STATE
OF THE PARISH
REPORT
2005
With the 2004 administrator transition, a parish report was
required. This State of the Parish
Report is optional. I plan to write one
annually. The use of this report I see
as cause for theological reflection on the parish life. This report will need to be read by all in
leadership—faculty, staff, committees, boards, ministers, the assembly,
etc. From that place of prayer and
thought, any seed of this text will take root for the growth of the Body of
Christ at SVFP. The more trying or
negative the times we live in become, the greater the call to a faith
response.
Previous Writings
and References
This report will have many references with two appendices:
the administrator report of 2004 and letters from the pastor’s desk, which
appeared in the weekly bulletin. These
both show an ongoing consistency of direction.
The state of the parish report will address the spiritual, financial,
social and catechetical levels of Christian development at SVFP. My bulletin letters will be used as references.
First the MACROcosim—the big picture:
Where are we in history?
There has been a collapse of culture and therefore a
collapse of family life. Peers, media
and culture raise children today, with parents being just a small piece of
their life. For many generations now we
have been shaped more by culture than by faith.
Our culture of today is based on disrespect, debasement, and…or should I
just say “jerryspringerizing” of life itself. Being energized by criticism is often part of
our consumer culture. Silence becomes
affirmation, while profound criticism and blaming are the modus operandi. Nothing is sacred. Even before the “9/11” terrorism, our world
was experiencing terror. Many writers
would say we are in a post-Christian era.
Many of us have witnessed personally the “God is dead” movement of the
1960’s right into our own family life.
(Keep in mind that the religion problems of this era are not limited to
Catholicism.)
In the Administrator Report I referred to The Shattered
Lantern by Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I.—at least the
first 60 pages. Again this
report does the same because what he does is addresses the God-is-dead
movement, now over a hundred years old, which gives us the death culture within
which we are saturated. God is the
lantern—the light gone out of our lives.
Shattered.
Smashed By us! God is—was—the
structure of our existence. What Rolheiser does in this book is to show us the symptoms of
life when God is gone; when God is dead to us.
The four traits he unfolds are narcissism (self absorption/
individualism), pragmatism (efficiency of science is the final god), unbridled
restlessness (our meaning comes from our agitated schedules and thinking), and
the non-contemplative personality (awe is gone; reflection doesn’t exist). We then inherit a culture that is “all about
me”. Our offspring are dull and
depressed to the divine. No longer in
awe of God but bored by God. Our frantic
schedules and unreflective lives start to say it all. Because of this children as young as 3 in our
culture become medicated with mood altering drugs of prescription.
Many of you remember M. Scott Peck who wrote The Road
Less Traveled and also People of the Lie. One of his earlier books was A World Waiting
to be Born: Civility Rediscovered. This was a global insight into our human
condition going insane. Mind you, Peck
is a psychiatrist writing on positive development of the person. Later in his life he became Catholic through
RCIA, keeping a low profile so he could connect with a larger base of the
public. He walks through story after
story of how we in our culture reward meanness, wrath, and vengeful ways. Working on both the larger community level
and the personal level, his stories witness the loss of civility as normative
in our hearts. Our patterns in forming
families, he states, are morally destructive, causing callousness,
manipulation, and materialism. His premise
is that these become so ingrained and routine we do not even recognize them. The strength of this book is that Peck not
only shows the case histories and dramatic scenarios, but also blueprints how
organizations and individuals can be restored to health.
Again, showing the effects of the macro system, let me share
a quote from John Attarian, a freelance writer, who wrote in Modern Age, summer of l995 an article
entitled “Thank You Tommy”:
The
dominant ideology of our time—secular, determinist, materialist liberalism— is rabidly hostile to
the heroic. Secularism and materialism
deny the very existence of the soul and the reality
of the transcendent perfection for which it yearns, thus denying the reality and validity of that yearning and
with them the ultimate incentive for all
true heroism. Determinism exculpates its
believers from responsibility for their faults,
hence relieving them of any need to improve themselves and removing the spur to heroic conduct. It denies people credit for their virtues, hence denying their worthiness of admiration and
emulation. Thus the spread of liberalism has worked insidiously to purge the
world of heroes. What survives as popular ‘heroes’ seldom merits the name:
athletes, rock stars, movie and television actors; mere entertainers all.
Please note I have not mentioned religion with my
references. It is culturally fashionable
to be a bully. To live on rant and rage
is the norm. Have you noticed the
debasement that comes with entertainment – the put down or exposition of
someone? Sometimes I love to jest that
our world could never accept Jesus Christ because we are still having trouble
with Dale Carnegie. We need to see the
context in which we live. The big
picture has converted us to fit in and be part of all this. The Church is not exempt from cultural influence. Having said that, let us move to the
micro—the parish picture.
