Mount Carmel Church

TRI-PARISH TRANSITION TEAM NEWS
     [Also visit the "Bulletin" page for copies of the most recent Transition Team inserts and news]

November 25, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert] PDF format    Word format
September 30, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert] PDF format    Word format
September 23, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert] PDF format    Word format
September 16, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert] PDF format    Word format
September 9, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert] PDF format
August 19, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert]       PDF format
August 12, 2007 [Transition Team bulletin insert]     PDF format
July 29, 2007   [Transition Team bulletin insert]        PDF format     Word format

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I have an important announcement that will affect all Catholics in Ashtabula so I ask your close attention.

F r. Bob Bonnot, who has been serving as pastoral administrator of Mother of Sorrows since last Labor Day, has accepted an appointment as pastor of St. Nicholas parish in Struthers near Youngstown , effective September 1.

In making this appointment, Bishop Murry accepted a report and preliminary plan sent to him in late April by the three pastors of Ashtabula – Fr. Bonnot, Fr. Miller, and Fr. Ruggieri. The plan addressed the pastoral needs of Ashtabula . It reviewed the status of the three parishes, the many pastoral resources present in the community, and the ten-year plus track record of evolving collaboration among the three parishes as a Tri-parish Catholic Community. It proposed that if priest personnel resources required some change, the Ashtabula Catholic community could function and flourish as three healthy parishes served by two priests working collaboratively with a pastoral team consisting of them, two religious women, three deacons and many talented lay staff and volunteers already in place.

Fr. Bonnot’s reassignment will entail significant change for all three parishes in Ashtabula . The report we submitted to Bishop Murry emphatically asserted that, and I quote, “we see no need whatsoever to combine these communities formally or to ‘close’ any one or other parish. All three communities are vibrant and viable. It would be destructive for the faith of many to ‘close’ any one of them or combine any two of them in a formal way or appear to discriminate against any one of them by seeming to favor the others.” We further insisted that “if a reduction in the priestly pastoral leadership in Ashtabula is decided upon it will be critical and essential that the change affect all three parish communities. All three communities need to see themselves getting new pastoral leadership lest one or two feel that they alone have suffered loss, diminishing the sense of all being part of one Catholic community in Ashtabula facing the future together. The new model must strengthen in all the sense of being part of one Catholic community gathering in three well-established worship and community centers enjoying quality pastoral leadership and service.”

Bishop Murry has asked Fr. Miller and Fr. Ruggieri to assume collaborative responsibility for all three parishes in Ashtabula under a model of pastoral service to be worked out by the Tri-Parish Catholic Community under their leadership. We have agreed. No parish will be closed or combined; all parishes will be served by a combined pastoral team coordinated and led by the two priests. The Bishop has asked us to work out the details with a pastoral planning team to consist of the three priests here now, the two religious women, the three deacons, two lay professional staff, and three lay representatives of each parish. The plan is to be worked out by September 1, at which time Fr. Bonnot will move to Struthers. This group will hold its first meeting on July 24. We will do our best to keep everyone informed as we address the many issues which will require attention and decision.

We ask all members of each parish to approach this opportunity in a prayerful, positive and constructive way. Ashtabula has been leading the diocese in paving the way to a future with fewer priests. We are now challenged to take that leadership creatively to the next level. Our goal is three vibrant and vital parish communities with the rich relationships and traditions of each moving together toward a still richer life together in Christ for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and newcomers to our community.

We are all in this together, and together we will deal with it successfully. Our three parishes, both priests and people, have worked through many of the difficulties of this kind of shared life and responsibility through our ten year collaboration in the Sts. John and Paul School .

As always, we are not alone. The Lord is with us. We ask all to keep the challenge we face in prayer. We ask all to share your respective feelings, thoughts and considerations with the planning team as we move forward, in a constructive way. This will be a creative process in which we work with God in Christ “to make all things new.”

Help build the kingdom of God among us in this developing way under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the patronage of St. Joseph with Mary as both Mother of Sorrows and Lady of Mt. Carmel. The Lord is and will be with us. May the Lord be with you. Amen … and thank you!

