It has been a while since St. James was in the business of engaging the Toledo Diocese on their handling of church affairs. The conclusion of our case over church ownership was timely and appropriate as the economy was quickly beginning to make life painful all over; and our area has not been spared from some of the consequences of this either.
Immediately following our case, St. James resumed the business of being the church that is needed during these difficult times in Kansas and the surrounding community. Our Parish Council is actively working to reach out to those who need assistance, and we continue to hold weekly prayer services and monthly Masses that are well attended. Our Sunday School program continues to grow, and our Lenten musical tradition of presenting His Last Days will kick off for the 22nd time this Sunday the 21st at Old Fort United Methodist Church. We look to our future with excitement, humility, and with the knowledge that we serve a loving God.
With so much to keep us busy, it has hardly been our nature to look backward to the days when our affairs were managed from the ivory tower on Spielbusch Ave by individuals with no discernible connection to our community; but purported to have our best interests in mind. Lately we couldn’t help but notice that a pattern of behavior which we are all too familiar with is making a comeback as reported here and here.
I am not anxious to revisit the past, but I can’t help but share that my experience in the past has taught me that 3 camps will emerge out of this that may squabble over some of the details, while the most important aspects of what is taking place will go unnoticed by Bishop Blair, Sr. Joyce Lehman, many parishioners, and the media. Not to put too fine a point on it, but with the changing/restructuring of the schools in Fremont, and the twinning of parishes, this will be all but inevitable.
- The first camp is angry. They may believe that the changes are unnecessary, or do not like the way those changes are being implemented. These people will be told that the diocese understands that change is difficult for them to accept, and will be the subject of prayers that they may come to accept the changes. No regard for the legitimacy of their feelings about poor planning or implementation will take place.
- The second camp may or may not be unhappy about the changes, but will view those who voice their concerns as troublemakers who should accept and be quiet. Some fingerpointing is likely about who is to blame for all of the hoopla in the first place, but will usually not factor in the role of any members of the hierarchy. Ultimately, this group will conclude that if everyone can accept and move on, that all problems will go away, all wrongs will be righted, and everyone will get a unicorn for Christmas.
- The 3rd camp is fully submissive, and proud of it. This camp can be summed up by the following statement: If it has been decreed, than it is right. I’ve had my fair share of engagement with this kind of thinking. I have no comment about it other than to say that it is what it is; it will always exist in some form or fashion, and if you are predisposed to change any minds on this issue, this is the group that will give you the least amount of return for your efforts.
Now I want to stress that while all of this is going on, the key take aways from the linked articles above are this (with my emphasis added):
In a letter to the pastors of St. Ann, St. Joseph and Sacred Heart, Bishop Leonard Blair, head of the Toledo Diocese, called the entire system Bishop Hoffman School. He felt SJCC should be renamed to promote unity, according to the letter.
and this:
This is a “particularly difficult year” for the diocesan priest shortage, Sister Joyce said, with nine leaving through retirement and only three coming into the system. And the gap between anticipated retirements and the number of new priests will continue to grow, she said.
“There’s a little bit of a crunch in the next couple years,” she said.
We’ll have to remain focused on the business of running and growing St. James, and it is refreshing to know that we will be able to do so without being hindered by the “assistance” of the office up north in the way that the parishioners in the Fremont Catholic schools and the 10 twinned parishes are now. But if you are caught up in camp 1 above, do not allow camps 2 and 3 to take your eyes off the ball, which is highlighted in the two quotes I called out. The takeaways are that:
- no matter what you and your fellow parishioners know about your community, the hierarchy “knows” what is best for creating unity in your community
- twinning is a stop gap that is only part of a much larger problem. Something will have to give, and the choices that the hierarchy has are either to close churches, allow priests to marry, or ordain women. In other words, the hierarchy does not believe they have a choice, and this is only a rest stop on your journey with the Toledo Diocese. Don’t kid yourself about the destination.
UPDATE:
I’m being told that in Fremont, the Diocese has backed down from renaming all of the individual schools, but that the system will be called the Bishop Hoffman School System. I’m not sure what ultimately prompted the change, but this is good news.