We have lowered the bar in our times. Often the question is, “What do I have to do
to get by?” This happens at school,
work, etc. Mediocrity has become the
standard. Heroes are cardboard. Obviously this does not bode well with the
spiritual quest of the soul. God again
dies – or is killed.
THE TALE OF TWO
CHURCHES: Parish Life
SVFP is a tale of two churches. One church is culturally formed and one is
faith based. They are not equal in
size. Filtering down from the macro
system mentioned above, many parishioners view church functions and the
Sacraments as mere social events. They
are “members” when they want some sacrament or something else. Based on the cultural customer satisfaction,
they want ministry on demand. It’s all
about them—“my” __________....you can fill in the request. Sacraments are show time, grandstanding
events. It is not about Jesus
Christ. It is about partying. Many of these folks are not familiar with a
regular observance of the liturgical life of the Catholic faith. They are totally uncatechised. This means that they do not know what the
present church teaching is, nor do they care.
They will associate with the parish church building but not the faith
community. They prefer to supply their
own clergy from out-of-parish places.
This group literally consumes massive hours of staff time. While that is well and good, it is an
investment of little or no return. These are people who will not be part of the
parish life. SVFP is a sacramental
dispensary, which means sacraments on demand.
But ahhhh! the tale of the
other church. These are a strong
minority group based in faith. They are very dedicated to the struggles of
raising children in a challenging culture that does not support family
life. They are young and old. They know that Jesus Christ calls them to a
larger world beyond the parish. They connect with one another. For them, the Church is the people, not a
building. Their faith is the alternative
culture. In the day school and the
school of religion, this minority tries to change the world, the neighborhood,
the parish, and even their very selves.
The SVFP tale of this church is about we and not me. They are looking for
Christ as that anchor of daily trial.
These are the adorers, the daily Mass goers, and the engaged thrilled
with the wedding/marriage resources.
These are the many ministers at Mass who truly build into one their God
given talents. This church is smaller
than the first but is becoming stronger.
These are the team players changing systems with all the pain that
entails. These are the people who
respect boundaries, authority, structures, and one another.
Profiling the
Parish
There are many layers of faith to the SVFP community. One of the greatest struggles we face is that
of moving toward a “theology of parish.”
SVFP has many lovely people. A
parish is a people bonding in faith with one another as they journey through
the valleys of tears and joys. Too many
people who associate with SVFP bond with the church building and its beauty
and/or with a given priest. Buildings
and clergy are all transitional. The
people of God are the stabilizers who get us through.
The largest group in the parish, nearly 1000 households,
holds membership on paper only. This
falsifies the statistics of membership and finances. I will elaborate more on this later.
There is a small group who needs to be mentioned here
because they are so very vocal. I am
talking about adults who display negative attitudes and behavior toward the
parish, its leadership and other parishioners.
Sometimes this is seen in intimidation of staff, gossip, slander and
detraction. They grumble and murmur
behind people’s backs. Examples of this
are anonymous phone messages/calls and letters, as well as vulgarity to staff
members. While the culture we live in
often models this behavior, it is clearly outside the bounds of what we would
expect in a Christian community. It does
not reflect well on the spirituality of these people, for it is in opposition
to the teaching of Our Lord. I would say
some of the behavior of this group is more vile than
what I mentioned in the 2004 report. But
there is good news: they are smaller in number than I first perceived. The other good news is that they are not in
positions of leadership.
We have a group of about 400 plus households who could be
called the “salt of the earth.” They are
dedicated in time, talent, and treasure to SVFP. Most are weekly Mass goers, and many are even
daily worshippers. There is a true
saintly quality in many of these folks, which I do not say casually. The depth of virtue and faith being applied
by this membership is truly outstanding.
In the time I have served here I find this group stepping forward to
lead, to serve, to learn, to grow, and to belong. Silent and strong, they are the heart of SVFP. Even children and youth are part of this
number.
Structuring
Leadership
In the 2004 report the focus was on balancing charismatic
leadership with structural leadership.
The Archdiocese echoes this in a different vocabulary, calling parishes
to develop a business model of responsible management (Bulletin, 12 December 2004). Pastors have been required to attend
management school. Structures of sound
business practices are being incorporated.
Spiritual life and structures are related. The church calls us to structure in our
life. The structure of weekly Mass in
personal and family life is normative.
