RENEW MY CHURCH
Dear parishioners,
What follows is a formal decree signed by Cardinal Cupich. A decree is a pronouncement or document that formalizes a decision within the Church. In this case, the decree which follows the explanation below, concerns the decision for St. Gregory the Great Parish to unite with Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish, as announced in May. A decree communicates a decision using technical terms from church law and focuses only on the legal elements of the decision. What follows is an explanation of some elements of the decree which might be confusing. It also reminds us of some elements from the Cardinal’s announcement letter that are not addressed in the decree. – Fr. Paul
Explanation of the Decree Uniting Our Parishes
The top of page 3 of the decree states that effective September 3, the Feast of St. Gregory the Great, St. Gregory the Great Parish will be “extinguished as a separate juridic person in the Church and united with the territorial parish within which it is located, namely Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish.” This is the technical language indicating St. Gregory the Great will become part of Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish on September 3.
The decree does not address the Cardinal’s encouragement for us to discern possibilities for a new permanent name for the parish that will help unite all three of our communities as our one parish. We will keep you updated when the time comes for us to consider possible names to propose to Cardinal Cupich for his consideration and approval.
Point five of the decree addresses some points about the church buildings but only a small number of narrow technical elements. This point states, “The church of the former St. Gregory the Great Parish will be a church of Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish, retaining its title, St. Thomas of Canterbury Church will retain its status within the parish, and St. Ita Church will remain the parish church of the parish.”
First, the phrase “retaining its title” means the church building retains its name regardless of what happens with the parish name. So each of the three churches in our parish will keep their names.
Second, St. Thomas of Canterbury Church is already a church of the parish and its status as a church is not affected by the decree, so the decree notes it “will retain its status within the parish.”
Third, in canon law, the designation ‘parish church’ simply means the church where the sacramental records will be kept. In our case, this means the St. Ita campus is where the sacramental records of the united parish, as well as the past sacramental records of each former parish will eventually be maintained. For the current time, each parish’s records will remain at their current locations, and the parish will update everyone when the records are fully brought together at the office on the St. Ita campus.
Finally, the decree does not address the Cardinal’s request for parish leadership to annually review how well the three-campus model is supporting the parish’s vision and ministry, with a formal review with Bishop Bartosic and Renew My Church in three years. The Cardinal’s request for our leadership review remains, though it is not in the scope of a decree.
As we work toward the formal union of our parishes on September 3, 2020, please continue to keep all parishioners and staff in prayer.
ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO
Office of the Archbishop
835 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2030
312.534,82.30
archchicago.org
Prot. N. 2020 RMC-17
DECREE IN THE NAME OF GOD. AMEN.
"Likewise, parishes which are too small should be united insofar as
the situation demands it and circumstances permit." St. Paul VI,
Apostolic Letter motu proprio, Ecclesiae Sanctae, n. 21, (1), August
6, 1966
Changing demographics have affected the size and wealth of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the vitality of her parishes. This is particularly true in the City of Chicago itself, where the total population has decreased by 20% since 1970, from 3,366,957 to an estimated 2,705,994 in 2018. The archdiocese has many vacant, old, and underused parochial buildings and fewer priests to pastor our faith communities.
According to the US Census Bureau, the Archdiocese of Chicago had an estimated total population of 5,881,250 in 2018. The 2018 Annuario Pontifico indicates our archdiocese had 345 parishes serving a Catholic population of 2,512,000: an average of 7,281 Catholics per parish. According to the same source, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had a total population of 11,519,517, with 287 parishes for a Catholic population of 4,362,000: an average 15,199 Catholics per parish. For the Archdiocese of New York, the figures are 2,656,987 Catholics in 294 parishes: an average 9,037 Catholics per parish. A good number of our parishes were founded in the first half of the last century or earlier. Many were established for national, linguistic, or ethnic groups that no longer live in the archdiocese or in the neighborhoods where they once flourished.
Too many of our parishes have been unable to support themselves and have been receiving financial subsidies from the archdiocese. Between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2019 these subsidies amounted to $160,014,332.00, including $40,039,909.00 to 115 parishes, and $119,974,423.00 to 93 Catholic schools. This was entirely due to the generosity of the faithful of the archdiocese and other donors. We cannot continue this level of financial support for parishes and Catholic schools, especially while the number of those contributing to the support of their parishes increasingly declines. Our hope is that our parishes will become more vital, that is, active centers of Christian discipleship, evangelical mission, scholarship, and charitable outreach. To achieve this hope, the parishes must have a growing or stable membership and the ability to support themselves financially whenever possible.
Five years ago, inspired by the experience of St. Francis of Assisi before the cross of the ruined church of San Damiano, and by the Holy Father's dream of "a missionary option ... capable of transforming everything" (Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n. 27, November 24, 2013), I announced the inauguration of Renew My Church (RMC), a multiyear, intentional process aimed at obtaining and preserving the vitality of our parishes. It has been my intention that every parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago will join with some of its neighbors and plan together for the future. Careful planning will create a menu of possible options for future vitality. We are identifying parishes likely to be reconfigured through pastoral coordination with neighboring parishes, divisions, unions, and other significant alterations.
This decree concerns two parishes, both located within an area of approximately four square miles in the Andersonville/Edgewater/Uptown areas of the Northside of the City of Chicago: SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish (a territorial parish established by extinctive union May 31, 2019), 5500 North Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60640; and St. Gregory the Great Parish (a personal parish for German-speaking faithful established 1904), 5545 North Paulina Street, Chicago, Illinois 60640. Since the formation of SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish on May 31, 2019, plans have been underway to involve the personal parish within its territory, St. Gregory the Great Parish, in discerning a path for cooperation.
