Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
Responses to More Questions About Parish Merging
 
Q.             Why don’t we close the three churches and build one new central church that is efficient to operate, and will meet the needs of the future?
R.             This is a question the Exploratory Committee discussed, at least briefly.  In other merger situations in our diocese and around the country where this option has been chosen, it would usually be selected in part for the following reasons: the size of the existing parish church buildings would not adequately accommodate the merged parish community, and/or the existing church buildings are all in poor condition.  The Exploratory Committee and I did not believe these things to be the case for our churches.  As for size, each of our churches has only one weekend Mass, and they are seldom ever full.  If, in the distant future, maintaining all our buildings would become unsustainable (which would be just as, if not more, likely if the parishes remained separate), one church could easily accommodate the whole parish.  While all of our parish campuses have some significant maintenance issues that will need to be addressed in the coming years, all of our church buildings have been reasonably well maintained.  For these reasons alone, building one new church for the merged parish does not seem to be a worthwhile prospect.
 
Q. As stated in the list of the benefits of a possible merged parish [proposed by the Exploratory Committee and printed in the October 16, 2016 bulletin], “if three separate parishes remain, we would still have to face the greater likelihood of one or more of them closing in the future if they are not sufficiently supported by the decreasing number of practicing parishioners.”  This seems to imply that, even in the event of a merged parish, a church could still be closed.  Are we not just prolonging an inevitable closure?
R. Unless there is a significant change in the demographics of our area and the general decline in practice of the Faith in our society, we will always face the possibility of not being able to maintain all of our church buildings in the future.  Let’s say for instance that there is no merger, and three separate parishes remain for the future.  If one or more of the parishes become no longer viable, a parish closure would likely result.  Parish closures are always difficult.  The remaining parishioners are forced to join another neighboring parish, and it also happens frequently enough that people, out of anger and frustration, stop practicing the Faith altogether. 
Now, let’s say our three parishes were to merge into one parish.  We have the opportunity to come to know each other better and work together as a community with a common mission and vision.  As one unified parish community, it is still possible that maintaining all of our churches may become unsustainable at some point in the future.  As one community, you may be faced with some hard decisions, but you will be able to make them together.  Also worth noting is the fact that younger generations are more mobile and generally not as attached to certain places and buildings as our older generations tend to be.  In a merger, we will be giving our future generations more to work with to make their own decisions about what is best for their/our parish.  The merger allows for such changes, if necessary, to happen more organically and with less “collateral damage” than if we choose to close a church prematurely.

P​Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
Responses to More Questions About Parish Merging
 
C.             One concern among many St. Mary’s parishioners is the perception that in a merger, they would be paying to keep St. Michael’s and/or St. Kilian’s churches open, which to them seems to be an injustice.  I suspect this perception is due to the fact that St. Mary’s always has a much higher weekend collection than the other parishes, and frequently enough, St. Michael’s and St. Kilian’s do have very low collections, especially St. Michael’s.
R. There are many things I would like to say in response to this concern.  The first is that the primary motivation for considering a merger is not financial benefit, or to spread wealth out from one parish to other parishes.  As discussed in last weekend’s column, each parish has its share of buildings and grounds maintenance issues to attend to.  There really isn’t extra money to spread around when one takes this into consideration.  One parish cannot really afford to “subsidize” another parish.  The primary motivation for a merger, in my view, would be to build a larger and stronger Catholic community of faith in our area, with a renewed evangelical mission and vision for the future.  This new community could then discern in the future, as necessary, how to best use (or not use) their collective resources (buildings, finances, parishioner volunteers, etc.).
That said, there are a number of things to consider when we try to compare the different financial situations of our parishes.  One thing to consider is that all three of our parishes for the last several years have been sharing what would ideally be one single parish’s weekend Mass schedule.  There is only one weekend Mass at each church – and rarely are they ever full.  St. Michael’s, which appears to be struggling the most in terms of weekend collections, has what some might argue is the least desirable Mass time for the survival of a parish.  Five PM on Saturday does not work for a lot of families.  And, since Hewitt is closest to Marshfield, whose parishes offer many other Mass times, I suspect many St. Michael’s parishioners have gradually disconnected with their parish, frequently attending Mass elsewhere.  I’m sure finances in each parish would be quite different if St. Michael’s had a Sunday morning Mass, and St. Mary’s or St. Kilian’s only had the 5pm Mass on Saturday.  In this respect, I think it is only fair to see St. Michael’s financial struggles as somewhat of a shared problem – since we all share one weekend Mass schedule.
While collections have been lower at St. Michael’s and St. Kilian’s in comparison to St. Mary’s, we also must not forget the fact that these parishes are much smaller than St. Mary’s.  St. Mary’s has 296 registered households, while St. Michael’s only has 183, and St. Kilian’s has only 198.  Naturally, a smaller parish population will not have weekend collections as high as a larger one.  Finally, it may also be the case that St. Mary’s has higher collections because they are accustomed to supporting a school as recently as 2007.  Not having a school as recently in the other two parishes has likely impacted the felt urgency in giving more generously.
No parish merger would be perfect, and there will always be uncertainty about exactly how things will turn out in the future.  In order not to get bogged down by the complexities and uncertainties before us, I think it best for us always to go back to the most important question: What kind of community of faith do we want to be in the future?  Do we want to just survive, or to thrive?  If we focus on the benefits of a merger and what we want to become, it will be worth the sacrifices and uncertainties that come with making a change, and being open to further changes in the future if they are necessary.  

Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
Response to More Questions About Parish Merging
 
In the last couple weeks before Christmas I received a few more good questions.  One parishioner, indicating that they were not necessarily for or against a merger, asked a number of statistical questions about our parishes, the responses to which I thought would be good for us to know:
Active Parishioners
Q.             What is the number of registered parishioners in each parish?
A. HE 373; AU 842; BL 471
Q. What is the average number of persons attending weekend Mass at each church?
A. These Mass attendance averages come from the annual Mass attendance counts that the diocese requires to be taken every October: HE 125; AU 195; BL 126
Q. What are the number of parishioners contributing $100+ fifteen years ago, ten years ago, five years ago, and this past year:
A.             HE            AU                   BL
2001       148         260                  155
2006      135         234                   126
2011         138        202                   125
2016        116         204                    116
N.B. – Our parishes completed an increased offertory program in late 2014.
Financial Status of Parishes
Q. What is the current financial status of each parish (yearly income, expenses, current debts)?
A. This question is difficult to answer.  I would recommend looking at the 2015-2016 Annual Reports available at the back of each church.  Each parish has a different budget format and lists things differently.  One thing I would like to work toward in this merger discussion process is greater uniformity in how we report our finances so we can compare apples to apples.  There are no debts in any parish.
Q. In a merger, what funds would be pooled and what expenses would be shared?
A. In a merged parish, we would just have one offertory envelop.  Regular revenue would go into one general fund.  At the time of a merger, each parish would contribute a predetermined amount to the new parish’s general fund.  The finance and administration leadership committee (made up of representation from each parish) will be responsible for establishing a budget for the merged parish, as well as budgets for the maintenance of each church campus.
Q. What are the major projects and improvements projected for each parish for the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years?  How will they be funded?
A. There are many projects with varying degrees of urgency.  A few of the largest include: (AU) re-blacktopping the remainder of the parking lot in about 5 years, possibly fixing up the interior of the convent building to serve as a central office for all three parishes or the merged parish (still idea stage), replacing the lighting in the church sanctuary; (BL) completing the stained-glass window restoration project, dismantling the rectory, replacing the church sound system, repainting some or all of the church interior, as well as some other possible interior updates; (HE) just completed the most urgent exterior brick repair work on church, replacing flooring where carpet comes up during the summer months.
                 While our finance councils are aware of these and many other smaller maintenance needs, they have not yet developed a concrete plan for addressing them.  In many respects, these projects are bigger, more numerous, and more time consuming than each separate council has been able to address in a solidly proactive way.  An over-arching plan for stewardship and a capital campaign(s) would be needed.  With a merged parish, I would like to propose a single finance council with subcommittees that deal solely with buildings and grounds maintenance issues, as well as stewardship and capital campaign issues for all of our campuses.  Realistically, I don’t see many of these projects being addressed proactively with our current arrangement.  Each individual parish finance council does not have an abundance of time to deal with them after keeping up with the budget, book reviews, and various projects when they become urgent.

​Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
Last week, I offered a year-in-review of some of the things that have been happening in all of our parishes together in 2016.  This week, I’d like to continue that with some additional things from each parish individually, as well as some goals for this year.
 
St. Mary’s
We raised over $11,000 to repair the church’s old bells, install new strikers, and digital ringing equipment.
Air Conditioning was installed in the church thanks to an anonymous donation from a parishioner.
Windows were replaced on the second floor of the parish office and basement of the rectory, paid for from the parish’s general fund.
Sections of flooring was either refinished or replaced in the rectory.  Some new furnishings were also purchased.  Both projects were funded largely by the PCCW and Holy Name Society.
The Religious Education students performed their annual Christmas Program.  To raise funds, they also put on their annual breakfast, Little Caesar’s Pizza Sale, and Cookie Walk
Vacation Bible School was offered to St. Mary’s children in July.
The Holy Name Society put on their annual Lenten Fish Fries.
Among their many activities, the PCCW sold Christmas Wreaths and delivered fruit baskets to the elderly and shut-ins… just to name a couple.
 
St. Kilian’s
The PCCW sponsored their second annual Mardi Gras celebration, enjoyed by many kids and adults in the parish.
The Religious Education program performed their annual Shadow Stations, helping all those attending to reflect on the Lord’s Passion.
The stained-glass window restoration project has been moving along slow but sure.  Over $36,000 has been contributed and put toward the restoration of several windows.  Only an additional $22,000 is needed to complete the whole project.
 
St. Michael’s
With money from donors, we installed a new Sacred Heart Statue and platform in the parish cemetery, and dismantled the old crucifix and altar, which had fallen into serious disrepair.
We raised $12,000 in the Brick and Mortar Campaign to repair the damaged bricks and St. Michael the Archangel statue on the exterior of the church.
We enjoyed the annual Breakfast, raising funds for the Religious Education Program, and the Religious Education students put on their annual Christmas Program.
 
I apologize for anything I may have missed.  While we must acknowledge the many great activities of groups within our parishes, and not neglect the improvement of our church buildings and parish finances, what is of primary importance is that we continually strive to grow in our relationship with the Lord, and that we become more intentional disciples.  This involves coming to know Christ more deeply through the Scriptures, seeking to learn and understand more of our faith, loving the Church Christ established, and seeking to serve him with greater generosity. 
As we begin this New Year, make sure you set for yourself some spiritual goals.  While our communities have been very blessed over the past year, we also face some significant challenges, especially concerning revenue and the upkeep of our buildings and grounds.  The more we as a community of faith seek to grow closer to Christ, the more our parishes’ temporal needs will be met.  As you develop your own spiritual goals, please prayerfully consider your own parish stewardship of time, talent, treasure as well.