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Peter Garcia

Peter Garcia

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today’s feast marks the beginning of the parish phase and second year of the National Eucharistic Revival. At the same time, we near the end of the first year of Beacons of Light, our archdiocesan planning process. These two initiatives are bound together: our pastoral planning efforts are directed toward building vibrant Eucharistic communities in which we recall all that Christ has done for us and respond as He commands – to eat and drink of His Body and Blood and thus have eternal life.

Eucharist is the first principle of Beacons of Light: “The Mass is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. Accordingly, the Eucharist is the essential moment for building up and strengthening the parish community, along with the sacraments and other celebrations of the paschal mystery – the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Beacons of Light is a process of pastoral planning to best arrange our many resources – human, financial, physical – to pursue the God-given mission of sharing the Gospel throughout our archdiocese. I am grateful to everyone who has come together as a Family of Parishes and begun to discern how the Spirit of God is working among us. Beacons of Light will only be successful under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and only if our parishes are communities of faith truly centered on our Eucharistic Lord.

In this phase of the Eucharistic Revival, my brother bishops and I are encouraging the Church in the United States to greater Eucharistic devotion, especially through more life-giving, beautiful, and transformative celebrations of the Eucharist every Sunday. All those who lead the Church at prayer – priests, deacons, and lay liturgical ministers – are called to prepare for and celebrate the liturgy with fidelity to the text and rubrics given by the Church. Our liturgical leaders must also create measures of true hospitality, and ensure excellent preaching and sacred music, so that all may more fully encounter Jesus’ true and abiding presence each time we come to Mass.

On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we invoke, “Grant your Church, O Lord, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace, whose signs are to be seen in mystery in the offerings we here present.” We ask our Lord in a special way that our celebrations of the Eucharist truly foster unity, not only in our Families of Parishes, but across our entire archdiocese. This unity – not uniformity – is a cornerstone to building up the Catholic Church in these nineteen counties of western and southwestern Ohio.

As we move into the summer months, I invite you and your family to join me in praying for the success of both Beacons of Light and the National Eucharistic Revival. Thank you for your prayerful support of your pastor and parish leaders. May the Spirit of God continue to lead us to deeper participation in the Eucharist and to bear the fruits of that mystery to a world desperately in need of God’s love.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The implementation of Beacons of Light marks a new chapter in the life of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is now just over six months since our 208 parishes were organized into 57 Families of Parishes, in several instances under new pastoral leadership. These changes, while necessary and infused with great hope, understandably have been a source of concern and anxiety for many of you, as well as for your priests. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your patience and fortitude during this time of transition. Your steadfast commitment to the work of the Church and your parish community is a great testament to the depth of your Catholic faith.

In any undertaking as complex as Beacons of Light, it can be easy to “lose the forest for the trees.” For that reason, it is important to pause from time to time and remind ourselves why we are doing this and what we hope to accomplish.

It all begins with the Great Commission given by Jesus to the apostles: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20). The Catholic Church is Christ’s sacramental presence on earth, imbued with the Holy Spirit, given to us as a means for our salvation. All the resources of the Church – human, physical, financial – must be structured, as appropriate for the particular time and place, to proclaiming the Good News of salvation and making disciples.

This is the purpose of Beacons of Light, to enable the vital proclamation of the Gospel for the third century of our own archdiocese. The infrastructure and schedules that were essential to the work of the local Church in decades past may no longer best serve the mission today. Therefore, under the leadership of the pastor, each Family of Parishes will engage in intentional pastoral planning, rooted in sincere prayer and open collaboration, to discern the best configuration of its collective resources to pursue the evangelizing mission of the Church. This is not a project for the priest and parish leaders only, but for the entire parish community, and it will not come to fruition overnight. Patience and fortitude will be essential.

Our hope for this transformative undertaking is that our parishes truly become “beacons of light” – strong, joyful communities of evangelization and service centered on the Eucharist, together growing in faith and radiating the love of Christ to the world. We need to keep this vision in mind to avoid simply getting mired in the details. Every decision within a Family of Parishes should be made with the intent of moving the parish community closer to our desired outcome.