Ignoring this structure is sinful unless sickness or travel prevents
it. Our holy habits flow from the
structures of our lives. All sacramental
preparations call us to the structure of Christ holding us together from
within. “The family that prays together
is the family that stays together” is a structural statement.
One of the lost structures of our Catholic heritage are the use of holy space.
Church requires quiet, which means pagers and cell phones should be
turned off. No hats on men. No gum, food or drink in church. Clothing should be modest—minimal flesh with
shoulders, midriff, and upper legs covered.
We have lost these structures and need to return to them.
Time is a structure.
Coming late and leaving early for Mass is a personal structural
flaw. Even though this is going to
happen once in a while for everyone, when it is chronic and normative it is a
spiritual deficit. There are ways to
enter late and leave early when that is necessary without disrupting the Mass
by drawing attention to one’s self.
At this point I will name structures introduced or more
deeply developed in the last year.
Cardinal George has asked for full disclosure of information about
parishes, which includes not just finances, but the full breadth of parish
life, to the people. (Note: Full
disclosure still respects professional and personnel boundaries.) The structural changes outlined below follows
no particular order. Our plan is to have
for each ministry “tri-fold” brochures and information on our parish website so
that it will all be readily available to parishioners.
+ Marriage/Wedding Programs
The parish website now has a full
section of norms, guidelines, and
requirements for both weddings and marriage preparation. This site also has an FAQ (frequently asked
questions) section. John and Cathy
Gaughan wrote a rough draft of the manual that is available on-line. Under their leadership, the lead couples are
now meeting with the engaged in homes.
This is where the results of the personality inventories are shared with
the engaged. We now have about four
annual workshops on learning how to plan a Roman Rite Catholic wedding. We also trained wedding coordinators to
assist in planning, conduct the rehearsal and to be present for the
weddings. So far, these processes have
proved to be a great blessing. Those
going through it express much gratitude and appreciation. Remember our younger generations prefer
structure.
+
Funeral Guidelines
In recent practice in our country,
many funerals were drifting from the Roman Rite practices, becoming too
informal and often including inappropriate music and language. We have completed the tri-fold brochure and
in addition, all the music, readings, and options for the grieving families are
available on the parish website.
+ Baptismal Preparation
The three couples that conduct this
preparation have initiated a new focus:
“Welcome home!” It is often the
case that young couples have not been practicing their faith, thus this process
can be a moment of evangelization.
People are invited to see their new responsibilities in the faith
through their child. The structure of a
letter for Godparents and sponsors is now standard.
SVF Day School
+ Day
School Worship
Communal Penance services are
offered in Advent and Lent for grades 3 to 8.
Grade 2-8 rotate going to the daily noon
Mass. Special prayer services are offered
seasonally as well, such as Stations of the Cross and weekly rosary. While all students continue to learn about
the Eucharist, a special effort is made for the 5th and 6th
grades to learn the Mass and how to serve.
While everyone learns the method, each student makes the decision on
whether or not they desire to serve.
“All school” Masses continue to increase in frequency and quality. The
students are schooled in Church etiquette.
This is an area that has suffered in our culture of informality.
+ Leadership
Training
Faculty of the day school and
parish school of religion now join with staff in leadership training and
celebrations. Leadership workshops both
off and on campus are more common, more faith-focused. The first of these was in August of 2004 at Trinity
High School.
+ Kindergarten
Blessing
At the end of Kindergarten, the
class receives a blessing during a prayer service rather than a graduation
ceremony. Parents are present as we
recognize their journey into 1st grade.
+ Curriculum
The math
curriculum has been upgraded with university professors working with teachers to improve
effectiveness.
+ Parent
Club
This group is vibrant and focused
on the well being of the community. They
have spearheaded a series of parenting talks on mind, body, and soul. The lunch program is becoming healthier. Providing projects and events for both fun
and fundraising has been their strength.
The silent auction with “April in Paris” was a well-done first year ministry in stewardship.
+ School
Board
This leadership group has provided clear, strong
direction for the children in both body
and soul. Technical, computer, and other
resources of the school grow constantly with their guidance.
+ Protecting God’s Children
This training
session from Virtus, required by the Archdiocese for
all volunteers and employees who deal with minors or work while they are
present, has been offered many times on the premises. In addition, nearby parish sites are
available to those who consult the Archdiocesan website. All current clergy, clerical, faculty,
administrative, and maintenance employees have completed this training. Our own Karen Dix of the School
of Religion is a qualified
instructor in this ministry.
