Father's Reflection 2.19.23

Three Parishes, One Family (Continued)

Thank you to all who have approached me in the last week asking questions about our parish leadership team. Confusion can easily be addressed by simply having a good conversation. And this last week has shown me that.

As we continue to make this transition from three separate parishes, to one family, please consider the following. We will be maintaining three parish councils. Three finance councils. Three checking and savings accounts. Three separate summer picnic celebrations. We will simply be aiming to be one parish family, with one leadership team (with parishioners from all three parishes participating). One mission statement. One purpose for all three parishes. And here is why.

Friends, the days of tiny, rural parish communities having little to nothing to do with each other, while sharing one pastor, are behind us. We simply will not survive according to that model. And it is because we are tiny. Every single parish outside of Nemaha County dwarfs all three of our parishes combined, as St. Peter and Paul in Seneca dwarfs us. Think about that for a moment. The Catholic Church is universal and She is meant to be One. Friends, we need each other. Together as one, we can triple our prayer cover, and that is only the beginning of what could be possible.

More on this next week.