Friends,
Last week I was able to visit my sister, brother-in-law and their 5 kids over in Grand Rapids. It also happened to be my sister and brother-in-law's 12 wedding anniversary which was a nice coincidence. They've been tending their vegetable garden all summer and are now reaping it's bounteous fruits in the form of green beans. Apparently, the best way to eat green beans according to my nieces is fresh picked from the garden and raw. I can't say I'm a huge raw green bean fan but I suppose there's more than one way to get kids to eat their vegetables.
Last week the Diocese of Saginaw produced its final Synod Report as a result of the Synod on Synodality. You can read the whole thing attached to this email.
One thing that stood out to me in it was the consistent and strong message that parishes are still struggling from the merge process. The report says:
"Parish mergers across the Diocese of Saginaw, which were announced in 2013 and ultimately led to the closure of some churches and schools, were broadly discussed. Nearly a decade after the mergers began, the wounds are described as still very raw and in need of healing.
Listening session participants expressed anger over the Diocese’s perceived lack of transparency regarding the mergers, which they believed caused division among those forced to come together. In addition, frustration regarding the way the mergers were handled, parish name changes, loss of parish identity, sacraments of initiation being administered in the parish church and not in additional church locations, as well as other related issues were described as barriers for parishes and parishioners to grow and share their faith."
It's been my sense at our parish that there are lingering uncertainties about our identity as a new 3-site parish. It can be difficult to form new relationships, ways of operating, and ways of communicating. But, being a 3-site parish is something none of us has power to control and it part of God's will for us that we embrace this new identity. So ask yourself: what am I doing to help bring about unity at Holy Family Parish?
As we enter August, a month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let's ask for her motherly intercession to unite us more closely a parish family.
AMDG,
Fr. Stephen