St. Francis de Sales, patron of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, once wrote, “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” As we move forward, let us keep these comforting words top-of-mind, praying for, and confident of, the continued blessings of our loving God who has promised to never leave us.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord’s Church and the fulfillment of Christ’s Paschal Mystery. The scene from the Acts of the Apostles is filled with drama, as “a noise like a strong driving wind” and “tongues as of fire” accompany the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. What was the effect of this outpouring? We read that the apostles went forth confidently, speaking in the many languages of the visitors to Jerusalem. In the words of St. Bede, “Now the Holy Spirit appeared in fire and in tongues because all those whom He fills He makes simultaneously to burn and to speak – to burn because of Him and to speak about Him.”

From the beginning of time, the Holy Spirit has been at work with the Father and the Son on the divine plan for our salvation. Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at our baptism, we are each called to be cooperators with that plan, not only for our own sanctification, but for the sanctification of the whole world. The Catholic Church is God’s sacramental presence on earth, imbued with the Holy Spirit, given to us as a means for our salvation. All the resources of the Church – human, physical, financial – must be ordered to Jesus’ great commission to proclaim the Good News of salvation and make disciples of all nations.

This is the purpose of Beacons of Light, to best enable the proclamation of the Gospel in our own archdiocese. On July 1, we will move on to the next major phase of Beacons of Light, implementation of the new Families of Parishes and the start of intentional pastoral planning within each of those Families. This planning will be rooted in sincere prayer and open collaboration as each Family together discerns the best and highest use of their shared resources to radiate the love of Christ and form a strong, vital community of evangelization and service centered on the Eucharist. There will undoubtedly be hard decisions involving sacrifice and loss, but which will bear great fruit in the future. This is the enduring Christian journey, one which needs to be offered up in prayer to God’s providence.

In a 2006 homily, Pope Benedict XVI said, “in Pentecost the Spirit, with the gift of tongues, demonstrates that His presence unites and transforms confusion into communion.” As we move forward into an unsure and sometimes confusing future, let us stay united as the Body of Christ, confident that the Holy Spirit is with us until the end of time. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your commitment to the flourishing of our local Church. May God bless and keep all of us as we journey together on the path of discipleship. 

 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

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This article is the second in a series covering each of the six foundational principles of Beacons of Light, the pastoral planning process of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

“Let us be witnesses. Let us radiate Christ.” With these words, Archbishop Schnurr challenged the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Catholic faithful to embrace the call to make Christ present in the world.

In his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis proposes a vision of the local parish as a “center of constant missionary outreach.” The Beacons of Light pastoral planning process gives each parish an opportunity to embrace this vision.

What does it mean for a parish to be a center for missionary outreach?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “center” with multiple meanings. One is “a facility providing a place for a particular activity or service.” We might visualize a healthy parish this way, imagining a church campus bustling with activity every day of the week; a one stop location for all spiritual and communal needs. However, an evangelizing parish is much more than that.

This alternative definition is a better consideration: “A source from which something originates.” Viewed through this lens, the Church, primarily in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, is the origin of missionary activity that radiates outward to all the world. Pope Benedict XVI uses nuclear fission to illustrate the connection between the Eucharist and mission, in that each time we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord, He sets off a transformation in us that cannot be contained, but radiates outward. It transforms the world around us as we become more empowered to be witnesses for the Gospel and heroically love our neighbors.

To truly radiate Christ to the world, Families of Parishes must first have missionary initiative toward each person in their parish boundaries. In his Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis expresses great hope in the parish institution because of its potential to be flexible, adaptive and creative with evangelizing efforts. It must choose “a ‘missionary option,’ that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation” (Joy of the Gospel, 27).

