+JMJ+
Our parish continues to answer the call to missionary discipleship as we continue implementing Uniting in Heart as directed by Bishop Doherty in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. As I have tried to communicate in prior short bulletin columns, All Saints and St. Charles Borromeo will be collaborating, not consolidating, within the new Pastorate. Uniting in Heart is a movement towards what Pope Francis calls “pastoral conversion” which is not a “restructuring” of our current parishes, but a plan to help share God’s life, and the life of His Son Jesus Christ, through word and sacraments.
The proposed parish structure (see below) will give you a visual of how things will look and a better understanding of exactly how the individual parishes will operate in the new pastorate. Pastoral councils from both parishes will be united into one Pastoral Council, and will continue to have representation from both parishes. This Pastoral Council will develop a rolling 3-year pastoral plan, building upon existing pastoral plans from both parishes. Two new positions (Director of Operations and Director of Evangelization) will be created in order to help the Pastorate Leadership Team implement this 3-year Pastoral Plan at both parishes. We recently hired a Director of Operations, Anchal "Angie" Lalla, who will facilitate administrative responsibilities at both parishes. The Director of Evangelization has yet to be defined by the Diocese, but gratefully, we currently have staffing that will remain for evangelization at each parish.
Three priests (one pastor and two associates) will have rooms at each location, so there should always be a priest present at either parish to meet the sacramental and pastoral needs of all parishioners. With three priests serving both communities, it is an opportunity for fraternity amongst the priests, as well as an opportunity for different gifts and talents to be available to parishioners.
Although there will be one Leadership Team for the pastorate, each parish will continue to have their own staff & offices, their own finance council & budget, and their own respective ministries & programs. Although the parishes will remain separate, the pastorate allows for collaboration among programs that the other parishes might not have (i.e. marriage preparation, bereavement, etc.).
As always, change is difficult no matter how well you plan for it. While trying to navigate the nuances of Uniting in Heart, the global pandemic of Covid-19 hit our nation as well as racial tensions, and it made things even harder. It is a lot for anyone to deal with, but we must be patient and trust that God is still ever-present. We must pray, pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17), so that we can act with the common good in mind and be willing to serve those that are in greater need than we are. By remaining faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ, we can build the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Fr. Adam Mauman
Missionary Pastor