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On July 15, 2007, all three Catholic parishes in Ashtabula were informed that Fr. Bob Bonnot (the pastor of Mother of Sorrows) was moving. Fr. Bob came to Ashtabula in September, 2006, as "Parish Administrator." The title of "Administrator" in Church Law is not a permanent assignment, in contrast to the title of "Pastor" which is a permanent assignment (at the discretion of the priest and the bishop).

Following the installation of Bishop Murry in March, 2007, Fr. Bob (at the age of 66) wanted a sense of stability for the remainder of his active ministry. He wanted an assurance from the diocese that he could remain in one assignment (without worrying about being moved again) until he decided to retire at 75. Unfortunately, the diocese could not guarantee that for him if he remained in Ashtabula, due to the priest shortage. Fr. Bob therefore applied for the Pastorate of St. Nicholas Parish in Struthers (following the transfer of Fr. Phil Rogers to St. Charles Parish in Boardman, upon the death of Fr. Dan Venglarik).

The three pastors in Ashtabula met in early March, 2007, recognizing that if (and I emphasize "IF") Fr. Bob was transfered from Mother of Sorrows, the diocese would not be able to supply a successor for that parish. We knew that all three parishes would remain open and viable, there just wouldn't be enough priests available to staff each of the three parishes with three, full-time resident pastors. In April, 2007, the three Ashtabula pastors wrote to Bishop Murry suggesting that our three parishes could effectively be run by two priests. When Fr. Bob's transfer was announced, the Bishop also accepted our proposal to staff the three parishes with the two remaining priests (Fr. Phil Miller and Fr. Joe Ruggieri).

Now that we face this time of transition, a Team has been formed including representatives from each of the three Ashtabula parishes. As this team meets to determine how the new staffing will work, we ask you to keep all of us (the entire Ashtabula Catholic Community) in your prayers.

The Tri-Parish Transition Team will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, July 24, 2007.
The Tri-Parish Transition Team will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, August 8, 2007.

- added - July 23, 2007
- editted August 2, 2007
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- added - July 26, 2007
- updated - August 9, 2007

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The Mission of the “Transition Team” is to preserve the integrity, autonomy, and traditions of each of the three Catholic Parishes in Ashtabula , while working to ensure that the faithful of the three parishes can be served by two priests, the Tri-parish staff, and the numerous lay ministers.

Over the next few weeks we will be addressing the challenges that lie ahead. In our first meeting we began to prioritize the tasks. Most highly noted were:

· Providing realistic daily, weekend, and holiday Mass schedules for the faithful,

· A clear, simple procedure for contacting a priest in the event of a pastoral emergency (death, illness, etc.)

The Team’s primary goal will always be to communicate its progress to the parishioners in a timely fashion. These “progress reports” will be published in the parish bulletins, print media, websites, and/or from the pulpit.

            Each parishioner’s input is welcome, essential, and greatly appreciated. Please contact a member of the team to share with us your thoughts and ideas for the future of the Ashtabula Tri-parish community.
                                                                            - added - July 31, 2007
                                                                                   - updated - August 9, 2007

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The Tri-Parish Transition Council meets again this Wednesday evening. Please be sure to share your thoughts and concerns with that group so they can be taken into account as it develops a design for effective pastoral ministry to all three parishes. The petition being circulated by some anonymous parties is asking for a meeting with the bishop and some are complaining about a lack of consultation. That seems to me premature. The Bishop has asked the three communities, working together, to consult with one another and their pastors for the sake of coming up with a plan the priests who will be co-pastoring the three parishes can endorse and the Bishop can consider.