In the year since the formation, a proposal was developed outside the regular timeframe and processes of Renew My Church {RMC), but within the vision of the decree establishing SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish. This proposal, put forth by the pastoral leadership and lay representatives of the two parishes, in consultation with the RMC team and the area episcopal vicar, provided for the extinction of St. Gregory the Great Parish as a separate juridic person in the Church and its union with SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish. Under the proposal St. Ita Church will remain the parish church of the parish.
The proposal is supported by the data and arguments mentioned herein or attached to this decree. Significant is the fact that the founding mission of St. Gregory the Great Parish to be a personal parish for German-speaking faithful ended several decades ago. Over the last 20 years there has been a 57% decrease in regular Sunday Mass attendance at St. Gregory the Great Parish, including a 21% decrease in the last five years. The most recent average Sunday Mass attendance was 405, while the 2019 parish operating income, excluding rental income, was $666,425.00. Neither of these figures reaches the 800 per Sunday attendance or the $750,000.00 annual non-rental operating income needed to sustain a vital parish of this archdiocese. These realities coexist with a continuing decrease in the total and Catholic populations of the area and an ongoing decline in the number of priests available to pastor our parishes.
THEREFORE, know that I, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, according to the norms of canon 50, canon 127 §§1 & 3, canon 166, and canon 515 §2, of the Code of Canon Law, have before me the proposal of the involved pastors and their lay leadership, made in consultation with the RMC team and the area episcopal vicar and endorsed by the RMC Executive Committee, that St. Gregory the Great Parish on the Northside of the City of Chicago be extinguished as a separate person in the Church and united to the territorial parish within which it is located, namely, SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish. Consequently, I convened via video-conference, the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 5, 2020. Then, after hearing the Presbyteral Council and its vote of 36 for and 0 against the proposal and invoking the Holy Spirit, I accepted the Presbyteral Council's advice and now
decree the following:
1. Effective the feast day of St. Gregory the Great, September 3, 2020, St. Gregory the Great Parish on the Northside of the City of Chicago, will be extinguished as a separate juridic person in the Church and united with the territorial parish within which it is located, namely SS.
Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish;
2. The mission of the former St. Gregory the Great Parish will be subsumed completely into the mission of SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish;
3. Each and all the parishioners of the former St. Gregory the Great Parish are to be fully and equally parishioners of SS Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish;
4. The territory of SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish will be unchanged by this extinctive union with a personal parish within its territorial boundaries;
5. The church of the former St. Gregory the Great Parish will be a church of SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish, retaining its title, St. Thomas of Canterbury Church will retain its status within the parish, and St. Ita Church will remain the parish church;
6. Subject to the intention of founders and donors, and with due regard for any acquired rights, the goods and patrimonial rights of the former St. Gregory the Great Parish, together with any obligations with which they may be burdened, will become those of SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish (see canon 121);
7. The documents given to the Presbyteral Council on this matter, together with the minutes of the Council meeting of May, 5, 2020, will be attached to this decree;
8. Unless otherwise determined by professional staff of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the sacramental records and other materials relevant to historical research concerning the former St. Gregory the Great Parish will be collected and maintained at the campus of St. Ita Church; and
9. Notification of this decree will be given immediately to the pastoral leadership of St. Gregory the Great Parish and SS. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish, and to the faithful of the two parishes. Notice will be made on the archdiocesan website and through the bulletins or other suitable means available to each parish. Before hierarchical recourse (appeal) may be taken against this decree, a written and signed petition to reconsider or amend the decree must be delivered to me within ten (10) useful days from notification of the decree (CIC cc. 1734, 1735, 1737).
Given this 12th day of June, A.D. 2020.
From Holy Name Cathedral,
Chicago, Illinois
Blase Cardinal Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago
Attachments
THE DATA SUBMITTED TO THE PRESBYTERAL COUNCIL OF
THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO AND THE MINUTES OF
THE PRESBYTERAL COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 5, 2020,
WILL BE ATTACHED TO THIS DECREE AND, WHEN READY,
AVAILABLE THROUGH THE OFFICE FOR CANONICAL AFFAIRS
LETTER FROM CARDINAL CUPICH
Dear Parishioners,
What follows is the letter from Cardinal Cupich officially announcing the merger of St. Gregory the Great with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. Yet to be determined is the date when it will formally begin. What comes next will be what is called the operations phase – working out things like Mass schedules, staffing, a budget and many more practical details. I will keep you posted so that you will know in advance what to expect. I will consult with our Parish Pastoral Council about how we can celebrate and bring closure to our 116 year history as a stand-alone parish and how we can also embrace and celebrate our new parish reality with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. – Fr. Paul
Office of the Archbishop
835 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2030
312.534.8230
archchicago.org
May 11, 2020
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This letter begins with my continued prayers for you and your loved ones as we live through these uncertain times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you for supporting your pastors, fellow parishioners and local communities during these days.
Prior to the pandemic, your pastors and parish leaders gathered as a grouping team to review the parish structures for your area to determine the best way to accomplish greater ministerial vitality supported by increased financial stability. My gratitude to all who participated in the Renew My Church parish grouping process for your parishes of Saint Gregory the Great and Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury. In your conversations and gatherings, you learned more about each other and listened to Jesus’ call for a renewal of our parishes and our archdiocese.