+ Worship Office
This ministry has been newly
established since last summer. Training
sessions for the ministries of music, hospitality, lector, extraordinary
ministers of the Eucharist, sacristan, and server have all been updated and
will be offered on a regular basis. Art
and environment committee is under this office. Ministering full-time as
director is Steve Senski. Vince Zaprzal, a Dominican
University student, ministers
part-time.
We continue to struggle with the
entertainment model in liturgy. This is
not limited to SVFP. Our culture wants
entertainment; we are spectators. When
we come to worship we prefer being passive and not participative. Proof of this would be comments like “I don’t
get anything out of it,”
or “ it is not fun going to church”. These statements flow from an uncatechized theology or understanding of true
worship.
+ Pastoral
Care Department
This is the area ministering to the
homebound, the bereaved, the widowed/widowers, and those experiencing family
troubles or marriage difficulties. This area has needed some attention. Fr. Michael Kyte
leads this department. Since much of
pastoral care is referral to the greater resources of the area, meeting with
these various groups is a major component of his work. He is beginning to create a resource manual
to allow for easier referral from the parish office. Care
Notes from Abbey Press is a Catholic series on dealing with the challenges
of life. Our magazine rack has titles
for kids, teens, and adults. They are so
popular that we cannot keep the rack supplied.
Ministers of care, parish outreach, and parish food resources are all
part of this ministry.
+ Parish
Office
Office hours have been expanded and
offices have been made more user-friendly.
Desk workers are trained in a uniform method. Parish
Data Systems software upgrades have been ordered. PDS is a program making parishes more
efficient through computer technology.
Clerical workers now have a resource manual. The use of maintenance request forms is now
normative for the SVFP campus.
+ CPA
Expansion
The role of the Business Manager
has now expanded to include building, grounds, and office management. Jean
Finnegan is in her first full year in this expanded position. We are planning to launch a buildings &
grounds committee that will work within the Business Manager’s department.
+ Performance
Reviews
Performance reviews were conducted
with all faculty and staff. We all consider this an important step in the
process of team building. As we go
forward, job descriptions will be written with more precision and
accountability. The Archdiocesan
management model of leadership and business requires this step.
+ Master Calendar
It may be assumed that we operate
under a master calendar, but this has not yet been accomplished. To achieve this, we need both a technical
tool and a spirit of cooperation to share our common spaces. In the past we have had many calendars within
the parish. We are creating a single,
master calendar; which is truly a structure of leadership.
+ Technological/Computer
Ministry
Fr. Al Judy is constantly upgrading the in-office
and parish technology. He updates the
website. At present he is scouting for
software methods that will serve SVFP better; the weekly bulletin is also in
his charge. Our web site is on the
agenda to be upgraded because of its great use.
+ Day
school and School of Religion Working Together
Both schools work together on the
first sacraments of Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation, under the
leadership of the Director of Faith Formation.
The server program (5th grade) is also part of their combined
efforts. They share the same Advent and
Lent days for Reconciliation. The May
Crowning this year included a court of students from both
schools and was celebrated on a Sunday
Mass in early May. As to the important
task of faith formation, both schools should be of the same quality and
focus. Our parish does not operate in a “First Class” vs. “Coach” style of programming.
+ Newcomers
Committee
This is the offspring of the parish
council seeking to welcome our newest members. In its beginning stages, it
includes everything from a coffee/donut gathering to just an email or phone
call saying “welcome.” It has been noted
that many newcomers do not want too much “welcome” lest they feel solicited
into being overly committed. Our goal is
to provide our new people with the level of involvement with which they are
comfortable.
+ Literature
Rack
Besides the Care Notes mentioned in
pastoral care structuring, we also have tri-folds. These are simple, concise overviews of common
questions of parish life, such as Sacraments, membership, funeral norms,
annulments, etc. There are 20 + labeled
areas for these in the rack area. Some
are yet to be designed but are in process.
Putting such information into writing contributes to the ideal of
structural leadership.
+ School of Religion
The new Director of Faith
Formation, Karen Dix, has made some structural changes for the Elementary
program. Each catechist now receives a syllabus for the year. This includes liturgical events, dates of
classes, lessons, and suggestions for other resources, such as videos and
speakers. Communication between the day
school and school of religion on plans for First Eucharist, First
Reconciliation, and Confirmation has been timely and in writing. A Religion Resource room has been added for
both school teachers and catechists.
+ Physical
Plant
. Both building upkeep and cleanliness
have been a priority. Several volunteers
have come forward to clean up the grounds.
Major structural expenses this year include the $150,000 boiler in the
school building. The gym and school
library have been roofed this summer.
