C L U S T E R C O R N E R

Bay City Southwest Cluster

St. Hedwig, Holy Trinity and St. Mary Parishes

Bay City, Michigan


CLUSTER COMMITTEE


CLUSTER TOWN HALL REPORT

From Bulletin Report of May 8, 2005

2. HOW CAN WE BLEND OUR PARISHES INTO ONE COMMUNITY AND WHAT FORM SHOULD IT TAKE?


Communication

  • Another Town Hall or other cluster meetings and invite interested persons to attend.

  • One cluster bulletin / page insert / newsletter


Consolidation / Merging


Forming one new parish

  • Identify as one community / one community, one pastor

  • Belong to one cluster, not an individual parish, but maintain individual parish heritage

  • Consolidate / close some parishes / add parishes to cluster

  • Change our name (e.g. Southwest Cluster) / create unified Mission Statement

Sharing

  • Buildings / resources

  • Staffs / ministries / programs / responsibilities


Stewardship

  • One set of envelopes / combine funds and spending

  • Consolidate residences for clergy / religious / use facilities of each location -weddings,

  • funerals


Governance

  • Merge Pastoral Councils and some Commissions

  • One overall administrative board with representatives from each parish / equal representation

  • New members for Cluster Committee


Facilities


  • A larger church, centrally located / a West Side Cathedral/add on to an existing church

  • Share facilities / school at one location, administrative services at another


Programs / Ministries

  • Combine Faith Formation Programs / youth / focus on children's programs

  • Combine sacramental preparation, RCIA / continue to share Couple to Couple program

  • Consistent policies re: age, grade of sacraments

  • Coordinate music and choir

  • Rotate / group baptisms


Administrative Services

  • Consolidate office staffs and programs / share administrative duties

  • Centralize accounting and purchasing / maintenance

  • Combine finances


Activities

  • Combine and unify similar activities: e.g. soup suppers / funeral luncheons / breakfasts

  • Multi-parish involvement in fund-raises: e.g. fish fries and raffles


Prayer / Worship

  • One Mass per church per weekend / Three Masses per weekend with closed-circuit TV to other sanctuaries

  • Coordinate Mass schedules / Greater diversity of Mass times / rotate, stagger Masses / combine Masses

  • Priests should rotate from parish to parish

  • Attend each other's Masses / have prayer services when we don't have Mass

  • Uniform liturgy at each church

  • Develop strongest possible liturgical experience so people will attend no matter where Mass is offered.

  • Develop / educate spirituality / group prayer services to ask Holy Spirits guidance.


Ministers

  • Be careful not to "burn out" priests I free priests from non-priestly roles

  • Priest(s) concentrate on preaching, teaching, ministering sacraments

  • Have one priest I Pastor lives at a neutral location

  • Accept former clergy into priesthood I train deacons I more lay ministers I all parishes have a trained Director of Faith Formation I hire parish administrators


Attitude

  • Establish priorities! What's important vs. what parishes are willing to give up.

  • Become a more inclusive community. Feel welcome to attend Masses at every church

  • Embrace change / work at it

  • Be willing to give up "personal control" for the sake of unification

  • People don't want to give up their parishes, but these are difficult times and our decisions will also be difficult.


Various Strategies

  • Put our ideas into action.

  • Reach out and bring more people into the process

  • Individual parish survival doesn't appear as a future option. The three may end up as two or one.

  • Slow, gradual implementation



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