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September 30, 2013Dear Members of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish,
On Sunday, September 22, I received a call from Father Paul Soper, Director of the Office of Pastoral Planning for the Archdiocese of Boston, informing me that Cardinal Seán has selected Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Sharon, Saint Mary Parish in East Walpole, and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Walpole to become a Collaborative in Phase Two of Disciples in Mission – A Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Boston.
Background
On November 15, 2012, following an extensive and collaborative consultation process, Cardinal Seán O’Malley announced his formal acceptance of Disciples in Mission. The goal of this plan is for Parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston, formed into Collaboratives, to be strong, stable, intentional, and effective centers of the New Evangelization.
The Pastoral Plan groups the two-hundred-and-eighty-eight Parishes of the Archdiocese into approximately one-hundred-and-thirty-five Collaboratives. Each Parish maintains its own identity in the Collaboratives. Each Parish retains its buildings, its canonical rights, its financial assets and obligations. The Collaborative will have one Pastor who will work with one Pastoral Team, one Pastoral Council and a Finance Council from each Parish, with the Finance Councils working together in a substantial way in supporting the Mission of Evangelization. Together they will develop a pastoral plan for their local Collaborative, focused on serving the needs of the Parishes in their local Collaborative and advancing the mission of the New Evangelization. The formation of the Collaboratives will be phased in, with appropriate flexibility, over a period of five years. Pastors, Pastoral Teams, and Councils of each Collaborative will participate in extensive theological and practical training for the New Evangelization.
On June 4, 2013, twenty-eight Parishes around the Archdiocese of Boston formed twelve Collaboratives, starting the implementation of Phase One of the pastoral plan. These Collaboratives were announced on January 10, 2013, leaving five months for the selection of Pastors, the selection of Parochial Vicars, and the training of Pastors, as well as for the groundwork to be done at the sites themselves to prepare to be a Collaborative.
Cardinal Seán has now approved a list of twenty-one Phase Two Collaboratives, formed from forty-four Parishes, including ours.
Here are the next steps of this process:
1. The full list of Phase Two Collaboratives and Parishes will be published on www.disciplesinmission.com on September 30, and will appear in The Pilot on October 3.
2. During October and November, Representatives of the Archdiocese, including members of the Clergy Personnel Board, will hold a Consultation Meeting with the Parish Pastoral Councils, Parish Finance Councils and Staffs of the three Parishes in our Collaborative to hear about the needs of the Parishes, so that the Board can make a good recommendation to Cardinal Seán regarding the naming of a Pastor for the Parishes in the Collaborative. The goal is to have the Phase Two Pastors named by Christmas.
3. Training for Phase Two Pastors will be in March and May of 2014. Training for Phase Two Parochial Vicars will be in May 2014.
4. The Phase Two Collaboratives will be formally inaugurated on June 3, 2014.
For a full review of the plan and the most up-to-date information on the plan and its implementation, please visit www.disciplesinmission.com.
I realize that this announcement may bring with it feelings of excitement about potential new beginnings, of hesitation about potential change, and the reminder that we are all called to be engaged in the work of discipleship. During this time of transition, we rely on the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah (29:11), “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare, plans to give you a future full of hope.” And the words of Jesus at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew (28:20), “And behold, I am with you always.”
Please know that during this time of transition, my number one priority is to continue to minister to the Parish and its members as you continue to prepare to become a Collaborative. I am committed to open and transparent communication about the Parish’s participation in Phase Two.
Contact information for questions, concerns, or input:
Ann Marie Rosa (Vice-Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council): ann.marie.rosa@comcast.net
Jim Spoto (Chairperson of the Parish Finance Council: cpa623@gmail.com
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Scott