This call – the very mission given to each of us at this place and time in the life of the Church – is to imagine new ways of inviting people into an encounter with the Risen Lord. We are His instruments of grace to make and form missionary disciples who, in turn, reach out and foster a greater sense of belonging and strengthen the bonds of community, especially among our young people. Doing so together in solidarity, we work in the hope of achieving vibrant and sustainable parishes and schools that are life-giving and bring the light and hope of Jesus Christ to a world in need. This is no small task, but with His call comes an assurance: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations ... And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Mt 28:19-20).
Having reviewed the feedback generated from the process and having heard the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council, I have decided to accept the grouping’s preferred scenario for all three campuses to continue within a united parish based on the vision articulated by your grouping team. The effective date for the union of your parishes will be determined based on several factors related to the re-opening of our parishes. I will seek your pastors’ counsel as to the most appropriate date for your community. Once a date is established, it will be communicated to you by your pastors.
To ensure sustainability into the future, I ask parish leadership to annually review how well the three-campus model is supporting the parish’s ministry, with a formal review with Bishop Bartosic and the Renew My Church team in three years.
The vision set forth by your grouping team offers great hope and builds on the charisms of each campus and the needs of each neighborhood within the parish. It calls for Saint Ita to be the center of parish life, Saint Thomas of Canterbury to be a center of social service outreach, and Saint Gregory the Great to be a cultural center of Evangelization through the Arts. Each campus will be grounded in the Eucharist with a Mass schedule determined by your local leadership.
The form of the union of your parishes will be Saint Gregory the Great uniting with Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, which was created as a parish May 31, 2019. I encourage parish leadership to discern possibilities for a new permanent name for the parish that will help unite all three communities together under one parish.
Regarding schools, this parish change does not create any structural changes to Saint Thomas of Canterbury School nor Northside Catholic Academy (NCA). Taking into consideration that many parishioner-students attend NCA and that Saint Gregory the Great has financially supported NCA, Bishop Bartosic’s team and the Office of Catholic Schools are working with parish and school leadership to ensure that an appropriate relationship with NCA continues.
My gratitude to both of your pastors for their leadership throughout this process. I thank the Conventual Franciscan Friars for their commitment and Fr. Bob Cook, OFM Conv., for his ministry as pastor of Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury and his future leadership of the united parish. I also thank Fr. Paul Wachdorf for his leadership of Saint Gregory the Great Parish and for guiding the community through this process as he soon begins retirement. My thanks also to the parish and school leaders who gathered as a grouping team and all parishioners and school families who provided input to the Renew My Church process.
My hope is that everyone in the community will continue working together. Your communities, united as one parish, will now embark upon the next phase of renewal to become a stronger, more sustainable presence for the future, capable of reaching more people in the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Again, I thank you for your work, time, and dedication throughout the Renew My Church process and for your prayers and patience as we navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. You are in my prayers, and I ask you to keep me in yours.
Wishing you every blessing, with kind regards I remain,
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Blase Cardinal Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago
RENEW MY CHURCH LATEST UPDATE
Dear Parishioners,
Hallelujah!!! This Sunday morning I have good news to share with you. Based on the positive recommendations from Cardinal Cupich’s Executive Committee, his Vicariate Committee and the Presbyteral Council (Priest Senate), he has decided that St. Gregory the Great will merge with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury and that all three will remain open as worship sites. St. Gregory the Great will NOT close. The Cardinal and his committees liked the vision for the future that our St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury discernment teams presented to them, namely, that in this new reality, St. Thomas of Canterbury would continue to offer its outreach to the poor, St. Ita would be the main administrative and liturgical center where the Franciscan friars would live and that St. Gregory the Great would be a cultural center for Evangelization Through the Arts. Yet to be determined is the exact date on which the merger will formally begin, most likely at some point later this Summer. The Cardinal will soon be sending me a formal letter informing us of his decision. Once I receive that letter, I will mail a copy of it to all registered parishioners since I don’t have email addresses for all of our parishioners. I will keep you posted with any further developments.
Today offer a prayer of gratitude to God for this good news. Also offer a prayer of gratitude for the discernment team of St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury for the great job they did in developing the two scenarios and in successfully presenting in a convincing way scenario one. Our team members were myself, Fr. Brian, Sr. Regina, Mark Alznauer, Don Haider, Robert Krug, Judy Nocek and Andrew Welling, and our Renew My Church Archdiocesan facilitator was Ric Rodriguez.
If you share my joy, you may want to view this version of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag6CYY0cbFc
RENEW MY CHURCH UPDATE
I want to update you on the Renew My Church discernment process of St. Gregory the Great with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. On Monday, March 2, the discernment team of St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury completed their series of 7 meetings – five as a discernment team and two parish meetings. Out of these discussions, we developed two possible scenarios. In Scenario 1, St. Gregory merges with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury, and all three sites remain open as worship sites. In Scenario 2, St. Gregory merges with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury, but St. Gregory closes as a parish and as a worship site. It was the strong recommendation of the entire discernment team that Scenario 1 is the best choice and is in the best interests of St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. On Monday March 23, representatives of the St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury discernment team met via a teleconference with the Executive Committee of the Renew My Church team of Cardinal Cupich. At this meeting, we made our case that Scenario 1 was our preferred option and that Scenario 2 was not in our best interests. After our presentation, the Executive Committee had several questions for us. I believe that we were able to answer their questions and concerns. From this point on, we have no further input into the process. After the meeting ended, the Executive Committee members met to discuss our presentation and to make their recommendation to the Cardinal. The next step is that on April 23, the Cardinal’s Vicariate Committee, which consists of two representatives from the each of the six Vicariates in the Archdiocese of Chicago, will meet to review our presentation. Then they will make their recommendation to the Cardinal. On May 5, the Presbyteral Council (the priest Senate) will discuss our presentation, and they will make their recommendation to the Cardinal. Sometime in early May, the Cardinal will make his decision. There will then be a parish meeting with Bishop Bartosic and a member of the Renew My Church team of the Cardinal at which the decision of the Cardinal will be shared. It is my hope and prayer that Scenario 1 will be accepted. I ask that you pray the Renew My Church Prayer and that you pray that the Holy Spirit guide the Vicariate Committee and the Presbyteral Council as they make their recommendations to the Cardinal, and pray for Cardinal Cupich as he makes his final decision. – Fr. Paul
PRAYER FOR RENEW MY CHURCH
Lord Jesus, you speak to us today, as you spoke to holy men and women who have gone before us. In every age and in our own time, you call to us and day: “Renew My Church.”
