital and viable, we must work together across parish boundaries. We must consolidate and share resources. We must make changes in Mass schedules, coordinate parish staffing, and combine parish programs.  We must, of necessity, close some of our parishes in the diocese.

The process of pastoral planning by which we, in the Albany Diocese, plan and carry out these changes is Called to BE Church.

Called to BE Church is a 27-month (October 2006-December 2008) process of planning, dialogue, and discernment that engages a broad range of leaders throughout the diocese, and draws upon the wisdom and insights of these leaders in developing a pastoral plan and implementing it over the next decade. 

PRINCIPLES AND VALUES

Called to BE Church is based on certain principles and values: 

•              The Gospel message of Jesus Christ will continue to be proclaimed throughout the Diocese of Albany.  No area within the 14 counties of the diocese will be left without a Catholic presence.

• ·         The Eucharist is, and will remain, at the heart and center of parish life.

• ·         Vital and viable parish communities will be maintained and supported.

• ·         Sacraments (including marriage and funeral liturgies, baptisms, reconciliation, and anointing of the sick) will continue to be celebrated in all parts of the diocese.

• ·         Sacramental and other pastoral services will be led and carried out by appropriately trained and qualified individuals, including priests, deacons, religious, and laypersons.

• ·         The planning process is grounded in prayer and based on faith and hope, and will be carried out with open communication and collaboration.

  

“Called To BE Church” Process

 

Each of the 165 parishes in the diocese was assigned to one of 39 Local Planning Groups (LPGs). 

Under the direction of trained facilitators, Called to BE Church core teams from each parish joined with the other parishes in their LPG to carry out the process.

 

The Schenectady County Deanery LPG # 2 is made up of five parishes:

            1.  Our Lady of the Assumption   Rotterdam

            2.  Our Lady of Fatima                Delanson

            3.  St. Gabriel the Archangel       Rotterdam

4.  St. Madeleine Sophie           Guilderland

            5.  St. Margaret of Cortona         Rotterdam Junction.

 

General Timeline

October 2006-December 2007—Dialogue Phase

Core teams of parish leaders, committees, staff and parishioners engaged in thoughtful, open, inter-parochial dialogue to develop lasting and trusting relationships and increase shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the Church. Topics addressed included Prayer/Worship/Sacraments, Evangelization, Lifelong Formation, Christian Service, and Growing Leaders and Models of Leadership.

 January-June 2008—Development of Recommendations and Plans

In January 2008, the Core Teams of our five parishes met to begin the process of “Pulling It All Together” and develop specific recommendations and plans for prudent use and sharing of spiritual and temporal resources, greater collaboration, and parish reconfigurations (including closings, linkages and mergers).

 

Four committees were formed and charged to discuss options and to develop recommendations and plans in their area of mission for 2009-2015.  Each committee has representation from each parish. The draft recommendations will be reviewed by the combined core teams of the LPG at their meetings in April, May and June.  The head of each parish – pastor, administrator or parish life director -- will be responsible for signing off on the final plan to be submitted to the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Office in June.  The four committees are:
            1.  Church Administration (including reconfiguration, ministries, finances)
            2.  Prayer & Worship (including Sacramental Preparation)
            3.  Life-Long Faith Formation
          4.     Christian Service

Each LPG must submit its recommendations and plans to the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Office on or before June 30, 2008. 

June-December 2008—Review of Recommendations and Plans

A Pastoral Planning Review Commission, appointed by Bishop Hubbard, will review and evaluate the pastoral recommendations and plans submitted by the 39 Local Planning Groups.  If the recommendations and plans are found to be in compliance with the instructions and guidelines, they will be submitted to Bishop Hubbard.  If not, they will be returned to the LPG for revision and resubmission. Bishop Hubbard, in consultation with appropriate advisors, will develop an overall Diocesan Pastoral Plan.

January 2009—Announcement of Bishop’s Decisions and Beginning of Implementation

Bishop Hubbard will announce the plan. Timelines for implementation will be developed and implementation will begin.

 The Role of Parishioners

Parishioners from our five communities have a vital role to play in the Called to BE Church planning process. Provided with updated facts and planning options, parishioners have a responsibility to share with their local leadership their questions, concerns, ideas, and criticisms.  This feedback needs to be considered during the ongoing deliberations of the various committees charged with discerning the best options for the future of the Church in our area.

KEY FACTS IMPACTING PASTORAL PLANNING IN OUR DIOCESE

FIRST, HERE’S A DIOCESAN PRIEST OVERVIEW  (as of 2007)

Total number of Diocesan Priests = 226      Of those….

