A collaborative effort that involved 34 commission members, clergy and advisers resulted in the release of final draft models for future configuration of parishes and schools in the diocese as part of the Real Presence Real Future initiative.
The models that were released last week at www.realpresencerealfuture.com represent recommendations that will be evaluated by Bishop Earl Fernandes over much of the next year.
Real Presence was launched at the start of 2021 by former Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan, who left the diocese to assume a new appointment in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York in late November 2021. Father Michael Hartge, the diocese’s moderator of the Curia, assumed responsibility for overseeing the process after Bishop Brennan departed.
Nothing is set in stone yet with the parish and school models. The bishop will make the final determination.
There are four models for parishes: one church with one pastor, one parish and one pastor with multiple churches, multiple churches under one pastor and one staff, and multiple churches under one pastor with multiple staffs.
Recommendations for elementary schools are broken down into two categories: parochial and diocesan. Parochial schools would be operated by the affiliated parish, which is currently the norm at the elementary level. Diocesan schools would be run by administrators from the diocese. The diocesan model is similar to how diocesan high schools currently operate.
It should be noted again that the final draft models are proposals and subject to change.
Parishioners throughout the diocese were provided the opportunity during the past year to ask questions, digest information and offer feedback through a survey on the plans for how parishes and schools will be structured in the coming years.
More than 8,000 individuals from the diocese’s 105 parishes participated in a survey after the second-round draft models were released in the spring. The feedback was compiled and reviewed by a diocesan team of clergy members and the Real Presence Real Future commission before the final recommendations were sent to Bishop Fernandes.
“No one can say they didn’t have the opportunity, between the online surveys and in-parish meetings and presentations, to voice our opinions,” said commission member Mike Haller of Chillicothe St. Mary Church.
A diocesan team was charged with creating the various draft models. The final models were crafted after absorbing the survey feedback and data that ranged from clergy staffing to Mass participation.
The commission members assisted in an advisory role during the initiative. They also reviewed the surveys and provided comments and recommendations on the final-round drafts, but they were not decision makers.
“After the first round, you could clearly see input from parishioners and from pastors across the diocese,” Haller said. “Several things evolved right up to the very last meeting and the final recommendations. The diocese leadership got to hear what’s really happening in all areas.
“What we thought were going to be our last recommendations, three or four of those were changed at the last meeting just because staff from the diocese went to the parishes and talked and saw what was happening and made changes. So, I hope the message is that truly the diocese listened to the concerns of the parishes, and that was very apparent because the models changed right up to the last recommendation.
“I think that’s a very strong statement, and parishioners should know that their voices were heard.”
Some of the feedback taken into account before determining the final models included the presence of religious orders, social services, ethnic communities, clergy allocation and geography (travel distance to a parish for clergy and parishioners and the presence of only one Catholic church in various counties).
“We saw where maybe some of the drafts needed to be shored up a little bit or other considerations to take into account,” said Deacon Paul Zemanek, who serves at Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church.
“For example, if there was a model where it was going to combine two or three parishes, and maybe one of the parishes was more heavily laden with a Hispanic demographic, we wanted to make sure that they were taken care of and have their spiritual needs met.”
Commission members met quarterly through Zoom or in person.
“I’ll be honest, the volume of information was overwhelming,” Haller said. “We reviewed one grouping of churches at a time and got feedback from others by asking questions.
“I think the most important thing was that this was an eye opener. I think for years parishioners have said, ‘We’ve got a priest shortage,’ but when Bishop Brennan put the numbers out, I think everybody said, ‘We do have a problem.’”
By 2030, the diocese is projected to have 80 active priests and 60 of those available for assignment as pastors. With 105 parishes currently operating, something eventually had to give.
“When you see it on paper, it makes you pause,” Haller said. “So, I think that the most important thing that came out of this entire process is that now parishioners see that there’s truly a crisis with vocations. Decisions had to be made, and that’s really the driving force behind everything that has come out of this.
“The bottom line is, something has to be done. Leaving it as is won’t work, and we need to refocus on vocations. Being very honest and open and saying we have a problem is tough, but it’s a nationwide issue, a Catholic Church issue with a big ‘C,’ and here’s what we have to do now.”
Six diocesan deacons joined the commission in the final stages to offer their input.
“I think the reason the deacons were invited is because in the comments from the surveys there were some that felt that deacons have various backgrounds in sales or in finance, running companies, and it was important to make sure that they were engaged because the deacons have a very tight relationship with their priest,” Zemanek said. “And so, we need to be in step with our priests and working with them to implement a particular model for each parish.”
Deacons attended the last few commission meetings to help review the final draft models.
“There was definitely serious consideration taken into what the parishioners had to say themselves,” Zemanek said. “Everyone may still not have gotten what they wanted, but I felt that those who set those parameters and guidelines did listen.
“Change, as we know, is very difficult no matter what kind of change it is. And I can empathize with those that maybe the change isn’t going to be lined up with what they were looking for, but hopefully they’ll be able to put it in perspective with what they know about the priest shortage and why we’re having to go through this process.”
Haller said the commission members recognize that the models aren’t perfect and that they could change after the bishop’s evaluation, but they were generally pleased with the process.
“When you’re talking about this size of an organization, it won’t be perfect,” Haller said. “I think it’s as good as it can be with what we have to work with. It’s certainly up to Bishop Fernandes to make the final decision and decide if it works.
“We just don’t know what the next four or five years are going to bring as things are implemented, but at least this is a great starting point.”
With Bishop Fernandes having dealt with a similar restructuring while serving as a priest in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, commission members expressed confidence in his ability to assimilate the models and make prudent decisions.
“We’ll just keep praying for vocations and for Bishop Fernandes as these tough decisions are made,” Haller said.
