Chris Iacobucci

December 5, 2021 by Chris Iacobucci

December 05, 2021

Second Sunday of Advent

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This past June 19 was the bicentennial anniversary of the founding of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, marking an important milestone in the life of the local Catholic Church. We give thanks to our generous God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us over our first 200 years and look forward with expectant faith to what is to come.

Today likewise marks an important milestone. I am pleased to announce the final Families of Parishes, bringing to close the first major phase of Beacons of Light. Beginning at noon today, these Families of Parishes can be viewed online at www.BeaconsAOC.org. Thank you to the thousands of Catholics in the archdiocese whose thoughtful feedback has significantly shaped this phase of our pastoral planning. I am deeply grateful.

The enduring mission of the Catholic Church, our mission, entrusted to the apostles by Jesus, is to proclaim the Good News of salvation and make disciples. We have a responsibility to make the best use of all the means which God has provided us to pursue this sacred mission. The purpose of Beacons of Light is to ensure that all our resources – human, physical and financial – are properly ordered to missionary discipleship. I am convinced that Beacons of Light, born of great hope, will enable us to form stronger parishes, centered on the Eucharist, that radiate the love of Christ and joy of the Gospel in a world that is frequently indifferent or even hostile.

We now move on to the next major phase of Beacons of Light, the implementation of the new Families of Parishes on July 1, 2022. This will involve a great deal of planning and preparation over the coming months. Please pray for me and all the priests and lay people of our archdiocese who will play significant roles in this effort. Please also know of my prayers for you.

Our life in Christ is always a response to God’s initiative. As we continue this challenging but exciting endeavor, may we stay attentive to all that the Lord is doing in our midst. God has abundantly blessed our first two centuries and will certainly bless the next. He has promised to never leave us. May God bless and keep all of us as we journey together toward the celebration of the birth of our Lord with certainty in our hearts that Christ remains with us always.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

September 1, 2021 by Chris Iacobucci

The background work that laid the foundation for Beacons of Light

As the pastoral planning initiative Beacons of Light moves forward, Catholic Telegraph writers are meeting with its leaders, including Father Jan Schmidt, to bring you the most up-to-date and accurate information on what is happening, describe how decisions will be made and provide clear descriptions of what to expect. This article series on Beacons of Light will appear in every issue of The Catholic Telegraph. Please visit beaconsaoc.org to sign up for the free monthly Beacons Update newsletter.

“If we are to be the Church as Christ intends, we must understand that ‘status quo’ can have no place in our vocabulary.” – Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, “Letter to the Faithful Concerning Beacons of Light”

This powerful quote from Archbishop Schnurr’s July letter concerning Beacons of Light has ringing implications for our archdiocese. It also gives great insight into why Beacons of Light is happening and why it is happening now.

The process of looking at where we are, where we have been and where we are going is not new to the Beacons of Light core team. It was the first step of the journey.

In the fall of 2020, as the archdiocese prepared to celebrate its 200th anniversary, the Beacons of Light core team, under the leadership of Father Jan Schmidt, began reaching out to parishes and collecting data to understand the existing state of affairs in the parishes and parish schools of the archdiocese.

The team worked with PartnersEdge, an industry- leading consultant in data analysis and diocesan planning. Together, they collaborated with parishes to develop an understanding of the whole diocese: its population, infrastructure, births, deaths, sacraments, finances, schools and much more. From this wealth of data, they created an extensive “Current Reality Report.” The team presented this information to archdiocesan leaders throughout the summer and has made the report available to the public on the Beacons of Light website (beaconsaoc.org).

With a better understanding of the current state of the archdiocese, the Beacons of Light core team began drafting the archdiocesan pastoral plan. An important step in this process included soliciting input from archdiocesan leaders, deans, pastors and even other dioceses who have undergone pastoral planning processes in recent years. Each new step in the process was scrutinized, feedback solicited and adjustments made. The plan timeline was established and published on the Beacons of Light website.

The planning is not over. “Beacons of Light is a living, breathing process,” said Father Jan Schmidt. “A big part of this is being able to adjust the plan when necessary. We have a timeline and process in place, but we are able to change certain aspects of it at this point based on feedback.”