Pour out the gift of your Holy Spirit upon us, and so enable us to hear you clearly, to listen to each other attentively, to imagine our future boldly, to discern your direction wisely, to persevere in your holy will courageously, to stay together in charity, to surrender our own plans readily, to embrace the greater good, to hand on your gifts to future generations.
May we remain in the holy company of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the apostles and all the saints. May their example and presence inspire us with patient confidence in the work of your grace.
We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
RENEW MY CHURCH UPDATE
We had a good Renew My Church parish update meeting after the 10:30a.m. Mass this past Sunday. If you were not able to attend, let me fill you in on how the Renew My Church discernment process of St. Gregory with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury has gone. Our discernment team which consists of 22 people from St. Gregory and Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury has met four times, and there have been two parish meetings. We have developed two scenarios. In scenario one, which is our preferred scenario, St. Gregory will merge with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. In this scenario, all three sites will remain open as worship sites. St. Ita will be the Administrative center where the priests will live and where the offices will be located. St. Thomas of Canterbury will be an outreach center to the poor and homeless of Uptown. St. Gregory will be a cultural center, a center for outreach through our Evangelization Through the Arts initiative. Masses will be celebrated at all three sites, although Mass schedules will have to be adjusted. In scenario two, St. Gregory would merge with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury, but St. Gregory would close as a parish and worship site. It is our strong recommendation that this scenario is not in the best interests of our three parishes.
The discernment team has agreed that scenario one is the scenario that we will highly recommend to Cardinal Cupich. A five person writing team has put together a draft document that will make our case for scenario one. On Monday, March 2 the discernment team will meet a final time to finalize the draft statement.
Later in March the writing team along with Fr. Paul and Fr. Bob Cook will meet with the Executive Committee of Cardinal Cupich to present the two scenarios and to recommend the implementation of scenario one. We will also answer any questions or concerns that the Executive Committee might have. After this meeting the Executive Committee will present their recommendation to Cardinal Cupich.
The next step is that in early May, our scenarios will be presented to the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council (our Priest senate) for their discussion. They will then vote on the scenario they believe is the best option for our three parishes. Their recommendation will then be given to Cardinal Cupich. Sometime in May, Cardinal Cupich will make a final decision which will be communicated to our parishes. Please keep our discernment team, the Executive Committee, the Presbyteral Council and Cardinal Cupich in prayer as we seek to discern the best possible future for St. Gregory and Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. – Fr. Paul
RENEW MY CHURCH PARISH MEETING – SUNDAY, FEB. 23
The Renew My Church discernment team of St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury are in the process of finalizing our discussions as to whether a merger of St. Gregory with Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury is viable and in our best interests. There will be a Parish meeting in Church on Sunday, Feb. 23 after the 10:30a.m. morning Mass. The session will begin around 11:45a.m. At this meeting, we will share what we have accomplished thus far. The final meeting of our discernment team will take place on Monday, March 2. At that meeting we will finalize the document which will be shared with Cardinal Cupich’s Renew My Church Executive Board. Representatives of St. Gregory and Sts. Ita/Thomas of Canterbury will meet with the Executive Board to offer clarifications or to answer any questions they might have. The date for this meeting has not yet been determined. Please join us on Sunday, Feb. 23 in Church after the 10:30a.m. morning Mass.
Handout from the first Renew My Church: Parish Conversation to Discuss our Future on Wednesday, Jan. 29
As Jesus Christ calls us to constantly renew His Church, we must be prepared to lend our voice and efforts to the possible ways in which we bring about that needed renewal. Included here is a summary of what was shared at our first Parish meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Process Overview
Renewal requires envisioning, planning, and new means to bring Jesus Christ to others. There are nearly 100 groupings of parishes and schools across the Archdiocese engaging in a process to address necessary questions of structure, how to work together across communities within each grouping, and to establish a strong foundation for vitality through focused evangelization and faith formation efforts. Supporting our parishes with the best structures enables us to breathe renewed life into our efforts to make disciples, build communities, and inspire witness.
Initial Scenarios
To initiate discussion, the Archdiocese proposes a set of initial scenarios that show potential models of how our parishes could be configured in the future. These initial scenarios have been developed accounting for data such as demographics, Mass attendance, financial and facility conditions. The scenarios reflect input from archdiocese staff, vicariate leaders, and local pastors.
These initial scenarios are conversation starters only. No decisions have been made.
These scenarios will be evaluated against a set of criteria determined using data across the Archdiocese for how a structure would support vitality and ensure viability, such as:
Ministerial and spiritual needs of the parish: To enliven the work of evangelization, formation, worship, and pastoral care in today’s time and culture, parishes ordinarily will build a strong a staff team to support the pastor. Staff teams will be professionally trained and justly paid. To support this staffing and basic operations, such as paying utilities, parishes generally will need operating revenue of $750,000 or more (excluding rental income).
