Nuns in habits, teaching school and thriving.

While many older religious orders of women are struggling to attract new vocations, some communities are showing how it is done.

Not too surprisingly, the secret seems to involve returning to full habits, a rich community life, and a deep commitment to prayer and the Eucharist.

The CNA provides us with the inspiring story of the Nashville Dominicans.

[W]hile other religious orders are struggling to stay alive, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, better known as the Nashville Dominicans, are thriving. With 230 sisters serving in 34 schools in the United States, as well as starting a ministry in Australia, the order is truly alive and flourishing.

Founded in 1860, the Nashville Dominicans are preparing to celebrate 150 years of service to the Church. Marked by their full black-and-white habit, their teaching apostolate, and their charisms of joy and fidelity, they are an order that continues to see abundant new vocations in modern times ...

The Dominicans currently have 45 sisters in their initial formation program and are preparing for a large class of postulants to enter the community in August.

Sister Mary Emily, Vocations Director for the Nashville Dominicans, told CNA that she has seen “a steady increase in the interest in religious life and a great openness to considering it.”

“Many young women are attracted to this life that includes a strong prayer life, a strong community life, a single apostolate of teaching and the witness of a religious habit,” Sr. Mary Emily explained.

Read the full report here.

Holy Cross celebrates Fr. Wheeland's 70th

Sunday was a very busy day at Holy Cross Parish. In addition to celebrating Trinity Sunday with a traditional procession and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the parish also celebrated Fr. Thomas Wheeland's 70th birthday.

Beacon Place, the new name for the totally refurbished school cafeteria, was the site and approximately 200 parishioners and other well-wishers showed up to join in the festivities.

A couple of Fr. Tom's old altar boys from his Holy Rosary days were also on hand. John and Joe Dady, a.k.a. The Dady Brothers, provided the crowd with a couple hours of country, bluegrass, folk and, of course, Irish melodies, along with a couple of anecdotes from their 10th Ward days.

Fr. Tom was having such a good time that he even entertained the crowd with a bit of an Irish jig.

The full slideshow ...

Trinity Sunday at Holy Cross

Holy Cross Church in Charlotte celebrated Trinity Sunday with a traditional procession of the Blessed Sacrament after the noon Mass. While parishioners recited the Rosary, Deacon Ed Giblin carried the monstrance out the front door of the church and down the school driveway to the grotto of Our Lady just north of the old convent, where a benediction service was held.

A slideshow follows ...

"We are by no means dead."

It looks like Holy Name of Jesus Parish is not ready to throw in the towel.

From their current bulletin ...

Dear Members of HNOJ,

As many of you know, there has been a Planning Group consisting of representatives of the six Eastern Greece/Charlotte parishes working on long term planning for our area.

The financial committee of this group has recommended to the larger group that both Holy Name of Jesus parish and Our Lady of Mercy parish be closed.

For me, people come first, and we will try to understand people's feelings and have compassion with the parishioners of both our parishes. It is important to emphasize that this recommendation comes from a committee of lay people and not from the priests or from the Diocese. This is a recommendation and not a final plan.

It will undergo further review before going to Bishop Clark. A member of our Holy Name of Jesus Finance Committee, Kathy Prystajko, is on that committee.

Kathy has written a very eloquent “minority report” that is strongly opposed to this recommendation.

Pursuant to that report:

Our Parish Council and I will recommend to the Planning Group that Holy Name of Jesus Church remain open.

We feel that our track record over the past two years has proved our ability not only to survive but to prosper.

While we know we can no longer justify having our own full-time priest, we are by no means dead. If we are supportive and do not "bail out" now, we can stay open and it can be a win-win situation.

Our future is in our hands, as we try to respond to the will of the Holy Spirit.

Sincerely, Father Gagnier

Tip: Interstate Catholic

"Our Lady of Mercy is not financially viable."

A few days ago I reported on some information that had come my way from several sources.  The subject was a report issued by the finance sub-committee of the Eastern Greece/Charlotte PPNM Steering Committee.