So what’s next? One of the most personal and impactful aspects of Beacons of Light will be released at the beginning of October: a draft of the grouping of parishes into about 60 Families of Parishes will be made available to the public for the first time. The draft will be available at beaconsaoc.org Oct. 1-20 for the faithful of the archdiocese to provide comments and feedback.

Just as our personal journey toward holiness is not over until we get to heaven, the Church’s mission is never “finished.” The Great Commission is ongoing and never completed. There will always be more souls to save, more friends and family to evangelize and new circumstances to assess and respond to. As Archbishop Schnurr so rightfully points out, the “status quo” isn’t acceptable. Our goal isn’t to maintain, but to move forward, striving for personal holiness in response to God’s mission for the Church.

Ensure you are part of Beacons of Light by subscribing to the free Beacons Update. View the timeline, be informed and get involved in the process by giving feedback.

September 1, 2021 by Chris Iacobucci

Breaking down Families of Parishes

As the pastoral planning initiative, Beacons of Light, moves forward, Catholic Telegraph writers are meeting with its leaders, including Father Jan Schmidt, to bring you the most up-to-date and accurate information and communication on what is happening, how decisions will be made and to provide clear descriptions of what to expect. This article series on Beacons of Light will appear in every issue of The Catholic Telegraph. Additionally, please visit catholicaoc.org/beacons to sign up for the weekly Beacons Update newsletter.

Is my parish going to close?

What is going to happen to my kids’ school?

Will I have to change where and when I go to Mass? What is going to happen next?

These are some of the first questions that might come to mind when you hear about Beacons of Light. The pastoral planning process of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is underway, and as more Catholics become aware of the initiative, there will be an understandable amount of uncertainty in the hearts and minds of parishioners.

For many Catholics, their parish is like a second home. Some people have belonged to the same parish for decades. They attended school there, got married there, saw their kids baptized and receive the sacraments

there. They’ve made friends, volunteered, donated to building projects and worshiped in this same space for years. Is all that going to end?

First and foremost, Beacons of Light is not about closing parishes. It is about making parishes stronger. Through the process of collecting data, listening to pastors and lay faithful, consulting with experts and receiving feedback, parishes will be formed into 50 to 60 groups called “Families of Parishes.”

Each Family of Parishes will typically consist of three to six parishes – although some will have more and others less. Each of the parishes in a “Family” will join the grouping with their own buildings, budgets, sacramental schedules, staffs and resources of a typical parish. Decisions about life in the Family of Parishes will be made by the pastor and parish leaders within the basic guidelines in place for the entire archdiocese.

The goal is for these parishes to join together as one faith community, stronger than ever before. By coming together, this new faith community will have the resources needed to focus more on mission than on maintenance, thereby helping people grow closer to Jesus and radiate Christ throughout the cities, towns, suburbs and rural communities of the 19 counties in Western and Southwestern Ohio.

Will things change? Absolutely. But are you going to show up at Mass one Sunday to find the building locked and an eviction notice nailed to the front door? Not at all.

The pastor and parish leaders in each Family of Parishes will collaborate and embark on their own process of assessing the resources and needs for their faith family. No one in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati can wholly predict what kinds of changes each Family of Parishes will enact. Could they close buildings? Yes. Could they consolidate schools? Yes. Could they change Mass times? Yes. But those decisions will not be made centrally, they will not be made lightly, and they will not be made quickly. Those decisions will be in the hands of the priests, parish councils, parish staff and other leaders within each Family of Parishes.

Ultimately, the goal is for each Family of Parishes to come together as one, true faith community. That goal might sound scary. Change – even good change – is always a little bit scary. Will the process be easy? Probably not. Will every parishioner be happy with every decision their pastor or parish leaders make?

That’s certainly not the case now, and it likely won’t be in the future.

Can Archbishop Schnurr or any of his staff members tell you today if your parish will close, or your school will be consolidated, or your Mass times or locations will change? No, because they don’t know, and they won’t be the ones making those decisions.

You can be a part of the Beacons of Light process in your own parish.

