Our grouping resumed meeting this past Monday, September 12th with St. Marcelline Parish serving as our host site. At this meeting, we were joined by Tim Weiske, Director of Strategic Planning and Implementation for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
During this meeting, we received a set of scenarios that are forming the basis of our discernment process as for how our grouping can best serve the Church into the future. Key to this process is understanding that discernment is about prayerfully considering where God is at and what God is asking of us or calling us to do. That is different from decision making, where we are simply considering a personal choice between two or more options. Discernment takes time to allow for the movement of the Holy Spirit and for us to prayerfully approach God, seeking an answer.
Our next step has each parish meeting with our staff, parish pastoral and finance councils to discuss the offered scenarios and provide our feedback and engage them in the ongoing discernment process.
On Monday, September 26th at 6:30pm in church, our parish community of St. Matthew will come together for an update on Renew My Church and to hear and discuss the scenarios under consideration and to offer our prayerful feedback as a larger parish to the process. Each of us have an important role to play in this discernment process and we hope that you will join us for this important moment in the life of our parish and in the Church.
This process is not about a parish protecting any parish’s “turf”. Rather, it is about considering how we can better serve and advance the mission of the Church in today’s world, and long into the future. Remember that when St. Francis heard the call from San Damiano to “Rebuild my Church”, he came to understand that it wasn’t about restoring a building, but rather ensuring that the Church itself was on course to advance the Good News to the world and make disciples of all.
Each of our parishes in the grouping will bring this feedback to our next meetings so that we can incorporate it into our proposed outcome scenario.
St. Matthew Parish information and Feedback Session
Monday September 26, 2022
6:30pm in the church