Question 2: I’ve been reading that Parish Collaboratives are being formed throughout the Archdiocese. How was it determined which parishes would be grouped together? Why have St. Paul’s and St. John’s been grouped together?
Parishes in close geographical proximity to each other, often located in the same town or zip code have been grouped together for logistical and practical purposes. In addition, the Archdiocese sought to ensure that the parishes in the Collaborative will have enough financial resources to sustain the Collaborative. Another metric that was used is the parishioner-to-priest ratio: about 1,600 parishioners attending weekly mass to one Pastor. (A second full-time priest, or Parochial Vicar, may be assigned to Collaboratives when weekly mass attendance exceeds 3,200 parishioners.) The analysis utilized to form Parish Collaboratives also took into account the “vitality” of the parishes, including the combined number of baptisms, weddings, funerals, and weekly mass attendees are in the parishes being grouped together. Trends in population growth, educational requirements, cultural and language changes, family and household economic challenges, and migration patterns were also considered. St. John’s and St. Paul’s were a natural fit forming a Parish Collaborative.
We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to – stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com
