 St. Malachi Parish: Update on Vibrant Parish Life II
Last week's bulletin insert provided information on how we discern cluster
partners. That insert described eight steps to the discernment process. The
following summarizes the work of the Parish Leadership Team to date.
In March, representatives of Parish Council attended a meeting for the
parishes of our Central West District with Bishop Pilla to begin Phase 11 of the
Vibrant Parish Life process. After that meeting, the parish formed a Leadership
team composed of members of Parish Council, staff members and parishioners. (The
Community of St. Malachi established its own Leadership Team and is engaged in a
similar, parallel process.) The Leadership Team is: Michael French (Chairperson
of Parish Council & the Leadership Team), Andrew McLinden (Vice-Chairperson
of Parish Council), Susan Brooks (Parish Council), Carolyn Meyer (Parish
Council), Gregory Gacka (Parish Council & Finance Council), Arlene Corrigan,
Kevin O'Donnell, William Graham, Mary Jane Treichel (staff) and Fr. Tony
Schuerger (pastor). The group began meeting in the spring; Fr. Tony officially
commissioned the Leadership Team at 4:30 Mass at the Vigil of Pentecost, June 3.
During the Leadership Team's discernment process, the team has looked at
information about other parishes, such as the number of registered families and
the number of baptisms, weddings, and funerals at each parish. The team studied
parishes on the near west side, Tremont, and downtown. In addition, the team
studied the objective and subjective criteria that were listed in last week's
insert. The team ranked the objective criteria in the following order: (1)
sacramental needs; (2) geography, (3) size of cluster, (4) limit of the number
of Masses said on a weekend, and (5) limit of how many parishes one pastor can
serve. Likewise, the team ranked the subjective criteria in the following order:
(1) existing relationships and resonance/workable fit; (3) geography and
neighborhood needs; (5) common history; and (6) capacity for cluster work. Based
on the ranking of the criteria and the study of the various parishes, the team
has narrowed potential cluster partners to two groups of parishes. The first
group, informally known as the "West Cluster," includes the Community
of St. Malachi, St. Colman, St. Patrick, and St. Wendelin. The second group,
informally known as the "East Cluster," includes the Community of St.
Malachi, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and St. Peter.
The team has met twice with the Community of St. Malachi, and the Parish and
the Community have agreed to include each other in their cluster proposals. The
team is now in the process of discerning the other parishes it will include in
the two or three cluster configurations the Parish will submit to the Diocese on
October 1, 2006. St. Peter's has invited the Parish and the Community to attend
a meeting on August 17, which will also include the Cathedral and Immaculate
Conception. St. Malachi will host a meeting on August 24, which will include St.
Patrick, St. Wendelin, St. Colman, and St. Augustine.
The team welcomes your thoughts, prayers, and concerns about the cluster
process. Please feel free to approach any of the team members to talk about the
process. The Parish will host an open forum to discuss the Parish's cluster
proposals on Saturday, August 26 after 4:30 PM Mass and on Sunday, August 27
after 9:30 AM Mass. If you cannot attend, please send your comments by email to malachirectory@catholic.org.
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