The air conditioner compressor for the offices was located on the east
sacristy roof. It went out on us last month so we
relocated it outside the offices. The
sewer from the church’s west side to Lathrop has collapsed tiles for
draining. Raw sewage was coming up
outside church. The reason for the hand
blowers in the bathroom is because folks were putting paper towels down the
toilets. The sewer will be repaired this summer. With the gym being roofed, the inside will
need to be repaired and painted. The
monthly second collection for “buildings” goes into all this. We depleted it with the boiler surprise.
+ Parish
Committees and Boards
Many committees and boards are
reviewing their own structures. Some
have rewritten their mode of operation.
This is always a good sign of growth—Reflect, Review, Rewrite, and
Renew. Various groups and committees are
learning to use the bulletin as the primary structure of communication. Clear and simple writing of the realities of
our operations is the most needed inner structure for SVFP.
+ Marketing
committee
This committee was founded to
connect with the four existing leadership groups of SVFP.:
parish council, finance board, school of religion board, and school board. This marketing committee will be a resource
by working with grants, businesses, members, patrons, alumni, etc. They will be addressing the image of SVFP as
seen from the outside.
Staff Structures
In the past three years there has been a turnover of all the
professional staff of the parish. Some
of the secretarial, faculty, and maintenance staff have been here more than
three years. Regarding structural
adjustments and changes, there is nothing more challenging than personnel
itself. Staff is working with new
staff. Some have only been on deck for a
matter of months. As is mentioned in the
bulletin from 6 February 2005,
patience is most required.
Staff is basically the structure for volunteer
organizations. SVFP has a low number of
volunteers. What happens is that the
staff works for parishioners instead of with parishioners. This can work for a brief time but has a fast
burn out. When staff
have to go elsewhere to feed their faith or when they are exhausted,
working way beyond their job descriptions, then there is a red alert. A great question of soul is to always ask yourself, “how has my faith nourished this paid
minister?”
Volunteers
Many folks find that their daily life is unrewarding—even on
their jobs. Statistics show us that
volunteerism culturally follows the quest for meaning and results from purpose
which is not
being met in the workplace and marketplace.
These studies also show that volunteers want clearly defined structures
with whatever they do.
At SVFP we have many wonderful volunteers. The numbers are not large. However, keep in mind that the parish
membership is padded and exaggerated.
Therefore, the volunteers are in proportion to our membership of several
hundred families.
The structures defining the need and value of volunteers can
be made more articulate. This is
becoming ever more true on boards and committees
redefining themselves. Specifically,
this is even truer with the ministries of the Mass. When someone or their substitute doesn’t
show, the prayer level of that Mass becomes very difficult. Everybody goes scurrying to cover. This is the reason for no communion ministers
at the cross aisle—shortage of ministers who show. (Mind you, it is wrong to offer communion in
the form of bread with no cups because of the shortage of ministers. That is what communion at the cross aisle had
become.) Seldom do we have a 100%
turnout of all ministries at any given Mass.
All ministries are valuable; all ministers are needed. Thinking that we don’t matter belittles the
depth of the Eucharist. God calls us
from within to minister and from that space we say “yes, my Lord”. That “yes” is an over and over response to
the divine.
Eucharist Our Source and Summit
+ The
Year of the Eucharist
The dominant structure of our
Catholic existence is the Holy Eucharist.
Oct. 2004 –Oct 2005 is “The Year
of the Eucharist” in our Roman Catholic Church as declared by John Paul
II. Our parish will focus on the
Eucharist this fall, through educational and evangelization efforts. Our
bulletin continues to run the “52 reasons to go to church”. This is based in 52 behavior studies of lives
that are changed because of Sunday worship.
Many have thanked me for this addition and say they send it on to
friends and families. One of our
tri-folds is called “Keeping Holy the Sabbath.”
Unfortunately many of our children
are not experiencing the Holy Eucharist as the high point
of their week since so many families do not attend. Only one in four of our families worship
weekly. It seems that some of our
children believe that Sunday worship is optional. Our modern culture often seems to go against
the holiness we seek as Catholics. These
problems are not limited to SVFP but are national and even global. God bless that minority of parents who are
forming their children with “the classroom” of Sunday church. Crying babies and restless little ones are
welcome, even if the parents are distracted.
Just being there is the prayer.
Sunday worship is a needed family structure.
The Chicago Archdiocese is in the
process of introducing a norm for all school athletic practices and games. Nothing may take place on Sunday morning
before noon. This would be a structure creating the
priority of the Eucharist in our lives.