The Mother of a large family finally underwent long anticipated surgery which her doctors decided was timely. It affected a vital organ. The family gathered with much anxiety and while the medical team was still monitoring Mom and working out the treatment plan which would sustain her to full function and health, some members of the family began circulating the idea that the best thing for Mom would be to cut down her oxygen and restrict her supply of blood. Not being experts, however, they planted the idea among family members anonymously, urging that they donate their blood for others. Others began complaining, also anonymously, about the doctors who had advised Mom that the surgery was timely. Others griped that Mom made a decision without asking them. Still other anonymous parties decided that raising a ruckus with the hospital by circulating a petition insisting on a meeting with the hospital administrator would surely help. This group collected signatures from many family members whose concern was great but whose knowledge about the details was limited. Meanwhile others worked closely with the medical team to make sure that everything necessary for Mom’s successful recovery and return to full health was addressed and taken care of. They went beyond what they normally did to manifest their love and support for Mom, cooperating with one another and the medical team to assure that she had the oxygen, blood, love, food and care she needed.

Which of these, I ask, turned their love for their mother and their anxieties about her continued health and well-being into effective support of her life?

In Christ’s love, Fr. Bob

- added - August 2, 2007

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As we face the challenge of adapting to 2 priests serving our 3 parishes, it may be useful to lift our eyes and see what has been happening elsewhere for the past several years.

One priest serves parishes in Andover and Kinsman, one priest serves parishes in Rock Creek and Orwell, one priest serves parishes in North Kingsville and Jefferson, one priest serves two parishes in Conneaut.

Additionally, every priest in the Diocese with a special non-parochial assignment, from high school principals up to Msgr. Siffrin as Vicar General and Diocesan Administrator, have an additional responsibility as pastor for one or another parish.

The same thing is happening elsewhere. On June 30, 2005, three priests served four parishes in the northeast part of Kansas City, Missouri On July 1, 2005 those four parishes were served by one diocesan priest and one priest on loan from Mexico, who did not work out and went home. So now the four parishes are served by one priest.

For at least two decades the Diocese has been encouraging neighboring parishes to “walk together,” sharing priests as fewer priests are available. It’s Ashtabula city’s turn.

- added - August 2, 2007

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The first meeting of the Ashtabula Tri-Parish Transition Team was held July 24, 2007, at the Mt. Carmel Rectory meeting room.

Eileen Novotny was our facilitator, and Msgr. John Zuraw represented the Diocese of Youngstown.

· What gifts do the present leadership staffs and parishioners of our three parishes have that support and contribute to this transition?

· What are the most immediate and important issues/tasks that need to be considered in preparation for the changes needed?

The team divided into five groups and brainstormed the answers to the above questions. Each group presented their suggestions to the entire team and discussion ensued. Mrs. Novotny then asked each member to place dots on the issues that were most important to him or her.

In answer to the third question, the issues that the team identified as most important to address immediately are: a process to ensure two-way communication between the team and the parishioners; a schedule of daily, weekend, and holiday masses for the community, and a process to ensure that parishioners can easily contact a priest in the event of a pastoral emergency. Addressing how finances will be handled was also mentioned several times on the issue charts.

Some discussion followed regarding the possibility of creating a flyer to distribute at all masses the weekend of July 28/29. The flyer will communicate the outcome of the team’s first meeting and ask parishioners to identify their hopes and concerns so that the team can begin to chart goals and strategies to meet the identified valid needs of the parishioners. Parishioners will be asked to return their comments the weekend of August 4/5. Fr. Joe offered to create the flyer and team members who would like to help create the flyer should meet at SJP High School at 3:00 July 25.

Discussion centered on the importance of all team members being on the same page and carrying the same message to the community.

Msgr. Zuraw shared statistics about our Diocesan parishes and priests with us. According to his figures, we currently have 115 parishes plus two missions in the Diocese which are served by 97 active priests. We have had one priest ordained this year in the Diocese and have lost two priests who have died and one priest who is ill and cannot currently serve. Median age of Diocesan priests is 64, and 25 priests are under the age of 50.

Our next meeting will be August 8, 2007, at 7:00 at the Mt. Carmel Rectory basement meeting room. Team members should come ready to build goals and strategies around the valid needs of the community that parishioners have identified as well as the needs that the team has identified.

Donna Timonere
- added - August 9, 2007

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