Beacons of Light affords precisely this opportunity for each Family of Parishes to “transform everything” by striving for these six goals: 

  1. Missionary Discipleship: The Family of Parishes will implement a simple and clear evangelization process that ultimately equips and commissions missionary disciples, in every stage of their lives, for personal apostolates and vocations.
  2. Grounded in Discernment: The pastor, staff and lay leaders prioritize prayer, formation and discernment, both for themselves and the faithful,  so that they allow the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide their evangelization efforts.
  3. Family Partnership: Because the family is the primary place of evangelization for young people and parents are the primary educators of their children, families are well-supported by the parish.
  4. Prioritize Adult Formation: Priority for forming the faithful in evangelization and catechesis is directed toward adults, who can share that knowledge with others and use it in forming their children’s faith at home.
  5. Effective Schools: As an essential parish ministry, the parish school fulfills its purpose to be an “effective vehicle of total Christian formation” for young people and their parents.
  6. A Culture of Vocation: Families of Parishes will prepare individuals to discern and embrace their vocations by helping them recognize and respond to God’s unique call for their lives.

By embracing these six goals, Families of Parishes will become vibrant centers for missionary outreach and true beacons of light.

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This past June 19 was the bicentennial anniversary of the founding of the Archdiocese ofCincinnati, 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 200years and look forward with expectant faith to what is to come.

Today likewise marks an important milestone. I am pleased to announce the finalFamilies 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 byJesus, 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

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By Melanie Speicher, article originally published in Sidney Daily News . View original article here.

Family is taking on a new meaning for Catholic congregations of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

According to Jennifer Schack, director of media relations for the archdiocese, a comprehensive pastoral planning process is underway through the Beacon of Light. The plan calls for the establishment of Families of Parishes to be formed thoughout the 19 counties in the archdiocese.

Schack said comments about the Families of Parishes will be accepted until Wednesday. The goal is to finalize the draft which is being created and to announce which churches will be in each Families of Parishes in late November.

The planning and implementation within each Families of Parishes, under the leadership of each pastor, will unfold over the next several years.

“In February/March we’ll announce the priest assignments,” she said. “In July 2022, it will go into effect.

“There will be 60 Families of Parishes for the entire 19 counties of the archdiocese,” she continued. “There are 109 pastors today. In July there will be 60 pastors.”

Some of the decrease in the number of pastors can be attributed to retirements, she shared.

“As the pastors move into retirement, the young are not going to become pastors. The number of pastors is going to be down significantly over the next few years,” said Schack.

And now is the time to continue bringing the congregations into one parish through the new program.

“The goal of the Families of Parishes is that they (churches) will come together for one mass schedule. There will be one parish council serving one community. We’ve been working toward this for a number of years.

“It will be up to each parish to support the pastors to lead them to one parish.”

Each Families of Parishes will be led by a common m pastor and share resources available in each church.

Schack said the Families of Parishes will be sustainable for decades to come. The archdiocese is hoping that churches will be filled during the weekly/daily masses.

From 2010 to 2019, sacramental practice (including baptisms, first communions, confirmations and weddings) in the archdiocese declined by 23%.

The first phase of Beacons of Light involved gathering and analyzing parish demographic, sacramental, financial, and school data and trends. In addition, priest availability was analyzed and projected.

The Beacons of Light is different from previous planning processes.

The previous planning processes resulted in “clusters” or “regions” of free-standing parishes under a common pastor. Beacons of Light intends to go further by supporting each newly formed Family of Parishes in becoming a fully integrated community of faith with the expectation of becoming, over time, one canonical parish.

Each Family of Parishes will begin by bringing parish staff and pastoral councils together. The pastor, staff and councils will discern Sunday Mass schedules and locations. The pastor and lay leaders will develop a plan for parish programs and activities with a long-term goal of becoming one community of faith. The disposition of all parish assets, including church buildings, will be decided within each Family of Parishes based on particular circumstances and opportunities. The expectation is that, over time, a Family of Parishes will become one canonical parish. A parish can be made up of a single church or multiple churches.

“It will take time for everyone in each Family of Parishes to work together,” said Schack. One of the expectations is for the parish to move to holding one large festival instead of one per church. Smaller events, such as an ice cream social, could still be held at each church.

“The Family of Parishes will make that decision for their group, ” she said

Schack said they have received more than 4,000 comments about the Beacons of Light and Families of Parishes. Each comment has been read and recorded for review.

Shelby, Auglaize, Darke and Miami counties are all part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Melanie Speicher

[email protected]

100 East Eighth StreetCincinnati, OH 45202 USA(513) 421-3131

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