Friends, I knew, even when I entered seminary, that if  I ended up being a priest, I would find myself in a great many situations that overwhelmed me, situations in which I would need total reliance on God. But a theoretical understanding and lived experience are two completely different things. I have had the opportunity to learn deeper trust in God through studies, learning Spanish, working with the bereaved and the suffering, becoming a pastor, and the list goes on. But the looming challenges and opportunities of the Beacons of Light initiative in the Archdiocese seem, at the outset, to be perhaps the biggest test yet, not only in my priesthood, but for a great many of the faithful. With that in mind, I want to reiterate the process of what we will find out, when we will hear it, and what we can do to give input at the proper time.  I preached on this last weekend, and I am planning on doing so this weekend as well, but an abundance of communication about this is necessary, especially when going over the nuts and bolts.

Parishes in the Archdiocese will be grouped into “families of parishes.” These are different from parish regions, which already exist here, in the sense that over the first five years of implementing the families, we will be actively discerning what buildings,
campuses, resources, Masses, etc. each parish family needs in order to thrive. This is not meant to be a continuation of regions, but an active look at making each community as strong as it can be by making tough decisions and pruning some ministries, activities, and eventually even buildings and parishes so that our infrastructure isn’t too big for us too handle and more than we need.
 
The first draft of the families of parishes is being finalized by the Deans, Presbyteral Council, consultants, and other experts. Fr. Jeff and I do not know what these families are, nor will we find out until September 29. This plan will be released to the public for comment and input on October 1. After any revisions from this process take place, the plan will be finalized by the    Archbishop in November. Shortly thereafter, every priest in the Archdiocese will talk with the personnel board and find out if he will, on July 1, 2022, either: retire, take a new assignment and move, or stay and take a somewhat altered assignment. Virtually every priest in the Archdiocese will either move or stay where they are but have a change in their responsibilities.
 
This will no doubt make for a crazy year in the life of the Church in Cincinnati. It is complicated further by the renovations we are planning for OLR in the coming months. With all of this in mind, I want to urge you to pray and even fast or make other sacrifices for the success of this effort, as I and many priest have been doing for some time now. I believe this is necessary for   the success of the mission of the Church, and we should be praying. We are planning to have three holy hours and conversation nights on the week of October 3, so people from our region can come together to pray, and then offer their thoughts on the families of parishes plan during the feedback window. Please stay tuned for more details on those holy hours, and I hope to see many people there.
 
In the midst of this uncertainty, please know that you are more than welcome to send me any questions or concerns, or even just vent about how crazy all of this seems. I know that it’s a lot. Above all else, know that Jesus’ words to the early Church are just as true now as they were then: “I am with you always, even until the end of the age.”
 
Prayers always, Fr. McC