A Message about the Diocese

I am grateful for the ongoing prayers you and our pastorate community have offered over the last several months as the Bishop’s staff and the priests of the diocese discerned a path forward for revising our Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan.

We find ourselves in a difficult situation:

• Fewer priests available for ministry—since 2020 we have 8 priests that are no longer in active ministry.

• There are vacancies in 4 pastorates

• Hispanic ministry needs are not being met

• Several diocesan-appointed vicars are serving multiple roles The current reality is not sustainable. Just as we have been working on our own three-year rolling pastoral vision plan which will be evaluated and adapted on a regular basis, so too does the Uniting in Heart 2030 diocesan pastoral plan require adjustments—especially considering the challenges noted above. The motivation of our consultations has been to respect the capacities of the priests in our diocese, and to better enable us to tend to our flocks.

We have also had an eye on the following guiding principles that are central to the success of the diocesan plan:

• Vocations

• Attentiveness to growing Hispanic Ministry

• Maintaining a Catholic priest and presence in all of our 28 pastorates

• Proper mentoring of Associate Pastors

• Priestly presence/ministry after each weekend Mass in multi-parish pastorates

As Bishop Doherty has mentioned before, there was no formula or set problem-solving structure; there were no easy answers. However, over the course of three in-person presbyterate assemblies in January, February and March, in which I participated in, along with ongoing leadership meetings among the Presbyteral Council, diocesan leadership and Bishop Doherty, a path forward is in motion.

In the upcoming May 14 edition of The Catholic Moment, adjustments to the Uniting in Heart plan will be presented. While our pastorate is not experiencing significant change, it is important to familiarize yourself with the modifications being made throughout our diocese.

I feel confident that these changes are necessary for the spiritual fruitfulness of our diocese. Throughout the course of our priestly gatherings, many proposals were shared, good interventions were made, feedback was collected and conversations continued.

While not all of the feedback produced mutual consensus, the priests of the diocese and the Uniting in Heart Leadership Team worked hard to account for priest feedback received, and formulated proposals that recommend a path forward, specifically with June 2023 clergy assignments in mind.

The process was thoughtful and honest and led by the Holy Spirit. Please continue to pray for our pastorate family, the faithful of the diocese and the success of our Uniting in Heart pastoral plan, specifically seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit on our path forward as we continue to build up Christ’s Kingdom on Earth.

Priest assignments will be announced in the affected parishes the weekend of May 20/21 and appear in the June 4 edition of The Catholic Moment.