Much more detail has now been published.

From the Holy Cross Church bulletin ...

Pastoral Planning Update June 2009

The Eastern Greece/Charlotte Steering Committee has been working together since the Spring of 2008 to create a new pastoral plan for our six parishes, Holy Cross, Holy Name of Jesus, Our Mother of Sorrows, Our Lady of Mercy, St. Charles Borromeo, and St. John the Evangelist. This process has been undertaken at the request of Bishop Matthew Clark. The Steering Committee is made up of four representatives from each parish. There are currently three sub-committees, Ministry and Worship, Finance, and a Pastors committee.

Finance Sub-Committee Report

On May 26, 2009 the finance sub-committee provided its report to the full Steering Committee. It must be remembered that the recommendations of the sub-committees are simply that...they are recommendations. The full Steering Committee will have to choose what portion of the reports from each of the sub-committees will be adopted, and in what form, and to what extent, if any, they will be so adopted.

Once the Steering Committee has prepared a revised five year plan, meetings will be held with parish pastoral councils and staff for their input to the plan. A revised draft will then be prepared, parish “town meetings” will be held, and parish pastoral councils will meet to make any final revisions to the plan, so that the six parish pastoral councils can affirm the plan and submit it to Bishop Matthew Clark.

The Finance Sub-Committee of the Eastern Greece/Charlotte Steering Committee in its report to the Steering Committee recommended the closing of Holy Name of Jesus and Our Lady of Mercy. Some of the factors considered by the Finance Committee are as follows:

• Bringing more parishioners together in fewer parishes would result in more robust remaining parishes.
• Overall weekend Mass attendance for the six parish EG/C planning group has decreased 36% (decrease of 3,015 from 8,313 to 5,298) over the past ten years.
• Demographics are not favorable for any meaningful growth in numbers of parishioners in the EG/C parishes.
• From a financial perspective the number of parishes should be reduced from 6 to 4.
• Because the number of priests available for assignment in our parishes and within the diocese as a whole will continue to decline in the short-term future, we should not try to maintain any more parishes than necessary.
• The closing of Our Lady of Mercy & Holy Name of Jesus would have the least impact within the EG/C planning group. They represent 12.2% of average weekend liturgy attendance, 13% of annual sacraments, and 8% of religious education children.
• These closings could eliminate over $500,000 of expenses, and these resources could be redeployed and better utilized at other parishes.
• There is more than adequate space and programs at the other four parishes to absorb all of the parishioners from Our Lady of Mercy and Holy Name of Jesus.
• Clustering parishes does not seem to be justifiable from a financial standpoint. Priests and staff could be better utilized at other parishes to serve the needs of all of the people in fewer buildings.
• Our Lady of Mercy is not financially viable.
• While Holy Name of Jesus is currently financially viable, with average Mass attendance of 372 parishioners (7% of the total EG/C Mass attendance), the continued use of limited priest resources is not justified.
• Continuing to use financial resources to maintain and repair excess buildings is not justified. There are more than sufficient buildings at the other four EG/C parishes.

What’s Next?

As a result of the recommendations of the finance sub-committee, the Steering Committee has scheduled an additional meeting on June 16, 2009 for further review of the report. It is the intent of the Steering Committee to adopt a proposed configuration of parishes within the planning group at the regularly scheduled June 30, 2009 meeting.

The Steering Committee feels very strongly that action must be taken no later than the June 30 meeting to adopt a proposed configuration of parishes so that other aspects of the plan may go forward. Until such a decision is made, it is impossible to do any real planning for the group. It must also be remembered that the plan will still be subject to review by the parish pastoral councils and eventually by Bishop Clark.

Reaching out to the lost sheep

Last year I purchased a copy of the Catholics Come Home DVD for use with my religious ed class.  Yes, I'm aware these kids haven't left the Church, but the first 105 seconds of their 2 minute Epic video is an excellent promo for the Church and a great conversation starter.  (It's here, if you haven't seen it yet.)