131 are in active ministry

  90 are retired

    5 are on leaves of absence

Current ages of the 131 in active ministry:                   Current ages of those retired:

            Under 30             0                                                        60-69                5
            30-39                  6                                                        70-79                53
            40-49                13                                                         80-89               26
            50-59                39                                                         90-99                6
            60-69                58                                             Average Age of Retired Priests = 78
            70-79                15
Average Age of Active Priests = 59

 An article in the March 20, 2008 issue of The Evangelist stated:
         “The Diocese currently has 167 parishes, plus mission churches, healthcare facilities, colleges and other institutions served by priests.”

NEXT, LET’S LOOK CLOSER TO HOME IN OUR LOCAL PLANNING GROUP …

There are currently four full-time priests and two retired priests serving our five parishes. These priests cover 15 Masses each weekend. 
By 2015, the Diocese has indicated there will be, at most, three priests available to celebrate 9 weekend Masses.  

Priests within our Local Planning Group will be expected to cover all Masses when a fellow priest is ill, on vacation or on sabbatical.

Close to 3400 people attend weekend Masses with 29% attending vigil Masses, 36% attending early Sunday Masses (7:00-8:30am) and 35% attending 10:00 am and later Sunday Masses.

There are fewer people attending weekend liturgy than in the past and it appears that this trend will continue for the next several years.   

Here is a breakdown of present and recent Mass attendance for each of our parishes:

Parish                                      # of Masses        Seating Capacity       Total Attendance

Our Lady of the Assumption              3                           550                              660

 

Our Lady of Fatima                           2                           255                               265

 

St. Gabriel the Archangel                 3                           450                               763

 

St. Madeleine Sophie                       5                           780                             1526

 

St Margaret of Cortona                   2                           205                              164

 

 

 PARISH AND MINISTRY OPTIONS / IDEAS  BEING ADDRESSED

Administrative Committee

We are in the process of evaluating all options for reconfiguration.  The diocese has provided us with the following key instructions to be used in this process:

 

•     Every Local Planning Group must reconfigure, using one of more of the following options:  Parish Closing, Merger or Linkage.  Status quo is not an option. 

•          Reconfiguration plans must first consider closings, then mergers and finally linkages.  Closings and mergers will be necessary in many Local Planning Groups.  The Albany Diocese cannot postpone these difficult decisions.  Therefore, Local Planning Groups should not recommend mergers without thoroughly and thoughtfully examining the efficacy of closings, and should not recommend linkages without thoroughly and thoughtfully examining the efficacy of closings or mergers.  

•          Every parish that remains open in a Local Planning Group must affiliate formally and officially (by linkage or merger) with one or more other parishes.  No parish may remain a stand-alone entity.

•          If the present total number of people attending all weekend liturgies at an existing worship site is less than the seating capacity of the church building, serious consideration must be given to recommending that liturgy at this worship site be discontinued.

•          If the number of people attending a particular weekend liturgy is less than 50% of the seating capacity of the church building, on a sustained basis, that Mass should be discontinued.

•          All Local Planning Group recommendations and plans must demonstrate financial viability and vitality for the period 2009-2013.  Financial viability is defined as the ability of the LPG to remain current on all liabilities including:
  a.       Meeting scheduled payments on long-term debt, including debt to the Diocese of Albany.
  b.      Payment of just wages to all parish staff.
  c.       Financial ability to achieve the recommendations and plans submitted to the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Office.

We started our process by reviewing the finances, seating capacity and attendance, condition of facilities and ages of existing priests for all parishes in our local planning group.  While Immaculate Conception is outside of our local planning group, because of their close proximity to Our Lady of the Assumption relative to other parishes, their status needs to be considered due to the potential impact on Our Lady of the Assumption.

The following are options (in no particular order) that we are evaluating:

    1.      Merge St. Gabriel’s with St. Madeleine Sophie, and close St. Gabriel’s church.

    2.      Merge St. Margaret’s with Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of the Assumption, and make St. Margaret’s church a mission or an oratory

    3..      Merge St. Gabriel’s, St. Madeleine Sophie and Our Lady of the Assumption, closing all three churches and building one Mega Church to accommodate all parishioners.
                   Link St. Margaret’s, Our Lady of Fatima and the Mega Church.

   4.      Link St. Gabriel’s and St. Madeleine Sophie, utilizing a common pastor with a supporting Parish/Pastoral Associate.

   5.      Link St. Margaret’s, Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of the Assumption.

   6.      Merge Our Lady of the Assumption and Immaculate Conception with the move of one of the present pastors and close Immaculate Conception Church and Rectory..

    7.  Close St. Margaret of Cortona.

   8.  Link Our Lady of Fatima with Our Lady of the Assumption.

   9.      Merge St. Gabriel’s Church with St. Madeleine Sophie, creating one parish with two campuses.  Transition to having all weekend masses at St. Madeleine Sophie Church.

