With the implementation of Beacons of Light there will inevitably be changes in many areas of parish life. As part of the implementation, the Archdiocese has asked each parish to look at their current Mass schedules and see where consolidations across the parish family could take place based on attendance and the availability of priests. Representatives from each parish within our family (G.A. St. John Fisher, IHM) met to review the Mass schedules and accomplish that goal. This was to have been implemented prior to July 1st. While each parish did initially offer to drop a Mass, there was some backing off of that in the other parishes. It is inevitable that each parish will drop a Mass once Fr. Angi assumes his role of Pastor of the three parishes, the only question is timing. Looking at the range of Sunday Masses offered at the three parishes, when each drops what has been agreed to, there will be a full range of options for a Mass within a half hour of the Masses previously scheduled.

For our part, it is important that we do what we need to do, with the full expectation and assurance that other parish family members will follow suit. As a result, effective July 3rd, we will eliminate the 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass.
This is our least attended Mass, though certainly populated by regular and faithful attendees. The early Sunday Mass for our parish family will be at Guardian Angels at 8:00 a.m. I realize this will be a change for all and maybe even unsettling for some, but it will serve what is needed as soon we will only have three priests to cover the Sacramental needs of the parish family. This time next year, Fr. Ebong is schedule to return to Nigeria and the “bonus” priest of the family will be gone. The parish office will be reaching out to those who have scheduled Mass
intentions for 7:30 a.m. Mass beyond July 1st to assist them with rescheduling those Mass intentions.

 

Thank you for your understanding and your help in making the new alignment of parishes work. This is a daunting task and Fr. Angi needs our support in service the people of this family. Thank you for your prayers for him and for us all as we move forward, knowing that God is walking with us, and with that loving presence “all will be well”.

While in the seminary many, many years ago, we would sing a song for liturgy written by Dr. James Moore titled, “A New Song.”
“I will sing the Lord a New Song, a New Song, I will sing His praises while I live, I will sing His praises forevermore.
Sing God a New Song, make it loud and clear, Sing God a New Song, spread his love around.”

 

As the Beacons of Light process in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and among our families of parishes rolls out here in July, we are singing a new song. In singing this new song, we look forward to how we as Guardian Angels, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. John Fisher and the Chapel of St. Jerome can bring together our family of parishes and share what resources we can with each other. We are on the cusp of something new and wonderful. It is important to “Keep our eyes on Jesus who inspires and perfects our faith.” (Letter to the Hebrews) Our faith will see us through each challenge and opportunity that awaits us. During the Sundays of July, I will be celebrating a Mass each weekend in each of the parishes. The parochial vicars, Fr. King and Fr. Ebong, will rotate among the parishes as well. By the end of July, we will have celebrated each Mass in each parish at least once. This gives you the opportunity to see each of us, the priests who will be serving you.

Seeing that I continue my ministry as Vicar General for the Archdiocese and Dean of the South Deanery, I will be using one email for everything, [email protected] In addition, I am hoping to forward phones to one number. If  you are calling or writing about a particular parish, please identify the parish so I can address the concern appropriately.

We look forward to the future with hope knowing that our God is always walking with us.

The Beacons of Light initiative has taken us in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati from 109 pastored regions comprised of 208 parishes to 57 pastored Families of Parishes still containing the 208 parishes for the foreseeable future. This scenario has allowed the Archbishop to assign additional priests along with the pastors to each Family allowing for shared and hopefully dynamic ministry to the members of our various Families of Parishes. Over the ensuing five years the 208 parishes will close and merge with one another in their Families becoming 57 canonical parishes. This will result with most of the new parishes having multiple church locations and many having multiple schools within their canonical boundaries as not every church building can be closed due to capacity issues that presently exist.

 

People of the families of parishes need to kick it in and become the evangelizers they are called to be and bring new life to their parishes – if not - there should be consideration as to the viability of the parish and likewise the schools that presently exist – decisions to be made on the local level and not from on high.

