2-Part Video: Digesting Draft Models and Pastorates: Calling it by a different name doesn’t change the end result
The Archdiocese knew all along that the Canon Law process that we were suggesting was legitimate. They admit it on the Second Draft Model section of the All Things New website. Now, they scrapped their original 42 models for a whole new set of “draft models” based on “Pastorates.” Their definition of pastorate includes a single pastor over many parishes or many merged parishes. That means 88 pastors will run the show for the entire archdiocese. Decisions will be on a “case by case basis” which means it will be totally subjective. All Things New talks about evangelizing every square mile of the archdiocese. In Planning Area 15, the proposed plans would change the current approximate square miles per parish from 35 square miles per parish to 438 square miles per parish, a 1280% increase. In Planning Area 14, it will grow to 600 square miles per parish!!! There are certain Planning Areas with NO stand-alone parishes, where all parishes will experience mergers/closures through “Pastorates”. These Planning Areas are: 1, 4, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Planning Areas 5,6, and 8 through the central corridor of St. Louis City/County have almost ALL stand-alone parishes.
We know that hundreds, if not thousands sent in their questions to the Archdiocese. No one has gotten answers. This question (#6 on the Top 10 list) is a popular one we hear: “Explain to us in writing, under Archbishop Rozanski’s own signature, why we could not “pilot” any “pastorate” a/k/a merger/closure process envisioned by All Things New, before doing 80-100 parishes all at once. In other words, why can’t we “test pilot” an area now, with far fewer mergers/closures, and see if your “evangelization” plan or strategy works? IF it will work so well, wouldn’t that help us all “see” it working, and help unify Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis to accept All Things New.” Will 90 pastors just go away after May 2023? No, but they will become “associate pastors” or “senior associate pastors”. This takes away many of their canon law rights as priests. Do the priests understand this? There are Order priests and Missionary priests that can help with the supposed lack of priest availability! What are the standards used to decide the winners and losers? What did it take to get a “golden ticket” to stay a stand alone parish?
The following are answers from the FAQ section on allthingsnew.archstl.org, and below those is the Sacred Heart-Troy bulletin excerpt and PDF of the bulletin itself:
SHOW ME STATE CATHOLICS LATEST QUESTIONS: 1) Where has this plan of closing 55-65% of parishes worked? 2) Why no transparency or openness? 3) Why did votum letter only go to 140 pastors?