+ Mass
Attendance
Again, there are many in SVFP who DO
live the Eucharist as the source and summit of their lives. Attendance at the two daily Masses attest to
this. The noon
Mass in Lent needed six Extraordinary Ministers because of the volume of the
assembly. This attendance is larger than
some of the weekend Masses. Those who
regularly participate in Eucharistic Adoration are another group who see the
Eucharist as the “source and summit’ of their lives. The day that we have perpetual adoration with
people of all ages taking their turn will be a holy moment in the parish’s
journey of faith. Wouldn’t 24/7
perpetual adoration be a welcome grace in our parish?!
+ Sacred
Space
Our goal is to create an atmosphere
of quiet when entering our church. For
Eucharist to be the source and summit, it means respect of sacred space. Church is to be a place of quiet. The talking
that goes on should be to God. The
listening should be listening to God’s word spoken in the quiet of our hearts
and out loud in worship. Unfortunately,
we see many examples of people acting as though they are at a social event
instead of sacred liturgy. Another aspect that dishonors the space is
clothing. Some men have forgotten that
hats are not acceptable. Clothing in
church should be worthy of church.
Shorts, gym clothes, provocative tee shirts, and other distracting
clothes are not appropriate in a sacred space.
Remember the words “Sunday Best”?
It can still have meaning for us.
As in most places, we have the problem of cell phones, and even food,
drink and gum. (This is at its worst
when we have sacraments that have unchurched Catholics—weddings, first communions, confirmations and sometimes even
funerals.) If church is not a part of
our regular habits, we will be somewhat estranged to the protocol of the environment.
+ Source
& Summit
Once we lose Eucharist as the
source and summit of our life schedule, we have lost what it is to be
Catholic. The renewal of our parish
devotion to the Eucharist
is truly an ongoing challenge to us all. This loss of regular church attendance is the
heartbreak of many grandparents. It is
the frustration of many staff. It is the
challenge most clearly laid before us by John Paul II. When we wonder what has happened to the
Catholic Church, we are really tracking the problem directly to the abdication
of the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith. Our new “German shepherd” Benedict XVI echoes this message because it is our Catholic call
and duty.
Sacraments of the
Church
All of our catechesis for sacraments is focused on the
inward character, the inner life of Jesus within us. Sacraments are not learning about Jesus;
sacraments are about becoming Jesus. Our
faith in Jesus should be the most important thing in our lives. Unfortunately,
we see some evidence that sacraments are often more about the social occasion
than the spiritual aspects of the day.
We see extremes of dress and “over the top” behavior. Some families
enroll their children for the “first sacrament grades” and do not return until
it is time for the next one. Some parishioners view sacraments as commodities,
or only family events, when in fact they are celebrations of the whole
church. Sacraments can become simply
social commodities. There is a major
drainage of spirit and morale for staff and volunteers who journey heart and
soul with families into a sacrament not to experience them again. This is truly a feeling of being used.
Permit me a story.
There are daily stories but this one captures much of what I am saying
that may seem like theory. I was at a
wedding reception when
a man in his 30’s approached in conversation. Affirming, pleasant, and inquisitive, we
chatted. Even in his youth, this man was
already a high profile businessman. He
said he was from the New England area originally, had
lived many places in the world including the orient. His faith background was Methodist but
limited in his catechesis of his faith.
As the conversation unfolded he was at SVFP for several sacraments—the
wedding we were just coming from, a baptism sometime earlier, and Mass
itself. As a single man he was not
church going in any faith but talked about how much religion meant to him. He wanted those structures for his perhaps
someday marriage and children rearing.
Here is where he expressed confusion.
He apologized for being honest and then observed that these people made
a big deal out of the Sacraments but did not seem to take them seriously. He said that they did not seem to act
reverently in church; he said it seemed like a big show. This gentleman observed that the Catholics
present did not know the prayers or sing; they seemed even confused when to
sit, stand, or follow the services. He further observed that the Catholics he knew
from this family do not go to church at all.
Here is where he asked me to explain the Catholic faith to him. He was confused. My response was simply “thank you for the
honesty”. I went on to say that what you
see is all too normal but not part of our Catholic teachings. I told him he hit the target of sacramental
neglect and abuse. He then said that “it
must be hard for you people who lead the singing, the prayers and all not getting depressed with this kind of stuff”. Well, that was another thank you. This simple common story captures how we are
always an example. Would not it have
been wonderful if his experiences of the Catholic community would have made him
question the possibility of his joining us?
He could not see the faith in the picture. Unfortunately this is not a rare story; it
mirrors that reality that we are shaped by culture more than faith—my starting
point of this report.