Parishioner count and Mass attendance: Based on the number of pastors expected to be available across the Archdiocese in the future, a minimum of 800 parishioners attending weekend Mass is generally needed to be assigned a full-time, resident pastor. In addition, parishes need enough people power (i.e., parishioner count) to support vibrant ministries.
Pastoral manageability: It is critical that our structures support our pastors and pastoral teams to focus as much time and energy as possible on ministry. These structures need to be realistic to manage, considering potential travel between campuses, sacramental coverage, and administrative, facility, and ministerial needs.
Parish financial stability and facilities: Parish financial stability and adequate, accessible and safe facilities with capacity for growth and affordable ongoing repair/maintenance.
School quality and financial stability: The school should be best positioned to provide the very highest quality of faith formation and academic quality in a manner that is financially sustainable. A key measure is the potential to enroll a minimum of 240 students in PK-8, considering area demographics and parish student population.
Initial Scenarios for Local Feedback
Scope of this process
Our local feedback in the upcoming weeks will inform Cardinal Cupich’s discernment of St. Gregory the Great’s future. The scenarios written below consider: What would the current Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish look like with St. Gregory the Great added to the parish, with the Conventual Franciscan Friars continuing to provide pastoral leadership?
If after reviewing the local community’s input, as well as RMC advisory bodies such as the RMC Commission, Cardinal Cupich discerns St. Gregory the Great should become part of Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, the parish would take on a new permanent name. Each church building would retain its name, but the parish would take on a new name to reflect the newness of three former parishes uniting as one parish. Parish leadership would consider options for a new permanent name for the parish within parameters (e.g., canonized saint, title of Jesus or Mary, not already in use within the archdiocese).
If after reviewing the local community’s input, Cardinal Cupich discerns St. Gregory the Great is not well suited to unite with Ss. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, Cardinal Cupich then may ask St. Gregory the Great to join the discernment process with the grouping of St. Gertrude, St. Ignatius, and St. Jerome.
Schools: Please note conversations about the financial and governance relationship of a united parish with Northside Catholic Academy and St. Thomas of Canterbury School will occur concurrently with this parish discernment process.
Notes about parishes becoming one parish:
It is important to distinguish between the word parish and the word church.
Parish = The People, Community, Organization; Church = Building; the sacred space in which we worship
A united parish has one pastor, budget, staff, Finance Council, etc. – but may have multiple churches. In a parish with multiple churches, one church is designated the parish church where sacramental records will be kept. Additionally, when multiple parishes unite as one parish, the assets and liabilities of former parishes become the assets and liabilities of the united parish.
Scenario 1: St. Gregory the Great is a cultural center within the parish; with weekend Mass
All three campuses would be used by the expanded parish for regularly scheduled Masses and other parish activities. The current Mass schedule would be adjusted so two priests could cover all of the Masses on a weekend.
St. Ita would serve as the parish church and the parish center. As the parish center, major parish-wide celebrations such as the Triduum would be celebrated at St. Ita. Additionally, the parish’s offices, included the parish’s sacramental records, would be housed at St. Ita.
St. Gregory the Great would serve as a cultural center, building on the tradition of arts programming. Initial thoughts on a Mass schedule would be to continue the Saturday Vigil Mass and combine the two Sunday morning Masses to one Mass, possibly at 9:30am.
St. Thomas of Canterbury would serve as a service outreach center, building on the food pantry and other outreach ministries currently at STC. Initial thoughts on a Mass schedule would be to continue the 8am Viet/Lao Mass and monthly Eritrean Mass at their current times and move the morning English Mass from 10am to 11:30am.
Scenario 2: St. Gregory the Great closes.
In this case, regularly scheduled Masses at St. Gregory the Great would cease no later than Ash Wednesday 2021. The church would move toward formal closure. If closed, the church would likely be marketed for sale or long-term lease to a party outside the parish to generate funds for re-investment in the united parish. As in Scenario 1, St. Ita would be the parish church and parish center. St. Thomas of Canterbury would continue as an outreach center.
Again, these initial scenarios are conversation starters only. No decisions have been made.
As we review the scenarios and associated data, it is important for all us to do so prayerfully keeping in mind that the spiritual and structural renewal to which we are called to foster are connected. The best and most effective and efficient stewardship of our resources (structural renewal) can allow us to invest more into the ministries that directly work toward making disciples, building community and inspiring witness (spiritual renewal).
Just as Jesus asks us to pray always, He also invites us to trust always. Together, we pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to determine how Our Lord will use existing structures to create new ones that bring more people into relationship with Him.
LATEST RENEW MY CHURCH UPDATE
As you might know, we have now entered into the Renew My Church initiative of Cardinal Cupich with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury parish. On Monday, Jan. 13, we had the first meeting of the discernment team which is looking at whether a merger of St. Gregory with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury is possible and in the best interests of our parishes. Our first meeting was very positive. As part of our opening meeting, we reviewed the main purpose of the Renew My Church initiative. The three main goals of Renew My Church are making disciples, building communities and inspiring witness. Renew My Church seeks to form disciples who are more fully committed to the mind, the heart and the values of Jesus and to then move on to becoming missionary disciples – committed disciples of Jesus who are comfortable giving witness and who are willing to share their faith and belief with others – family members, neighbors, friends, co-workers and even strangers. It doesn’t mean that we go knocking on doors like the Jehovah’s Witnesses. As Catholics my experience is that we are not used to or comfortable with giving witness to the values of the gospel with our words. A statement attributed to St. Francis of Assisi says that we should preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words. As St. Francis suggests, I think that most of us would rather preach the gospel by our actions, by the way we live our lives in harmony with the gospel. But Renew My Church is asking us to also be willing to talk about our faith and beliefs with others. This will be a challenging experience for all of us.