 

Loss is never an easy emotion to deal with, but it is a reality in these situations, and we have to be honest with ourselves. Faithful people have moved, as their economic condition in life have improved, they go off to college, graduate and move from home, they retire, etc. In the early years of this changing scenario the moves were from more centralized-close to the urban core neighborhoods to the suburbs and then in recent years to far off places in warmer areas of the country as businesses moved, jobs went elsewhere, and people retired, leaving us with too many church buildings, too few people and fewer priests.

 

We have an important journey to be on in rebuilding our Church in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and you are invited to join in and be involved. Firstly, prayer is the most important element of this endeavor and without it we will not succeed. Secondly, you must get involved in your parish. Not to protect the status quo but to build up life in your parish, to evangelize, to work towards improving your liturgy if that is needed and to be welcoming and hospitable to all who come your way. Thirdly, support your priests and those in your parish who are leading these efforts. The fourth element, more prayer!

 

Each family of parishes has the opportunity to work with a Beacon’s Liaison. Our liaison is assigned from Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). The liaison will help us prepare through an assessment of the parishes health, culture and effectiveness. Then develop a plan for the family with priorities and goals for the future. Finally, implementing that plan and train all in leadership and evangelization. CLI has informed us of phase one which is to prepare. There will be a two day orientation and training for the pastor in September. A three day visit will be planned by the liaison from CLI to the family of parishes. That will be followed up by a one day orientation for the staff and key volunteers of the family of parishes.

 

We have begun this journey and much collaboration is already taking place. Remember more prayer is essential as we enter phase one. Thank you for your understanding and support in the midst of this journey.

Change is inevitable, whether in our personal or professional lives. Life just does not stay static, nor do institutions. Sometimes change is welcomed and other times change is viewed as challenging. Change can be seen as an opportunity to improve or to do things differently. This openness can help us  through some very exciting changes as well as some difficult ones.  Having a sense of openness and flexibility allows us to see another view and to hear bold new ideas, even if they might make us uncomfortable.

Change can also be challenging so remain focused on your own vision and goals; remain respectful despite any differences that may arise; maintain your integrity; and, at the end of the day, stand up for what you believe to be important. Having a vision includes having specific goals or outcomes that you are working to achieve. Oftentimes, on a day-to-day basis, it is easy to get caught up on operational details.  During times of change, we may not always agree with decisions or directions. At these times it is important to remain respectful despite differences. In my view, good leaders model the notion that we can agree to disagree and that should be perfectly fine. In reality, this may not always be the case – people may have mixed feelings. During those times it is probably wise to keep an open mind and remain reflective. There will be times when you just have to take a leap of faith, believe in your peers and embrace the change.

This weekend, our family of parishes will experience a change. Our deacons have preached at various times over the years. Beginning in August, deacons will preach the second weekend of the month in all the parishes of our family. This will be ongoing and give our congregations the ability to witness and hear from a variety of preachers. A change in our personal lives is that school begins this week for a lot of school districts. Immaculate Heart of Mary and Guardian Angel Schools both begin on Wednesday, August 17. One thing we can be assured of is that the one thing that doesn’t change is change. We pray for the grace to accept the changes in our lives.

In this weekend’s gospel reading, Jesus is teaching an important truth in that it doesn’t really matter how the building looks on the outside, it’s the foundation—it’s what most don’t see—that is what truly matters. A building will either stand or fall depending on the foundation it is built upon. We will either stand firm or fall depending upon the foundation that we believe. When we build on a firm foundation of Christ, we can withstand whatever comes our way. When a foundation is based on the true meaning and spirit of the word of God it produces steadfast faith and life.