Anyway, my purchase seems to have put me on their mailing list and the following arrived in my inbox today ...

 

Pictured Above (L-R) Bishop Julian Porteous and Cardinal George Pell (Archdiocese of Sydney), Tom Peterson (Founder, CatholicsComeHome.org)

CARDINAL AND BISHOPS INVITE CATHOLICSCOMEHOME.ORG TO AUSTRALIA

Sydney, Australia (June 2, 2009) - CatholicsComeHome.org founder and president, Tom Peterson, graciously accepted the invitation of His Eminence Cardinal Pell, and the forty-four Bishops of Australia to present the CatholicsComeHome.org evangelization outreach program to key religious leaders and lay media specialists among the various Dioceses within Australia.  Australia's bishops were impressed by the incredible results following the CatholicsComeHome.org television outreach in the United States, and are discerning implementing the CatholicsComeHome.org TV ad campaign in Australia. 

Peterson also was invited to present the keynote speech at the Australian National Catholic Media Congress, addressing the communications directors and media ministries of all Dioceses, prior to his presentation at the Plenary Meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops.

Internationally, CatholicsComeHome.org is also in initial discussions with officials in Brazil about a future Catholics Come Home campaign for South America. 

In the United States, more than a dozen Archdioceses and Dioceses have plans to launch CatholicsComeHome.org television and web campaigns in Advent of 2009 or Lent of 2010.  Some CCH partners include: Chicago, Atlanta, Omaha, Charlotte, Providence, Green Bay, Venice FL, Rockford, Joliet, Colorado Springs, Lincoln, and others. 

Following the Diocese of Phoenix launch in Lent 2008, Bishop Olmsted reports that as many as 92,000 inactive Catholics and converts returned to the Church in the Diocese of Phoenix alone, in the months following their campaign.  The Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX completed their bilingual campaign in Lent 2009, and initial results show a 40 percent increase at key parishes during Easter Masses.

CatholicsComeHome.org is a successful multimedia initiative of Catholics Come Home, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not for profit, independent charity.  CatholicsComeHome.org invites inactive Catholics and others, home to the Catholic faith, through television commercials and an interactive website.  After the diocesan campaigns, the directors plan to air nationally on the top television networks and programming in December 2010.

To help bring Christ to a world in need, get involved in this apostolic mission.

One would think that the excellent results in both the Phoenix and Corpus Christi dioceses would be lighting up radar screens in more chanceries than the 11 listed above. 

DOR, with its 25+% decline in weekend Mass attendance in just the last 8 years, ought to be first in that list but I somehow suspect Buffalo Rd. isn't even interested.

Two Greece parishes to close?

The Steering Committee of the Eastern Greece/Charlotte Pastoral Planning Group has been meeting frequently of late in an effort to chart a course for the six parishes in the group.

The parishes involved are Holy Cross, Holy Name of Jesus, Our Lady of Mercy, Our Mother of Sorrows, St. John the Evangelist and St. Charles Borromeo.

Last year's weekend Mass reductions at HNOJ and OLM have had the predicted detrimental effect on both attendance and finances. HNOJ has seen its Average October Attendance fall 15.5% in the last year while OLM took a staggering 35.8% hit over the same period. HNOJ's 2008 AOA was 372 and OLM's was 276.

Three sources have now confirmed that the Steering Committee's financial sub-committee has spent considerable time of late crunching the numbers and has now issued its recommendation. To no one's surprise, the sub-committee believes that neither HNOJ nor OLM are financially viable over the long term and has recommended that the parishes and the Planning Group suggest that the diocese close both.

I am also told that various approaches to clustering were considered and ultimately rejected, due primarily to the almost universal long term failure of that process in other planning groups.

At this point in time the report and the recommendation are just that: a report and a recommendation. It is now up to the parishes and the Planning Group to decide what course of action they will pursue.