Another goal of Renew My Church is to make sure that every parish has the personnel, financial and facilities resources that it will need to thrive, to be a vital parish. For this to happen, the Archdiocese must look at closing or merging parishes due to the fact that in the very near future, there will not be enough priests to pastor the parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Another goal of the Renew My Church initiative is to foster vocations. But this is a very challenging process in our day and age. Given this, St. Gregory is going through the discernment process to see if we will merge with another parish or to see if we will close. As you know, the Archdiocese of Chicago recently closed several parishes in our area – St. Thecla, St. Matthias and St. Cornelius. There will be more announcements of parish closings in the future. I hope and pray that we will not close, but it is possible. I believe that it is more likely that we will merge with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury.
As I have thought and prayed about the possibility of St. Gregory the Great closing or merging with another parish, I have felt sadness and apprehension. Perhaps you are feeling the same thing. St. Gregory the Great has a wonderful 115 year history here in Andersonville. And now change is coming, and I am aware that I am already feeling sadness as I think about the many changes that Renew My Church will bring about. But I am also aware that I in addition to any sadness I feel, I also need to look to the future with hope that something new and exciting can come about through this process. For us to be open to change, we will need to pay close attention to these words of the Renew My Church Prayer. Pour out the gifts of your Holy Spirit upon us, and so enable us to hear your clearly, to listen to each other attentively, to imagine our future boldly, to discern your direction wisely, to persevere in your holy will courageously, to stay together in charity, to surrender our own plans readily, to embrace the greater good, and to hand on your gifts to future generations. Three of these stand out for me – to imagine our future boldly, to surrender our own plans readily and to embrace the greater good. I hope and pray that we take these words to heart as we move through the Renew My Church process. Please pray for the members of the discernment team and for Cardinal Cupich who will make the final decision about the future of our grouping that the Holy Spirit will truly guide our deliberations.
The next meeting of our discernment team will be on Monday, Jan. 27. Please note that on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7p.m. in Church, there will be an open meeting with any interested parishioners to update you on the discernment process and to gather any feedback that you might have. Please mark your calendars, and if at all possible join us on Jan. 29. - Fr. Paul
UPDATE ON ST. GREGORY AND RENEW MY CHURCH
St. Gregory the Great will soon be entering into the Renew My Church discernment process with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. There will be 5 grouping sessions along with two Parish sessions. The grouping sessions will take place on the following Mondays - Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Feb. 3, Feb. 10 and Mar. 2. There will also be two parish sessions to update parishioners on the progress of the grouping sessions. The dates of these sessions has not yet been finalized. One will take place the week of Jan. 27th , and the other will take place the week of Feb. 17th. The grouping sessions will determine whether a merger of St. Gregory with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury is feasible and in the best interests of all.
The sessions will be facilitated by Ric Rodriguez who is part of the Archdiocesan Renew My Church discernment team. He was the person who facilitated our Parish Transformation process a couple of years ago. The members of the St. Gregory leadership team who will represent us at the grouping sessions are: Fr. Paul Wachdorf, Fr. Brian Fischer, Sr. Regina De Vitto, Judy Nocek who is the chair of our Parish Pastoral Council, Don Haider who is a member of our Parish Pastoral Council, Robert Krug who is a member of our Parish Pastoral Council and who will be the representative of Northside Catholic Academy, our parish grammar school, Andrew Welling who is a member of our Parish Finance Council, and Mark Alznauer who is a parishioner. Please pray the Renew My Church prayer that can be found in the bulletin every week that the Holy Spirit will guide our deliberations and lead us to the best possible scenario as we go through the Renew My Church process. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please do not hesitate to contact me. - Fr. Paul
ST. GREGORY THE GREAT AND RENEW MY CHURCH
Renew My Church is a multi-year initiative of Cardinal Cupich to ensure the sustainable growth of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago. What brought this about is a growing shortage of priests available to pastor the parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Research indicates that if the Archdiocese of Chicago does nothing to address this, then in the very near future there will not be enough priests available to pastor the parishes. In fact, there are currently several parishes that do not have a pastor.
Given this, one goal of Renew My Church is make sure that all parishes in the Archdiocese have the resources – personnel, finances and facilities – they will need to thrive, to be a dynamic and vibrant faith community. To help facilitate this process, every parish in the Archdiocese has been assigned to a grouping. A grouping is a set of parishes that will together enter into a structured and facilitated planning process. Within a grouping, parishes will come together to gather information and to evaluate options for the pastoral needs of all in the grouping.
As a result of the Renew My Church process, certain parishes will remain as stand-alone parishes with a full time pastor. Other parishes will be merged with one pastor for two or three worship sites. Other parishes will be closed. Among the criteria that will be evaluated are facilities (are the facilities overall in good repair), financial stability (does the parish have any indebtedness, is it able to pay its bills and does the parish have an annual income of at least $750,000), weekend Mass count (does the parish have at least 800 people in attendance every weekend) and ministerial vitality (does the parish have active and life giving ministries along with parishioners who actively support the parish with their time, talent and treasure). Based on this, it is highly unlikely that we will remain as a stand-alone parish with a full time pastor. It is also highly unlikely that we will be closed. But it is highly likely that we will be merged with another parish.