 

Within the Beacons of Light process, we are beginning to build a firm foundation. Our assigned liaison from Catholic Leadership Institute is Linda Banecker. She has a firm foundation vocationally, educationally, professionally and parish wise. Vocationally, she is married to her husband, Joe, and is the mother of two sons. Educationally, she has a BS in Business from St. John’s University, an MA in Mathematics from Villanova University and an MA in Holistic Spirituality from Chestnut Hill College. Professionally, she is a leadership consultant for the Catholic Leadership Institute and the President of her own consulting company, LMB Leadership Solutions. She is a retired IT executive having worked in both Aerospace Engineering at Lockhead Martin and Financial Services at Vanguard managing multi million dollar projects. Parish wise, she has served as the Adult Faith Formation Director at St. Philip Neri Parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches Bible studies while leading retreats and speaks at parish events. She is a Eucharistic minister as well as a minister for outreach ministries exemplifying a love for the elderly and hungry of the community. This fall she will be making an onsite visit to all parishes in our family to lead us through phase one of the Beacons of Light process. One of the first steps is to form a Pathways and Family Leadership Team.

 

Very important in this process is that we build a firm foundation in our lives. We can do that by:

 

• Trusting the Lord and knowing that the promises of God are sure.
• Abiding in God’s word where we see the power of God, the promise of God, the provision of God, and the presence of God.
• Apply God’s word to our lives: believe it, live it, trust it, apply it and pray according to God’s word.
• And last, we need to have faith in Jesus and in God’s word.

With a firm foundation, we can face each new challenge and opportunity that comes our way.

Next week, September 26-29, is the four-day priest convocation in West Virginia. Every five years, Archdiocesan priests gather for a four-day convocation to pray together and address pertinent topics to our ministry as priests. Next week, Dan Celucci, CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute, will present some of the week on transition and our Beacons of Light process. Fr. King was excused by the Archbishop from attending, as priests who are at retirement age or are retired may be excused. During that week, the Mass schedules in our family of parishes will be celebrated as usual. Fr. King will celebrate Mass daily at Guardian Angels at 7:30 am. The Comboni Fathers will be celebrating Mass daily at Immaculate Heart of Mary on Monday and Wednesday at 12:00 noon and on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:15 am and at St. John Fisher on Monday and Wednesday at 12:00 noon and on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 am during that week. On Wednesday that week I have been asked to preside and preach at the Wednesday Mass at the Convocation honoring the late Archbishop Pilarczyk who died during the pandemic in 2020. I was his care giver for nine years prior to his death. As he has said numerous times to me, “The Lord is in this somewhere.” He must have had some premonition to this transition we are entering into with Beacons of Light. Your prayers would be appreciated during that week.

 

October 4, 5, and 6, Linda Bonecker, our Beacons of Light Liaison, will be here for an onsite visit to our family of parishes. She will be meeting with the priests, staff, parish pastoral councils as well as some active volunteers. We are proceeding forward with the Beacons Pathway Team formation. The Pathway Team will get pastoral planning started for the future until a Family Leadership Team and Family Pastoral Council are firmly in place. While there are many groups of people who participate in leadership and governance of a parish or Family of Parishes (e.g. pastoral council, full staff, finance council, commissions, etc.), the leadership team has the greatest potential to effectively assist the pastor in implementing the mission of the parish.

Forming a unified Pathway Team and Family Leadership Team (FLT) is one milestone of Phase 1 in the Leadership principle: “Form a unified Family Pastoral Council, Family Leadership Team and staff, each rooted in prayer and supported by healthy teamwork.” It will take time to discern the members of our Family Leadership Team. In the short run (at the beginning of Phase 1 of the Pastoral Planning Pathway), it will be difficult for our Family to have a unified Leadership Team for a variety of reasons:

• Staff doesn’t know one another yet.
• A new pastor is still settling in.
• Representing all parishes may be difficult.
• Key collaborators haven’t yet been identified or hired.
• Parishes are still operating mostly independently of one another (which is normal and healthy in the beginning).

Our liaison will guide us through this process. We pray for wisdom, guidance and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to lead us to where God wants us to be. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Just a reminder: Linda Banecker, our Liaison, from Catholic Leadership Institute will be on site in the family of parishes this week, October 4-6. We pray for a successful visit for her, the staff and the parish pastoral councils that will be meeting with her.