There is a new term used called “bridezilla” which even has
a series for TV. It simply shows the
over-the-top profile of our culture.
Here at SVFP we have had no guidelines for weddings. They are all now on web with great
clarity. What had happened is the Roman
Rite of Matrimony had to give in to the Hollywood show
time. Weddings can and will be lavish in
the comfortable of the culture. Church
is not the place to grandstand. The
guidelines for wedding and marriage respect cultural customs and traditions but
most of all are authentic to the Roman Rite.
The church building had too often become a hall rented for pictures,
drinking, eating, and literally sacrileges. We are back to structures to protect the
holy. One bride complimented the parish
on the website’s clarity and excellence of the printed guidelines. She said, “You need those for those people
who do all the abuses in the church.”
There were several things she proceeded to want to do, feeling she was
exempt from the guidelines and norms for the marriage rite. This is called the narcissism that Rolheiser talks about at the beginning of this report.
Confirmation is often seen as a Sacrament of graduation
rather than discipleship. At a recent high profile Mass, there were people in
the back of the Church eating French fries during the celebration. I do not make these things up. All of these attitudes are being addressed in
our sacramental preparation, but it will take generations to make a
difference. Our Cardinal Francis George
claims at present we have lost the last three generations of Catholics to the
habits, practices and experiences of our traditions.
Catechesis of the Parish
Catechesis is the ongoing learning of the truths of our
faith. We never arrive at the fullness
of our faith until our Mass of Christian Burial. At SVFP we do have difficulty with catechesis
on all age levels. Our adult education
series is very poorly attended. As a matter
of fact, there was no adult education for years because so few came. My understanding of
ministry as pastor is that I am obligated to offer various and seasonal
sessions for the improvement of the soul. We continue to try sessions for parents, for general
adult population, for specific needs—few come.
While most of our young students are eager to learn more about Jesus and
the Gospel, some of the young people have an attitude that they do not want to
learn about the faith. This might be
because they do not see the adults in their lives wanting to learn more.
Some of the older folks say
that this spiritual pathology of SVFP has been around for decades. One very articulate old timer told me, “St
Vincent’s has never been into that learning stuff.” This is a Dominican embarrassment because our
house (Priory) and Order have many academically accomplished brothers who could
share much with the parish. We also have
many other resources within easy reach for our parishioners’ growth, including
a Catholic University
in our geographic boundaries.
Healthy catechesis will take us to the global village of our
universal catholic church. It will take us beyond ourselves. In our consumer world we are in danger of
being suffocated by our own needs and wants.
That would be the definition of what Rolheiser
calls narcissism. The Second Vatican
Council of the 1960’s introduced sacramental catechesis because people were
becoming lax and presumptuous in the faith.
Again, when we return to the Eucharist, much of our catechesis will be
accomplished within the Sunday liturgy.
Do you hear healthy structuring in all this?
Administration
Moving toward the
business model mentioned earlier, the parish is well on that road. Personnel practices, “Best Practices” of the
Archdiocese, etc. are all being implemented at SVFP, even more so now than in
the past. The Chicago Archdiocese is one
of the largest in the world, and so their resources are outstanding. Even though we have used their structures in
the past, they are part of the everyday life of our office.
A structure in the making is a manual for the parish. This manual will define boundaries,
processes, contacts, etc. Staff often
becomes blindsided by the way things are done in good intentions, yet not know their
sources or perhaps get only skeletal information. Sometimes this will even be with structures
outside the parish in the name of the parish.
This is a normal occurrence in an over-weighted charismatic leadership
system. Creating structural leadership
in balance with charismatic leadership makes for a vibrant and healthy
community. It opens wider the doors to
new blood, saying not only welcome, but
also defining boundaries which healthy leaders/volunteers appreciate.
Stewardship/Finances
I have never preached about money since I arrived—either as
administrator or pastor. My goal is to
have full disclosure of moneys at all times.
I sent a mass-mailing fact letter with the IRS statements to all
claiming membership. In former years
this was not done. Anyone donating above
$50.00 was thanked for contributing to the parish. This group is less than 500 households. To those who gave less than $50.00 per year,
there was a letter explaining membership.
The reason for the $50 number is
because it costs about that per year to send envelopes, mailers, and to keep up
on the membership record. To these I
asked them to pray and reflect on their financial relationship with the parish. One of my goals in the years ahead is to
clean up the membership census. We have
nearly 1,000 households who are showing SVFP membership but with no activity.
An empty envelope still denotes an active member. It is not just about money. When a family has a proven hardship, and is
unable to pay tuition, we ask the person to drop even empty envelopes into the
basket to show their attendance.