Until recently, St. Gregory the Great was part of a grouping that included St. Gertrude, St. Ignatius, and St. Jerome. This past Summer, Bishop Mark Bartosic, who is the Episcopal Vicar of Vicariate II, our vicariate, approached me and asked if I would be open to being taken out of our present grouping and enter into a new grouping with Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parish. These two parishes have recently been merged into one parish through the Renew My Church process. Over the summer, I have been in conversation with Tim Weiske who is the overall director of the Renew My Church initiative, Fr. Bob Cook, the Pastor of the newly merged parishes of Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, our Parish staff, our Parish Pastoral Council and our Parish Finance Council here at St. Gregory to see if we thought it was desirable to enter into this new grouping. After many meetings and consultations, we decided to enter into this new grouping and explore the possibility of merging with Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury. This process will begin in early January.
Given that, what follows is a letter that was prepared by Tim Weiske about St. Gregory and Renew My Church.
Dear Parish Leaders / Parishioners,
We are writing with an update on the question many have been asking about if or when Saint Gregory and Saints Ita & Thomas of Canterbury may engage in discussions about the future.
Having reviewed our local situation and considerations with representatives from Renew My Church and Bishop Bartosic, our communities will engage in an adapted process beginning in January to determine if an official unification of Saint Gregory and Saints Ita & Thomas of Canterbury is a viable future.
Specific dates are to be determined, but the general timeline you can expect is that an adapted process would begin in January and conclude with a formal decision in May 2020. Renew My Church will work with us to adapt the process recognizing the significant amount of time leaders from Saints Ita & Thomas of Canterbury have invested in discernment the past two years.
This timeline is intended to align with when Saint Gregory’s current grouping with Saint Gertrude, Saint Ignatius and Saint Jerome is scheduled to activate. If the adapted process beginning in January determines a unification of Saint Gregory with Saints Ita & Thomas of Canterbury is not viable, Saint Gregory would then engage in the RMC structural discernment process with Saint Gertrude, Saint Ignatius and Saint Jerome beginning early fall 2020. If the adapted process determines a unification of Saint Gregory and Saints Ita & Thomas of Canterbury would be viable and the best decision for the future, the likely timeline of officially unifying the parishes would be July 1, 2020.
Please stay tuned for more details as we work out with the Renew My Church office and Bishop Bartosic specifics of timeline and adaptations to the Renew My Church process to meet our local situation.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert Cook, OFM Conv. Fr. Paul Wachdorf
Pastor, Saints Ita & Thomas of Canterbury Parish Pastor, Saint Gregory the Great Parish
This is where we currently stand with regard to Renew My Church. I will keep you updated as we move through the process.
Beginning next weekend, we will publish the Renew My Church prayer in the bulletin every weekend. I ask you to pray it every week. It highlights the attitudes that we will need to embrace as we move through the Renew My Church process.
If you have any questions or concerns about how Renew My Church will impact St. Gregory the Great, please feel free to contact me. For more information about Renew My Church, you can access the following website:
https://www.archchicago.org/renew/what-is-rmc – Fr. Paul
I ask that you pray the following Renew My Church prayer on a regular basis as we go through the Renew My Church process. - Fr. Paul
RENEW MY CHURCH PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you speak to us today, as you spoke to holy men and women who have gone before us. In every age and in our own time, you call to us and say: “Renew My Church.” Pour out the gift of your Holy Spirit upon us, and so enable us to hear you clearly, to listen to each other attentively, to imagine our future boldly, to discern your direction wisely, to persevere in your holy will courageously, to stay together in charity, to surrender our own plans readily, to embrace the greater good, to hand on your gifts to future generations. May we remain in the holy company of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the apostles, and all the saints. May their example and presence inspire us with patient confidence in the work of your grace. We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
This past weekend I talked at all our Masses about Renew My Church and how it will impact St. Gregory the Great. After Mass, some people came to see me with questions. In the weeks ahead, I will put in the bulletin the answers to some of those questions. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. – Fr. Paul
Where are St. Ita and St. Thomas of Canterbury located?
St. Ita is located at the intersection of Broadway and Catalpa. The rectory is located at 1220 W. Catalpa. St. Thomas of Canterbury is located on Kenmore just North of Lawrence. The rectory is located at 4827 N. Kenmore. Kenmore is located between Broadway and Sheridan.
If we are merged with Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, will Mass still be celebrated at St. Gregory the Great?
Yes, Mass will still be celebrated at St. Gregory the Great. Our Mass schedule will change from what it currently is. At this time, I cannot tell you what the Mass schedule will be, but Mass will continue to be celebrated at St. Gregory.
FAQ’s ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury are Franciscan parishes. Can you tell us more about the Franciscans, and where can we find out more about Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury Parishes?
Saint Ita and Thomas of Canterbury are staffed by what is known as Conventual Franciscans. A key element of their life together has to do with living in community. A Franciscan parish must have at least two and often more Franciscans living together in community. They gather daily to pray and to share a meal. In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, their spirituality is linked to an outreach to the poor. They also have a special interest in the fine arts which harmonizes well with St. Gregory’s artists in residence and evangelization through the arts focus. The Franciscans along with St. Gregory believe that God can be found in experiences of truth and goodness but also in experiences of beauty, especially beauty as it is found in the fine arts which include architecture, art, music and literature.
To find out more about St. Ita Parish, go to their website at https://www.saintita.org.
To find out more about St. Thomas of Canterbury Parish, go to their website at www.stcuptown.com.
To find out more about the Franciscans, go to http://franciscancommunity.com
FAQ’s ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
What are the phases that St. Gregory will go through as we enter into the Renew My Church initiative?
There are three phases that are a part of the Renew My Church initiative.