Pope Francis began His 2019 Apostolic Exhortation “Christus Vivit” with the following words addressed to the youth of our universal Church:

“Christ is alive! He is in you, He is with you and He never abandons you. However far you may wander, He is always there, the Risen One. He calls you and He waits for you to return to Him and start over again. When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, He will always be there to restore your strength and your hope.”

In these words, we hear the God of yesterday, today, and forever speaking to the young people of our Family of Parishes. He proclaims to our youth that, though the world may dismiss them or mislead them, their lives are precious gifts to the Body of Christ. Many look to our young people to be the Church of the Future. In contrast, if we are to accept everything that Beacons of Light is preparing us for over the coming years, we must embrace them as the Church of the Now.

Over the last decade, different initiatives for the evangelization of our young people have been undertaken across the parishes that now make up our Family. These plans have taken the form of Bible studies, youth groups, Sacramental preparation, and more. One of the first needs that our parishes desired to address in the early stages of Beacons of Light was the focusing of our youth evangelization efforts across all of our parishes.

As you have likely seen in bulletins, emails, and other communication, we are gathering our efforts to reach students in grades 5 – 12 under the banner of “Eastside Catholic Youth Ministries.” Until we discern a cohesive name for our Family of Parishes, this moniker signifies that we are united in our commitment to young people. Led by Bradley Barnes, the Coordinator of Youth Ministries at Guardian Angels, this initiative pursues four goals for our students:

1. Discipleship: Helping youth apply their Faith to the rhythm of daily life.
2. Community: Showing students that their gifts and talents are needed in our Family.
3. Growth: Encouraging total personal and spiritual development in our young.
4. Family: Equipping parents to be the prime evangelizers of their children.

I ask that you remain in prayer for these efforts as we continue through the Beacons of Light process, and that you reach out to Bradley ([email protected]) for ways that you can assist through time, talent, or treasure. We will be hosting an open house for our newly re-dedicated student ministry space on Immaculate Heart of Mary’s campus next Saturday evening, October 22, following 5:00 p.m. Mass. I welcome you to join us in prayer, and to share in our vision for the youth of our Family as we move forward. In closing, I offer the words of St. Paul in his first letter to Timothy:

“Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

The gospel story about Zacchaeus is a lot like the extremes young people will go through just to get near their favorite musician at a concert, or even how the crowds gather at Saint Peter’s square to see the pope.   The musicians have bodyguards to protect them from the crowd and so does the pope.  However, the pope makes provisions to stop and briefly have contact with those who have come to see him.  He makes a point to acknowledge them and kiss their babies. Zacchaeus was hidden in the tree when Christ walked by.  Jesus looked up, called him by name, and told him to “come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”  Christ loved him, accepted Zacchaeus unconditionally, and personally included him in his life. This is what caused Zacchaeus’ change of heart.

Love is the only thing that causes conversion.  If we just knew how to love more like Christ loves people, our world would change and become a better place.  Just as Jesus was rooted in His Father’s love, our heart needs to be centered in God’s unconditional love for us, in order for us to be able to begin loving other people the way that Jesus did. How can we invite Jesus to enter into our homes a little more than what we have been doing lately, and truly make him the center of our lives?

As Jesus called Zacchaeus, twelve people have been called forth in our family of parishes to form and lead our family of parishes forth in the Beacons of Light process in Phase One. (There were twelve apostles so this is quite appropriate we have twelve Pathways Team members.) Linda Banecker, our liaison, has made her recommendations for the Pathways Team, which is a twelve-to-eighteen-month transitional team charged with creating a plan and vision for us moving forth in this process. The Pathways Team with the pastor assists with the planning process for the family of parishes and will prepare the family of parishes for the Disciple Maker Index which is a survey in which parishioners of the family of parishes will be invited to participate.

