|  Will
my parish close?
The process for parish improvement, mergers, closures and
clusters
In 2005, the Diocese of Lansing began addressing the pressing
issues of a clergy shortage and the shifting demographics
of its faithful. During the next several months,
you will see the evaluations, studies and recommendations
announced. The following questions and answers address this
process.
Definition of terms:
Parish: As a general rule,
a parish is territorial – it comprises all the faithful
within a specific geographical territory. However, personal
parishes can be established by the bishop based on rite,
language, nationality or some other factor.
Merged parish: A parish joined with two
or more parishes into a single new or consolidated parish.
Clustered parish: Grouping of two or more
parishes served by one or more priests. The parishes retain
separate identities but collaborate in the sharing of ministries
and resources.
Closed parishes: A canonical declaration by the
bishop of Lansing, in consultation with the presbyteral
council, that a parish ceases to exist. Parish members join
one of the neighboring parishes. This can happen at a designated
or later date.
Parish Evaluation Inventory (PEI): An evaluative
inventory instrument completed by all parishes within the
Diocese of Lansing to assist each parish and the regional
review committees to determine a parish’s and region’s
opportunities, challenges and parish sustainability.
School Evaluation Inventory (SEI): An evaluative
inventory instrument completed by all schools within the
Diocese of Lansing to assist each parish/school and the
regional review committee to determine each school’s
and region’s opportunities, challenges and school
sustainability.
Canon law: Codified body of general laws
governing the Catholic Church.
Procedural policy: A policy determined
at the diocesan level.
What is the current status
of the diocesan planning process for the future of parishes
and schools?
What did the parish and school
self-evaluations measure?
Is it too late to have my voice
heard in this process?
What are possible parish structures?
Who is making these decisions?
How will the DCC make its recommendations?
At 75, bishops are required to
submit their resignations. What will happen if the pope accepts
Bishop Mengeling’s resignation before this process is
complete?
I come from a strong, vibrant,
suburban parish. This won’t affect my parish at all,
will it?
Is there a potential that the current
priest who has served our parish for years may not be serving
us in the future?
Why does the process take so
long?
Is there a special review panel
looking at schools, or is that included under the DCC’s
responsibility?
What is the current
status of the diocesan planning process for the future of
parishes and schools?
We are more than halfway through the process.
Most parishes have completed self-evaluations. The information
from these evaluations now goes to a regional review process.
Each of the 10 counties of the diocese has a regional review
committee consisting of at least one member from each parish
in the region. By September, these committees will make
preliminary recommendations for improving your parish, interparish
cooperation, parish closures, mergers and clusters.
In October, the regional recommendations will be forwarded
to the Diocesan Coordination Commission (DCC) – a
20-member commission appointed by Bishop Mengeling in the
fall of 2005 to provide a thorough assessment and provide
recommendations for parish closures, mergers and clusters.
The commission will review all of the regional recommendations
and draft a preliminary diocesan plan. During this phase,
the bishop’s consultative bodies (finance council,
college of consultors, presbyteral council, council of vicars
and pastoral council) will review the recommendations and
provide feedback. The DCC’s final recommendations
will be sent to the bishop in mid-2008.
What did the parish
and school self-evaluations measure?
The parish evaluations measure many components.
Primarily, they are: teaching the faith, sanctification
of souls, evangelization and parish leadership. School evaluations
took into account 12 criteria such as Catholic identity,
enrollment trends and projections, teacher turnover and
instructional programs.
Is it too late to have
my voice heard in this process?
The official time for parishes to provide
their internal reviews took place during the past five months.
All parishes and schools were encouraged by the diocese
to involve as many constituents (parishioners, parents,
teachers, staff, lay ministers, students) as possible. However,
there will be another opportunity for parishioners to be
heard. In the fall, there will be a town hall meeting at
each parish. At these meetings, parishioners will review
their own parish’s recommendations and the regional
recommendations for improving their parish, interparish
cooperation and – in some cases – parish mergers,
closures and clusters. For the latest information, log on
to www.diocesoflansing.org and view the “pastoral
planning” section.
What are possible parish
structures?
Some parishes may be affected in the following
ways:
| 1 Merger: Your parish
may merge with another parish. This means that your
parish or school will join with two or more parishes
to form a new or consolidated |
 |
| 2 Cluster: Your parish
may become part of a cluster. Each parish would maintain
its individual identity, but may be grouped with one
or more parishes that would share a priest and would
collaborate to provide pastoral care and other resources
to its faithful. |
 |
| 3 Parish closure: Your
parish may close. The sacramental and pastoral needs
of your parish would be addressed by neighboring parishes.
Parish boundaries would be redrawn. |
 |
Who is making these
decisions?
All parishes were asked to offer opportunities
for parishioners to give input throughout the process via
their own parish evaluation committees, including completing
the parish self-evaluation. Each of the six regions will
provide recommendations based on their geographic, financial
and pastoral needs. These recommendations will be forwarded
to the DCC. The DCC will review the regional recommendations
to ensure consistency and compliance with the seven guiding
principles of the process. Then the DCC will forward the
recommendations to the bishop’s consultative bodies
for review, prior to providing its final recommendations
to the bishop.
The bishop will then make the final decision. It is important
to note that by both canon and civil law, a diocesan bishop
has ultimate authority over parishes and parish properties.
How will the DCC make
its recommendations?
The recommendations will be based on each
parish’s evaluation inventory, the regional review
and adherence to the seven guiding principles.
At 75, bishops are
required to submit their resignations. What will happen if
the pope accepts Bishop Mengeling’s resignation before
this process is complete?
Bishop Mengeling is 76. If the pope were
to accept Bishop Mengeling’s resignation, this process
will continue pending the decision of the new bishop.
I come from a strong,
vibrant, suburban parish. This won’t affect my parish
at all, will it?
Every parish in the diocese will be affected.
This process was implemented to assist each parish in assessing
its own strengths and areas where improvement is needed.
For some parishes, this will mean working toward growth
in inter-parish cooperation. For some, it may mean changes
to the way programs are developed or administered.
In some cases, the results of the self-evaluation may suggest
that a cluster of two or more parishes, served by a single
pastor, could best meet the needs of the region. For example,
your large parish may be paired with a smaller parish.
In other situations, a single parish may meet the needs
of an area now served by multiple parishes. So, your pastor
might serve your parish and another one. This might affect
your Sunday Mass schedule.
For each parish, the goal is to work toward becoming a stronger
and more vibrant community of faith – people of God
who strive to serve the Lord, the poor and marginalized,
and each other.
Is there a potential
that the current priest who has served our parish for years
may not be serving us in the future?
Yes, that is a reality. Currently, eight
of the diocese’s 97 parishes are without a resident
pastor. In the coming years, that number will grow.
Why does the process
take so long?
From the start, the DCC knew the process
must be driven by parishioners. They recognized that no
single person, nor a group of people alone, could make such
a complex decision. As the process began to take shape,
it became apparent the best starting point was for the parishes
and schools to become involved. The internal review process
is where the majority of the time has been spent.
Over the next year, the input parishioners have provided
will be reviewed by three diverse panels to ensure the process
does not single out a particular parish or region as privileged
or disadvantaged. With the involvement of so many, it is
important that the process is thorough, but not overly burdensome.
Is there a special
review panel looking at schools, or is that included under
the DCC’s responsibility?
Every parish and its activities – including
education – will be reviewed in this single process.
Final recommendations will be submitted to the bishop regarding
both parish and school.
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