Agony in Albany - The Roman Catholic Faithful

Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc. / AMDG May 2004 Albany newsletterthe Diocese of Albany. Reflecting this year with journalistTim Beidel on change, he said:“You can change yourself with some degreeof difficulty. But then to change families, to change aparish, to change a Diocese, to change the nature ofthe Church Universal, each of those steps becomes amuch more difficult process.”Despite the difficulties, he remains devoted tothe process of change.Bishop Hubbard Announces New PlanTo Determine Parish “Viability”—Severe financial pressure on parishes raises question:“Where's all the money going?”“Fasten your seatbelts. The stewardshipteams are coming,” said Catholic layman Paul Kerinupon reading the news in The Evangelist that the AlbanyDiocese had issued a “new strategic plan intendedto help churches.”“We’re going to have ‘Hudson revisited’ allover this Diocese,” he added.A deacon told The Wanderer, “The Bishophas killed the schools, he has killed the laity, now heis killing the churches.”A new study issued by the Diocese, OurFaith and Our Future: Guidelines for Parish/PastoralPlanning, which allegedly will help parishes determineif they are vital and viable, was reported in theMarch 14th edition of The Evangelist.According to The Evangelist, the study is thefruit of three years’ work by a 16-member committeethat went through 11 previous drafts and was reviewedby 800 people. The planning paper is an outgrowthof Bishop Hubbard’s 1988 Pastoral Letter, WeAre God’s Priestly People.Again, according to The Evangelist, parishvitality and viability will be determined not only bythe number of parishioners or by its fiscal health, but“according to the number of parishioners who contributeto the annual Bishop’s Appeal.”Assistant editor David Scott reported that thenew planning document “establishes criteria forevaluating the ‘recent status and future viability’ ofparishes according to how they stack up against themean of parishes in their category, be it urban, rural,or suburban. For example, urban parishes which fall40% below the mean of 644 contributors would beevaluated, as would those rural parishes which fall50% below the mean of 275 contributors, and suburbanparishes which fall 60% below the suburbanmean of 1,052.“Previous studies by the diocesan StewardshipOffice have shown that only one-third of the175,000 Catholic families in the Diocese are supportingthe Church financially,” wrote Scott.“Ninety percent of the families in the Diocesegive less than 1 % of their income to their parish andno money to support the Diocese.”“The Mission Of The Church”According to Fr. Randall Patterson, spokesmanfor the Bishop, “These recommendations arebeing sent to the local communities in the spirit ofhelping them to address the areas that have been identifiedas being needed to further the vision and missionof the Church as outlined in Bishop Hubbard’sPastoral Letter, We Are God’s Priestly People.”Sr. Nola Brunner told The Evangelist that notimetable had been set for parishes to comply with thenew guidelines, but she hoped that parishes will make“every effort to begin implementing the recommendationsas soon as possible.” She told The Albany TimesUnion that even parishes with healthy finances mightfind themselves falling short of what is necessary forviability.In addition to the financial criteria establishedto help parishes determine how long they will remainopen, there are also aids to measure the “quality ofparish spiritual life.”A parish must have “effective prayer andworship,” which seeks “to draw all members of theparish community into the ministry of worship, withthe presider enabling the ministry of the total community.“Included in the prayer life of a vital parish,”wrote Scott, “are good ecumenical and interfaith relations,a sensitivity to the inclusion of both males’ andfemales’ experiences in prayers and liturgical language,and the presentation of peace and justicethemes as a basic component of prayer and worship.”Viable parishes will also have “a number of55