    10.  _________________________________________________

    11.  _________________________________________________

    12.  _________________________________________________

 

Life Long Faith Formation Committee

Proposed is the creation of a Faith Formation Planning Group comprised minimally of a person involved with catechesis, a parent (also representing the needs of birth - Pre-K and adult needs), and a young adult representative, from each parish. 
In addition, the following short-term directions are proposed focusing on the various groups served under the Life Long Faith Formation umbrella. 

• Early Childhood: Outreach to children from Baptism to Pre-K would continue at the parish sites. Nursery School and Daycare would also continue at parish sites. Information about our current functioning Nursery Schools (St. Gabriel’s, OLA, SMS) and Daycare (SMS) to be shared among the Local Planning Group.
• School Age Children: Faith Formation to continue at current parish sites, but families would be allowed to receive Faith Formation at a site they choose, regardless of parish membership.
                                  Support of St. Madeleine Sophie School would continue, with sharing of information among the parishes of the LPG. 
• Young Adult:  This area continues to need further development, which would be best supported by adding a Part Time Young Adult Faith Formation Coordinator to work within the LPG.
• Adult:  An Adult Faith Formation Calendar of Events needs to be developed by Faith Formation Planning Group to both invite participation as well as to prevent duplication of Adult Faith Formation opportunities.
• The overseeing Faith Formation Planning Group would prepare and share a comprehensive quarterly calendar of events reflecting each of the above-targeted areas.

 

Prayer & Worship Committee

Current Facts 

Recommendations for Future

      1.       Restructure Mass schedule:  (3 priests / # of parish sites to be determined):

 2.       Create a Prayer and Worship Committee at each parish

 3.       Form an on-going LPG wide Prayer and Worship Committee to coordinate:

•          Training of liturgical ministers (Music, Lector, Eucharistic, Greeter, Usher, Altar Server and Environmental / Art).

•          Prayer and Worship services conducted at the LPG or Deanery level (e.g. reconciliation services, sacrament of the sick and others).

 4.   Collaborate with Faith Formation parish leaders to plan rite celebration for the sacraments of Infant Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation.

 5.       Collaborate with Faith Formation / RCIA leaders to plan rite celebrations for the adult sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist.

 6.      Music:

•          Staff a paid music director at each parish

•          Consolidate purchases of liturgical music texts across the LPG

•          Identify and share a list of common music repertoire for all parishes in the LPG.

•          Provide music ministers at all weekend Masses, holy days, funerals, weddings, sacramental rite celebrations and other services.

•          Create a Deanery-wide musician resource directory to access available talent to assist in weddings, funerals and other special event services.

 

Christian Service Committee

As a Christian Service Committee we looked at the outreach mission of the Church and envision the following:

      1.       Have each church in our group form a Christian Service Committee to coordinate outreach efforts at the church. 
                One member from each parish would meet with representatives from the other 4 parishes 3 or 4 times a year to share ideas and information.

        2.       Provide training opportunities to enable parishioners to minister to the homebound and those in health care facilities.

      3.       Continue outreach at Christmas and other times of the year including support of food pantries and meal sites.

      4.       Promote the idea of neighbor helping neighbor in such areas as transportation to church and doing little things around the house.

      5.       Continue ecumenical activities.

      6.       Invite our young adults to become active in Capital Region Frassati Chapter. 
                Their members engage in social activities, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, group volunteering for the needy and “Coffee with Creed” discussions.

      7.       Realizing that our churches will need more people to minister, support people to attend the diocesan Formation for Ministry Program.

      8.       Support the vision of a Mercy Center that will coordinate, enhance and expand visitation ministries in Schenectady.

      9.       Become involved with ARISE, a regional ecumenical initiative proactive in helping the needy.

 

            Members of our parish Called to BE Church planning team 

NAME                                         PHONE          EMAIL ADDRESS                   COMMITTEE    

Fr. James Belogi                    355-0421         pstmade1@nycap.rr.com        Administrative

Fr. Robert Pohida                   355-0421        pstmade1@nycap.rr.com        Christian Service

Deacon Earle Flatt                  355-7885        dcneflatt@verizon.net              Prayer & Worship

Caroline Schafer                     355-0421        pstmade1@nycap.rr.com        Administrative           

Cathy Golas                             355-5854       cathy.golas@rcda.org               Life-Long Faith Formation    

Julie Petti                                 357-9242        jandjpetti@aol.com                   Administrative

Sue Hanson                             640-9712       avila4@nycap.rr.com               Christian Service

Paul Doyle                              355-7669        Pauld12303@aol.com              Life-Long Faith Formation

    Feel free to contact any of us to discuss your concerns, ideas and suggestions. 

    Please pray that the Lord will guide our Local Planning Group in this important task.