Maggie Leon-Guerrero has been appointed as the leader of the Pathways Team. The team Maggie will be leading is comprised of Mark Dulle, Rick Oberschmidt, Dan Frey, Bradley Barnes, Bill Neyer, John Elliot, Jennifer Tiettmeyer, Jay Mather, Mary Salvaggi, Joan Cardone, and Dave Auxier. The task of this team is monumental. I believe and have confidence that each member of this team can make the decisions necessary in Phase One. Please pray for them and their leadership in our family of parishes.

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we are reminded of how we should be ready for the coming of the Lord. For some it might mean reaching out to those in need, mending family relationships or starting a new venture. Whatever it might be, we must be alert and vigilant. As the future of the family of parishes unfolds, we are ready for whatever comes. A few weeks ago at the Guardian Angels Parish Council Meeting, a member of the Council brought up the dropping of the noon Mass. With a unanimous consent of the Council, it was decided to move forward. Beginning January 1, 2023, the new Guardian Angels Mass schedule for Sunday will be: 5:00 pm Saturday Vigil and on Sunday Morning at 8:00 am and 10:00 am.  It was discussed that prior to a new pastor arriving, each parish was to drop one Mass in June 2022. Immaculate Heart of Mary followed that advice and dropped the 7:30 am Sunday Mass. Many from that Mass have been attending the 8:00 am Mass at Guardian Angels. Within the family of parishes, the schedule for weekend liturgies beginning January 1, 2023 will be:

 

Guardian Angels

5:00 pm Saturday Vigil

8:00 am and 10:00 am Sunday Morning

 

Immaculate Heart of Mary

5:00 pm Saturday Vigil

9:30 am and 11:30 am on Sunday Morning and 5:30 pm on Sunday afternoon

 

St. John Fisher

4:30 pm Saturday Vigil

9:00 am and 11:00 am on Sunday Morning

 

This Thursday is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Worship Commission in realizing there is a 6:15 pm and 7:00 pm Mass in the family of parishes will be dropping the 7:00 pm Mass on the Holyday. Masses that day will be at Guardian Angels at 7:30 am, 9:00 am (School Mass) and 7:00 pm. Immaculate Heart of Mary will have Masses at 6:30 am, 8:15 am (School Mass) and 12:00 noon. St. John Fisher will have Masses at 8:00 am and 6:15 pm.

 

The Pathways Team has been meeting. There are three subgroups of Eucharist, Church and Leadership. The Eucharist group looks at the Mass schedule assessing that the average attendance must be at least 50% of the church capacity and that there are a sufficient number of trained ministers for Eucharistic celebrations. A priest may not assume more than two Masses per day. The Church group is tasked with forming a name for the family and envisioning a coordinated ministry between the family of parishes. The leadership group helps to form a unified pastoral council for the family, enables finance councils to work together and recommending competent and qualified staff for the family of parishes. This envisioning process by the leadership team will span over a twelve to eighteen month period from which a unified leadership team for the family of parishes will commence. Changes will be inevitable.  However, one can look at change  in two ways: either waving to the past or embracing the future with open arms. We embrace our future with open arms whatever may come with positivity, grace and compassion.

There is a song in the musical, “Godspell,” that depicts Advent mixed in with the passion death and resurrection of Christ. The song is “Prepare Ye.”

“Prepare ye the Way of the Lord, Prepare ye the Way of the Lord. Long Live God, Long Live God.” With the Beacons of Light entering into full process with the Pathways Team and other preparations, we are in a sense preparing the way of the Lord in our family of parishes. One form of preparation that has been announced in the bulletin is the “Disciple Maker Index” which is encouraging all parishioners to participate. This is a survey that helps us navigate through the phases of Beacons of Light. This survey enables you to reflect on your spiritual growth and provide feedback on what efforts the parish is doing to help you grow. All responses are confidential. The results are invaluable to me , the staff and our many volunteers as we seek ways to support everyone in their discipleship journey. Please take a few minutes to help in this important project. If you need a paper copy and are challenged in how to navigate the online form, please contact the parish offices and they can assist you.