By signing up for the free monthly Beacons Update, you can stay in the know throughout every step of Beacons of Light. By using Beacons Update to ask questions and give feedback, you can help influence how this initiative develops. By presenting yourself as a positive and proactive supporter to your pastor, you can get involved as the process unfolds in your parish. And, through prayer, you can place your trust (and your worries) in Jesus, who tells us in Matthew 6:34a, “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.”

September 1, 2021 by Chris Iacobucci

Introducing Beacons of Light

What does your dream parish look like? Everyone’s answer is a little different, but more than likely many of the same themes will come to mind.

Full churches. Joyful people. A pastor who is passionate and present to the faithful. Abounding generosity. Great music and homilies. Functional and beautiful spaces. A community that draws you closer to Jesus and helps you spread His love to your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.

A place of welcoming, belonging, hope, peace and love.

But let’s be honest for a moment; for many Catholics there is a large and growing gap between what they dream their parish would be and what it really is. That doesn’t mean we don’t love our parishes. We do. Most engaged Catholics passionately love their parish. But I think we can all recognize there are things that could be better.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati sees that too, and that’s why Archbishop Schnurr has announced Beacons of Light, an initiative to plan for the future of our parishes.

“The Lord has blessed our Archdiocese with many good things over its first 200 years,” said Archbishop Schnurr. “It is our God-given mission and responsibility to be good stewards of those gifts. At certain times throughout our history, this has required us to take a step back to seriously and honestly evaluate how our resources are distributed, to ensure they meet the present needs of the faithful. Now is one of those times.”

Beacons of Light is a multi-year process of pastoral planning for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Archbishop Schnurr has assembled a team to lead this initiative and create a process for evaluating the current reality and needs of our parishes. This includes meeting with outside consultants who specialize in diocesan and archdiocesan planning; listening to the perspectives of pastors and priests and soliciting the participation and feedback of the faithful.

While our parishes are filled with wonderful people, staffed by mission-focused leaders and led by holy priests, there are many factors – some of which are completely out of the parish’s control – which, when taken together, diminish parish life.

Religious practice is declining nationwide. Fewer people are engaged in their faith. We see evidence of this every Sunday. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the average Sunday Mass is about one-third full.

Demographics in the Midwest are changing. The Catholic population is moving south. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the number of Catholic parishes in Ohio decreased by 171 from 1971 to 2018 while the number of Catholic parishes in Florida, for example, increased by 165 over the same time span.

In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, our resources are spread too thin. Our current infrastructure and schedules were built for a different era.

These are just a few factors among many. Combine these factors and you are left with the current reality most Catholics experience: most of our church buildings are grossly underutilized, our priests are stretched to the limit, and many of our parishes are not the vibrant communities of faith we dream they would be.

Beacons of Light is a process that will unfold over the next few years, and it has only just begun. While the team appointed by Archbishop Schnurr – led by Father Jan Schmidt, Director of the Department of Pastoral Vitality- has begun meeting with consultants and collecting data from parishes, there is still so much more to come.

When asked how he would like lay faithful to participate, Archbishop Schnurr said, “I would like lay faithful to engage with the process by learning about Beacons of Light and staying informed. I would like them to encourage their fellow Catholics to get involved. I would ask them to give us their feedback and know that we will listen. And, most importantly, I would ask them to pray. As we embark on this process, let us together ask for the intercession of our Blessed Mother that God continue to bless us with His presence and His love.”

The Beacons of Light team has created two resources to help you be heard and stay informed.

First, every Catholic in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati should visit CatholicAOC.org/Beacons and sign up for the Beacons Update. This free, monthly newsletter is delivered right to your inbox and is filled with updates on what is happening, plans for what will happen next and the opportunity to give feedback or ask questions.

Second, while on the Beacons of Light website at CatholicAOC.org/Beacons, download the Beacons of Light overview, a four-page PDF available in English and Spanish, which explains the entire Beacons of Light process in greater detail.

Look for further coverage of this endeavor on TheCatholicTelegraph.com and in the upcoming issues of the magazine. And throughout this process, we encourage you to pray for Beacons of Light, Archbishop Schnurr and the entire archdiocese as we all work together toward the future of hope that God has in store for us.

Chris Iacobucci

Chris Iacobucci

The background work that laid the foundation for Beacons of Light

Breaking down Families of Parishes

Introducing Beacons of Light

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