Stewardship Notes

Stewardship is changing the way we think.  The present calls us to new ways to minister and new thinking to support those efforts.

Bishop Campbell is initiating some new procedures to address the shortage of priests in the diocese.  In the next seven years we will continue the decline in number of priests available to serve our parishes.  This affects our institutions:  hospitals, prisons, schools as well.  Once upon a time we had priests serving in all those institutions and associate pastors in many of our parishes.  He is prepared to start assigning Deacon Administrators to parishes and Priest Moderators to serve one or more parishes and institutions.

What does that mean?  While the concept will develop and be applied differently in each situation, it might be something like this:

A Deacon Administrator is appointed.  The Priest Moderator would provide sacramental and pastoral ministry to the parish and perhaps a hospital several days a week; maybe chaplaincy or teaching at a high school.  In an area with several small parishes, they would be consolidated with a Deacon Administrator and a Priest Moderator would replace several pastors.  

Mass schedules will be changed to allow time for Priest Moderator to travel to other responsibilities.  We can expect a reduction in  number of masses in an area so neighboring priests can cover in times of need.