Our Pathways Team continues to meet with Linda Banecker, our liaison from Catholic Leadership Institute. As decisions are made and plans are being developed, they will be communicated to the parishes. A Pastoral plan will need to be submitted to the Archbishop by no later than September 2023. Continue to pray as we move forward in our Beacons of Light process.

You may have read in last week’s bulletin that our Pathways Team for Beacons of Light is pursuing a name for our family of parishes. Your participation is encouraged. Please consider submitting a name. It will need to follow the guidelines set out in the bulletin of being a saint’s name, etc. The names for family of parishes in the Archdiocese cannot be duplicates. This is another step in our process. Instead of calling ourselves the  S-3 family of parishes, we will have a proper name to refer to ourselves as a unit. The names of the Churches will not change just a joint name. Thank you for your participation.

The process of participating in the naming of our family of parishes is closing out and then our Church subcommittee is tasked with sorting the submissions out and coming to a final name. Special thanks to the Church subcommittee of our Pathways Team for leading us through this process. A name will be forthcoming to which we can identify ourselves. Our Eucharist subcommittee is looking at Saturday and weekday Mass schedules and more to come on that. Our Leadership subcommittee is envisioning and planning for a Parish Pastoral Council for the family of parishes. We are moving forward with Beacons of Light. Thanks for your prayers throughout this process of forming one parish.

When choosing a name for an organization or an individual, it is wise to choose a name that's original, yet easy to understand. As human beings, we like names that are easy to understand, spell, and pronounce. It's natural to feel uneasy with a name that is very different from what we are used to because it's so surprising. That feeling goes away once you've been living with the name. Eventually, when a name is chosen and we start using it, Everyone grows to love it. After almost a month of submitting names for our family of parishes and sorting through the plethora of possible names, a name has been chosen by the Pathways Team and myself for our family of parishes. The name chosen is: St. Gregory the Great.

The reasoning behind this choice from the names submitted is that for many years the seminary on Beechmont Avenue held the name, St. Gregory the Great Seminary, until St. Gregory the Great Seminary was closed in 1980 and Mt. St. Mary Seminary and School of Theology moved from Norwood to Mount Washington in 1981. St. Gregory Seminary was a major focal point in the areas of Mt. Washington, Anderson and Newtown. Many young men attended St. Gregory Seminary from this area. The seminary still stands majestically on Beechmont Avenue as a Beacon of Light for young men and others to come and learn about our Catholic Faith. It pays homage to the history of our area without giving preference to any one former parish in the family. Our parish family is very unique because the seminary lies within our boundaries.

Furthermore, St. Gregory the Great became one of the pope’s seven deacons, and also served six years in the East as a papal representative in Constantinople. He was recalled to become an abbot, but at the age of 50 was elected pope by the clergy and people of Rome. Gregory was content to be a monk, but he willingly served the Church in other ways when asked. He sacrificed his own preferences in many ways, especially when he was called to be Bishop of Rome. Once he was called to public service, Gregory gave his considerable energies completely to this work. St. Gregory the Great is the patron saint of teachers of which we have many in our family of parishes with two Catholic Schools and children in our Public School of Religion classes.

We will begin a branding process for our family of parishes’ new name. We continue to work through Phase One of the Beacons of Light process as we proceed to Phase Two. More to come!

Our family of parishes, now newly named St. Gregory the Great, is forming a unified Pastoral Council! This council’s purpose is a strategic focus on the direction and spiritual growth of the family. Please consider whether you, or someone you know, would be interested in being a member of our inaugural, family level Pastoral Council.

 

The most important attributes team members will have are as follows:

1. Strategic Thinking
2. Diligence
3. Spirituality
4. Good Communicator and Listener

All with a focus on the family of parishes and rather than just your individual parish. 

