Fr. Mike's Message - 02/05/2023

Recently, a team of nearly 50 volunteers, including religious orders, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary faculty and staff, associate pastors, permanent deacons and lay people synthesized all the information the Archdiocese of St. Louis has received regarding its 178 parishes during the All Things New pastoral planning initiative. Information gathered included feedback from key parish leaders, parish listening sessions, online surveys, individual letters and emails. The summaries will be another important piece of information as Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski makes a final decision on the future of the parishes.

The volunteers were asked to follow four guidelines: that they offer a fair representation of what people said; include the real contradictions and tensions reflected in the feedback; offer the good ideas and key insights shared; and ensure they are concise. Volunteers were not allowed to synthesize any information for parishes in their own planning area.
The initial draft of the parish feedback summaries have been shared with pastors, who were asked to share the summaries with their Key Parish Leaders and provide feedback. Every parish feedback summary is now public at https://allthingsnew.archstl.org/. You should contact your parish office for more information if you do not have access to the internet. All of this is geared toward the Archbishop making a well-informed, discerned decision for the spiritual wellbeing of the Archdiocese, looking at the feedback of the people and the needs of the Archdiocese.

The All Things New planning committee is expected to refine the draft models to one model per planning area. Armed with the feedback summaries, parish workbooks and financial data, the team will analyze each model to ensure each one has the resources to sustain the new structure. Another round of draft model options will be shared with the priests in early February, with a period of feedback. Other factors will come under consideration, including redrawing maps of the archdiocese and priest reassignments.

It is expected that by the end of April, Archbishop Rozanski will have met with Consultors to review final draft models, and then he will have a month to pray and discern before announcing a final decision on May 28, the feast of Pentecost. Implementation of these plans will take effect beginning in fall 2023 through 2026.

Please continue to pray for the gift of true discernment so that we may continue to do the Will of God in all things.

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