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CLUSTER 7 4 PASTORAL PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE ______________________ COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Presentation BVM, Cheltenham
St. James, Elkins Park St. Joseph, Cheltenham Seven Dolors, Wyndmoor
Information may also be found on the Archdiocesan website at: www.archphila.org/cluster/c74/.
CLUSTER 74 Parishes Pastor, Location and Phone Holy Martyrs
Seven Dolors ______________________
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Press Release June
10, 2002 CARDINAL BEVILACQUA ACCEPTS THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE TWINNING EVALUATION AND CLUSTER IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEES TO SUPPRESS SEVEN DOLORS PARISH, WYNDMOOR
TO TAKE EFFECT JULY 1, 2003 For the past two years, the parishes of Seven Dolors, Wyndmoor and Saint Genevieve, Flourtown, in Montgomery County, have been sharing one pastor. The Cluster 74 Pastoral Planning Committee recommended this twinning arrangement in the Cluster Pastoral Plan that Cardinal Bevilacqua accepted in 1998. In light of demographic changes and the decline in the number of available priests, the cluster plan called for Saint Genevieve and Seven Dolors Parishes to share one pastor as of June 2000 and to conduct and complete an evaluation of this arrangement by June 2002. The Twinning Evaluation Committee, made up of four parishioners from each parish; the pastor, Father Robert Carroll; as well as Monsignor John Marine, the Vicar for Montgomery County; met six times since December 2001. Parishioners had an opportunity to share their thoughts about the twinning experience through evaluations obtained through members of the two parishes' Pastoral Councils. The clergy, the Finance Committees and parish staffs also evaluated their experience with twinning. In addition to a serious review of these evaluations, the Cluster Plan had also called for an assessment of the effect of twinning on the health (physical, emotional, spiritual) of the pastor who would be serving the two parishes. Along with these considerations, the committee also studied: · The five-year demographic profile of the registered number of parishioners · Information of relevant statistics about sacraments, religious education, school, etc. · 2000 U. S. Census Data · Age range of parishioners in each parish · Projections on the number of priests who will be available to serve in the Archdiocese through 2019 (almost 200 fewer) · Information about the financial status of each parish The Evaluation Committee members considered their task an enormous responsibility and were deeply committed to thinking about the needs of the whole church as they deliberated about a recommendation. The committee felt responsible for positioning the two parishes with an eye to the future, even as it had great respect for the history of each parish. The Evaluation Committee remembered its responsibility to all members of both parishes and sought an option that would allow the Church to be pastorally responsive. The Evaluation Committee gave serious consideration to five options: 1. Continue the twinning arrangement as it is 2. Continue the twinning arrangement with modifications 3. Twin with another parish 4. Suppress one parish, keep the other parish; redraw boundaries, considering keeping one church as a worship site 5. Consolidate or merge, that is, suppress both parishes and form a new parish with a new name The advantages and disadvantages of each option were thoroughly discussed in an environment that was prayerful, open and collaborative. Through the process of consensus, the committee came to a decision to recommend that Seven Dolors Parish be closed as a parish, that Saint Genevieve Parish remain with its boundaries redrawn to include the boundaries of Seven Dolors, and that Seven Dolors church remain open as an alternate worship site for Saint Genevieve Parish. It was recommended that this become effective in June 2003. (Attached please find a copy of the Archdiocesan regulations for the use of a worship site.) On April 17, 2002, the Twinning Evaluation Committee had an opportunity to inform the Pastoral Councils of this recommendation and to hear the members comments. On April 17, 2002 all registered parishioners of both parishes of both parishes were sent a first class postage letter explaining both the process used and the option that was chosen. In this letter, parishioners were invited to make written comments and to send them to the attention of the Twinning Evaluation Committee. Parishioners of both parishes were also invited to hear from the Twinning Evaluation Committee in person and to discuss this recommendation with the committee on Thursday, May 2, 2002 in Seven Dolors' Hall. After this, the Twinning Evaluation Committee met to review parishioners written comments, as well as those expressed at the meeting to determine if any new information or new points of view that the committee did not already consider, had been obtained and if so, the recommendation would be reviewed in light of this additional material. After reviewing the material the Evaluation Committee agreed that no new information had been received and thus they sent their recommendation as stated to the Cluster Pastoral Planning Implementation Committee for their consideration and review. (The Cluster Pastoral Planning Implementation Committee, composed of the pastor and representatives of each parish in the cluster, is charged with the task of overseeing the implementation of the Cluster Plan.) On May 14, 2002, the Cluster Implementation Committee reviewed the recommendation and offered its support for its contents. It was then be submitted to Cardinal Bevilacqua through Monsignor Marine, the Regional Vicar. The Cardinal reviewed the recommendation and on June 3, 2002, sent a letter to Monsignor Marine informing him of his acceptance of the recommendation made by both committees. Parishioners were informed of the Cardinal's acceptance on the weekend of June 8-9, 2002. |
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