 

Each parish will have three members on the new council.  Terms will initially be between two and four years, followed by three-year terms after this phase-in cycle. You do not need prior experience on a parish council to become a member of this pastoral council.

 

At this phase of the Beacons of Light process, individual parish councils still serve an important role and will remain as is.

 

If you’re interested in being considered for our St. Gregory the Great Pastoral Council, please email [email protected] by March 31, 2023.

 

Also, individuals have asked me about the names of our churches. Even though we are now referred to as the St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes, the names of the Churches remain the same: St. John Fisher, Guardian Angels and Immaculate Heart of Mary. One could refer to a location as the St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes, Guardian Angels Church.

 

A lot of changes yet to come. The Church Subgroup of the Pathways Team has rolled our family name after a process of participation, our Eucharist subgroup will be rolling out a readjustment of daily, holyday and Saturday Mass schedules. As the Lenten song reminds us: Change our hearts this time, your word says it can be. Change our minds this time, your life could make us free. We are the people your call sets apart. Lord, this time change our hearts. Brought by your hand to the edge of our dreams, one foot leave behind. But … Drawn by your promises, still we are lured by the shadows and the chains we leave behind. We rely on the grace of God as we move forward in our family of parishes.

The Pathways Team is moving us forward. Over the last few weeks, we have acquired a name moving forward, St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes. This is thanks to the hard work of the Church subgroup of the Pathways Team and your participation. The Leadership subgroup of the Pathways Team has met with all three parish pastoral Councils outlining the plan for a joint Family Pastoral Council to be effective in the summer of July 2023. Our Eucharist subgroup has now presented to the whole Pathways Team and myself the plan for moving forward with the daily, holyday and Saturday Mass schedules.

Effective Monday, April 17, 2023, the new daily Mass schedule will be:

Monday through Friday: Guardian Angels 7:30 am.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Immaculate Heart of Mary 12 noon

Tuesday, Thursday: St. John Fisher 12 noon

Saturday: Immaculate Heart of Mary 8:15 am

School Masses will remain the same at 8:15 am for GA and IHM. Effective with the 2023-2024 school year, School Masses will be GA at 8:15 am on Tuesdays and IHM at 8:15 am on Thursdays.

Effective Monday, April 17, 2023, the new holyday Mass schedule will be:

Vigil Mass 6:15 pm St. John Fisher

Day Mases: 7:30 Guardian Angels

                    Noon: Immaculate Heart of Mary

                    7:00 pm Guardian Angels

 

School Masses will remain the same for IHM at 8:15 am and GA at 9:00 am

Effective Monday, April 17, 2023, the Saturday Mass schedule for the family will be:

3:30 pm Guardian Angels Confessions: 2:00-3:00pm

5:00 pm Immaculate Heart of Mary Confessions: 3:30-4:30 pm

 

This in in conformity with the Archdiocesan guidelines which state:

• Fuller churches lead to more effective use of ministers (lay and ordained).
• There should always be at least 90 minutes between starting times of Masses.

If these guidelines are not being met, parishes are encouraged to look seriously at their weekend Mass schedules and make appropriate changes. The quality of Sunday Mass suffers when there are too many weekend Masses or smaller congregations. The liturgy is always enhanced by a church that is more full than empty, making it easier to have enough lay ministers to celebrate the liturgy well. Likewise, if priests are to be genuinely enthusiastic each time they preside, they normally should not be expected to regularly preside multiple times every weekend. According to Canon Law, a priest should normally celebrate one Mass per day. Bishops can permit priests to celebrate two Masses per day for a just cause, for example, on a Sunday or holyday of obligation, or on a weekday if there is a funeral. Bishops can also permit priests to celebrate three Masses per day on Sundays or holydays of obligation, if there is a genuine and serious pastoral need, for instance, if the priest is responsible for more than one parish.

Thank you for your prayers in this new endeavor.

It is not only our family of parishes that are in a process of change but the universal Church is as well. As has been said, the only realities that do not change are change and God. With the grace of God, we move forward.