As we are about one month into our new Parish Family arrangement, I believe now is a good time to step back and look at where we are, where we’re going, and what we’ve learned so far. The stated goal of Beacons of Light is to unify Families of Parishes into one parish and one pastor, even if multiple campuses are kept open. We are in the early stages now of learning the differences between how our parishes do things like sacramental prep, handling intake for different things when people call the office, and even administrative responsibilities. It’s a lot to process, for sure, but we will get there. As we continue this process, we will also start moving the parish councils toward a unified body that can deliberate and discern together on issues that impact all of us and our shared future.
In the meantime, here’s a few things that may help us navigate these changes together. Side note, I’ll tell you that it’s been a challenge for me to figure out exactly what to say about all this and when to say it, because half of the complaints I’m getting are about a lack of communication about Beacons, and the other half are people asking me to shut up about Beacons already. Tough to navigate that, I suppose. ·There will necessarily be a difference between how a parish operates when it has one or more priests responsible for one parish and maybe one school, and how it operates when we have four parishes, five campuses/properties (for the moment), two staffs, and some level of pastoral responsibility for two schools. When I was a vicar, I was one of four priests assigned to one parish/school. I covered Masses for other priests some weekends because I wasn’t overloaded at my actual assignment. It was only six years ago, but it seems like a different world. I’m not saying we won’t work hard or listen to you or do our best to be present to you, because that is exactly what our goal is. But I do think it’s fair to say that when someone calls the emergency line at 9:30 pm on a Friday to yell at someone about how there is no one waiting to answer the phone, maybe we need to reset our expectations.
·There is a huge difference between “How can we help?” and “You need to fix this.” Cards on the table, I’m overwhelmed at times with all this, and so I fear not having the bandwidth to incorporate volunteers into our system so they can share their gifts with the Church. We’re doing our best to tie everyone in on the important work we’re doing, but I may need more than one reminder because I’m underwater more often than before with everything going on. If we resolve to work for the vibrancy and holiness of our parishes even with our priest resources stretched thin,I am sure that God will reward our generosity. ·As I have stated multiple times before, this entire endeavor, and any parish endeavor for that matter, only works if it is rooted in prayer. If we do our best to follow the promptings of the Spirit and remain grounded in prayer, God will see it all through. “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the workers labor.”
As a final note, I hope you all know that I’m not trying to be a scold, or take anyone on a guilt trip, nor am I trying to keep everyone at arm’s length. Without a vision, God’s people suffer. Right now, we’re very much still assessing, learning, and praying so that the vision that comes out of the first step in this process is in accord with both reality and God’s Will. I long for the day when we move out of the early chaos and build a growing sense of understanding of where the Lord is leading us as a Parish Family, and I am confident that we will get there. But as we move through sometimes choppy waters, trust in the Lord who called us to live and minister in these times and pray that we keep our eyes set on Him.