Planning ahead

The bleak economic situation in our country and around the world continues to rivet the attention of a great majority of people almost daily. When will the downturn bottom out? How long will it take to arrive at some type of substantial recovery? The answers to these questions range from cautious optimism to hedging pessimism. The fact is that no one really knows, but that doesn’t absolve people in government and business from having to make plans and consider various strategies based on what actually happens. And none of this takes into consideration the tremendous human suffering of so many people caught up in this economic downturn through everything from loss of employment to loss of investment savings to even loss of their homes.

For many years now, we who belong to the Catholic Church in the United States have been going through a very similar process. Ours has not been due to the presence or absence of money, but rather the downturn in numbers of priests and religious sisters and brothers that has been going on for about four decades.

In our own diocese, the Priests’ Personnel Board has begun its annual process in seeking to help me to discern how best to distribute the priests of our diocese in the service of all of our parishes and institutions. I have been very encouraged by the fact that we are in a much better situation at this particular time than I thought we would be when I first came to the diocese almost 12 years ago. But this particular process becomes more challenging every year. And none of us have the ability to look clearly into the future.

The year before I was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City, a wide and thorough consultation was conducted across the diocese, which has been the basis in helping us plan for the future. It has proved to be very valuable, but with the passing of time it seems to me that we should revisit this whole question with the goal of obtaining an updated picture of our situation as a local Church working together in the service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have approved a process for diocesan planning to be conducted during 2009 and into 2010. This planning process will be conducted by the Chancellor’s Office (Sister Kathleen Wegman SSND, chancellor; and Ronald Vessell, associate to the chancellor). The diocesan plan will identify three to five priorities for the Diocese of Jefferson City to pursue in the next several years. The plan will build on the results of the Diocesan Assembly held in 1996.

As you might recall, the Diocesan Assembly resulted in recommendations centering on the shortage of priests, and the utilization of the gifts of the laity. The results of the deanery reports from the Diocesan Assembly have been a key part of the parish staffing decisions over the past 12 years. Now, I wish to build on the recommendations of the 1996 Diocesan Assembly by looking to the challenges that lie ahead, and identifying goals and specific actions to move us into a future filled with hope and grace.

The chancellor has set forth a process that will involve our local Church in every aspect of parish life. The process will involve our priests, diocesan and parish professional staff, diocesan parish and finance councils, and of course, a random sample of parishioners of every parish. The process for each of the groups will involve surveys, followed by meeting with all or a sample of each group. If you are personally asked to assist in this important work, I encourage you to make every effort to participate, as the results of this planning will affect our future.

As always, let us continue to pray for one another