The first phase is discernment. This phase will start at the beginning of January, 2020. There will be a series of meetings of a leadership team which will consist of clergy, pastoral associates and lay representatives from St. Gregory, St. Ita and St. Thomas of Canterbury and a couple of meetings with parishioners in which St. Gregory and Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury will discern whether or not a merger of our parishes is in our best interests.
If there is agreement that a merger is in our best interests, then phase two has to do with operations. It will look at how to make sure that the new reality has the staff, facilities, finances and ministries to thrive and be a vital new parish. In this phase, a number of important decisions will be made about such things as who will staff the new reality; what the Mass schedules will be; what the membership of the new Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council will be; how the new parish will develop a budget and allocate revenue in a way that all three parishes will be properly funded and maintained; what current ministries will continue, what ministries will be consolidated or ended and what new ministries will be started.
The final phase is rolling out the new reality. This phase will look at how to best integrate and bring together the parishioners of all three parishes. It will include special liturgies and prayer services as well as opportunities that will allow parishioners of all three parishes to meet and get to know one another and to look at how they will worship, pray, work together and serve one another as well as reach out to the wider community in which they live.
A different trained member of the Renew My Church Archdiocesan leadership team will be assigned to help facilitate the tasks involved in each phase of Renew My Church.
FAQ’s ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
If St. Gregory is merged with Sts. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, what will happen to the many ministries that St. Gregory the Great currently sponsors?
If St. Gregory is merged with Sts. Ita and Thomas of Canterbury, one of the first things that would happen is that the administrative team of this new parish would seek to discern the identity/mission of the new parish. Then they would look at all the different ministries hosted by all three sites to see how well they would support and contribute to this new vision and mission. If there was duplication, there would be an effort to see if they could be merged into one new and more comprehensive ministry that would become one of the building blocks of the new parish. If there were ministries that were unique to each parish, there would be an effort to discern how essential they were to the overall the identity/mission of the new parish. If they were essential, they would be retained. If they were secondary, they would be discontinued or reshaped, re-missioned in such a way that they contributed to strengthening the overall identity/mission of the new parish. Another discernment would have to do with where the all different ministries would be located. Would they all be located at one site, or would different ministries be located at different sites? A final discernment would look at whether any new ministries would need to be introduced. These are all questions that would have to be addressed in the operations phase once the decision was made to merge the three parishes. A key to the discernment process is to save the essence of all three worship sites and to find ways to see how the essence and the uniqueness of all three worship sites could be brought together to create a new parish with a new mission and identity.
FAQ’s ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
If a decision is made that a merger of St. Gregory the Great with Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury is not a viable option, what will happen next?
If the discernment process that will begin this coming January between St. Gregory the Great and Saints Ita and Thomas of Canterbury comes to the conclusion that a merger of our three parishes is not viable option, then St. Gregory the Great will return to its original grouping with St. Gertrude, St. Ignatius and St. Jerome. The discernment process with these parishes would begin in September of 2020. By the end of the year, a decision would be reached as to the possibility of one or more of these parishes either merging, closing or remaining as a stand-alone parish with a full time pastor.
If you have any questions at all about the Renew My Church process and how it will impact St. Gregory the Great, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Fr. Paul. For further information about Renew My Church, visit www.archchicago.org/renew.
FAQ’s ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
What will be the composition of the Leadership Team that will be discerning whether or not a merger of St. Gregory the Great with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury is viable and in the best interests of our three parishes?
The Leadership Team, which will begin meeting in January, 2020, will consist of four lay representatives from St. Gregory the Great and seven lay representatives from Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. Additional members of the team will be the pastors, associate pastors and the full time pastoral staff from St. Gregory the Great and Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. Yet to be determined is if there will be a representative of Northside Catholic Academy which is the current parish school of St. Gregory the Great and a representative of St. Thomas of Canterbury School which is the current parish school of Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury. Ric Rodriguez, a member of the Renew My Church leadership team of the Archdiocese of Chicago, will be present to facilitate the meetings. Ric was the person who facilitated our Parish Transformation meetings.
Over the course of the next month, in the context of prayer and after consultation with our parish leaders, I will be choosing the four lay members who will be representing St. Gregory the Great. Please pray for me as I discern who to invite to be a part of this leadership team. I will let you know once I have chosen those who will represent our parish in the Renew My Church discernment process. – Fr. Paul
FAQ’s ABOUT RENEW MY CHURCH AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
The discernment process as to whether or not a merger of St. Gregory the Great with Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury is a viable option and in the best interests of our three parishes will begin in January of 2020. Is there anything we can do in the meantime to prepare and educate ourselves?
I suggest that you pray on a regular basis the Renew My Church prayer that can be found in our bulletin every weekend. Here are the critical graces we will all need to embrace as we enter into the Renew My Church discernment process. Enable us to hear you clearly, to listen to each other attentively, to imagine our future boldly, to discern your direction wisely, to persevere in your holy will courageously, to stay together in charity, to surrender our own plans readily, to embrace the greater good and to hand on your gifts to future generations.
I encourage you to attend an afternoon of reflection that will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1p.m. in Church. The session will last about 90 minutes. The priests and friars of Saints Ita/Thomas of Canterbury will join us that day and share with us a series of reflections on the history and governance of the Franciscans, their charism, their intellectual tradition, their commitment to the arts and their outreach and missionaries. They will be available to answer questions you might have about what it would mean for St. Gregory the Great to become a Franciscan parish.
Finally, I ask that if you have any questions or concerns about Renew My Church and how it will impact St. Gregory the Great, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am committed to being as transparent as possible in keeping your informed about the upcoming discernment process. I want to address any rumors or gossip you may have heard. And I ask that you not pass on any rumors or gossip without first checking with me. – Fr. Paul