There has been some confusion on moneys, both individually
and with groups. Federal banking
regulations demand that all not-for-profit establishments have one signer to
all documents. Therefore, when the name
of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish is used,
the pastor, who is the CEO of the not-for-profit organization, must sign all
financial documents. These rules do not
reflect a lack of trust. We believe that
all the volunteers and paid staff working with money are trustworthy. These are federal banking norms and not
exclusively ours.
In the same vein there are clear guidelines for a
donation. Only donations are tax
deductible. Tuition, wedding fees,
funeral fees, and the like are not tax deductible. We cannot issue tax statements for
these expenses. Many folks do not like
to give to the everyday operations of the parish, but instead like to donate to
projects and causes within SVFP. We are
printing a list of donation possibilities.
Designated donations must be used for what the donor designated. If not, the money needs to be returned. These do qualify for tax-deductible
status.
The 2004-2005 budget had some
unexpected spending surprises. Exiting
the budget we looked very good because of fat trimming. The big money spending is in two areas: 1) the $150,000 boiler replacement—which had
threatened to cancel its parish membership for the last 9 years. 2) the $85,000.00
payment on our millennium campaign loan is coming due in the coming year. The full loan is about $600,000.00. This loan will then be within the budget to
be repaid in a ten year window. The
money that was saved for the building emergency went into the boiler cost. Your parish is like many homes—living from
intake to output. We may appear rich,
but we certainly are not.
The good news going into the 2005-2006 budget
is that it is balanced. The Bishop
recommended that we prepare to repay the loan as soon as possible by bringing
the school subsidy down from $50,000 to $25,000 per year. He also suggested that we freeze
tuition. This balanced budget
decreases the school subsidy and also freezes tuition.
That small group of holy households
holding SVFP together in ministry are the same who are very generous
with treasure. They budget and tithe for
the Lord. Their money is where their
faith is. If those who donate nothing
now would donate as little as $1 per week, we would be in a very financially
blessed space. About ¼ of the parish supports the entire parish. The formula for success in parish giving is
not the amount that is given but the number of households who give. The secret is the volume. Here again is a structure that could
transform the parish.
Living in the Global Village
SVFP has some great beginnings
with respect to reaching out to the greater world of need. Our twinning parish, Pius V, has been a
constant witness to those who are in need of bonding in the Spirit. Our biannual Mass exchange is well
organized. The rummage sale, Christmas
store, etc… are all good examples of this quest for justice.
There are some 20 plus second collections per year for
specifically designated charities. SVFP
does help with their monies. Praise God!
The school programs should have more and constant “third world” experience. Project Heifer is a great
example. For example, the school has
already begun participating in the Heifer Project. Through this program, students raise money in
order to supply a family in a poor nation with a cow, which is used as a beast
of burden by the family. Since this
project helps families in more than 125 countries, the students are not only
able to help families in need, they also learn about the geography, culture,
and faith traditions of these global neighbors, and thereby increase their
sense of global awareness and solidarity.
Families going to ‘paradise’ vacations could be using part of their time
with the locals in projects--builders give their building skills, medical folks
their gifts, etc. Families can literally
labor together for the gospel to come to life.
Living in the global village world should energize people
with the blessings that come from this ministry. Beyond the money are the labors of love. While enjoying the blessings of comfort in
our SVFP world, we never want to isolate ourselves from those most broken and
vulnerable. Youth could use this model
for service projects that go beyond short-term requirements. They could sponsor a project, village,
etc. We at SVFP could plug into mega
systems doing these corporal works of mercy, adding our grace to theirs.
Youth Ministry
There is no youth ministry at SVFP. This is one of my biggest heartaches. Please bear in mind that when I spoke of holy
people in our parish, some of these are our youth. Any youth involvement is in the larger
parish. By this I mean that they need to
incorporate themselves somehow in the “adult” level of parish life, and some
do. We have sacristans in their teen
years. While that is good for some of
the youths, it does not work for the faith of the ordinary teen.
The 2004 report mentioned three positions that did not exist
at SVFP: Liturgist, Pastoral Care Director, and Youth Minister. The two former positions are filled. Thank God!
The latter was on the budget and got cut to make budget. This position will remain on the list of
designated donations in the bulletin with hope, prayer, and a profound
need. In a recent village meeting
between Oak Park and River
Forest concerning youth, the
statistics reveal that violence increased in the last year among youth. Gang activities are also increasing. Faith is the factor of growth at all ages but
in our younger years we are shaped for life.
Jesus has much to offer these kids.
Have you ever thought of Jesus as a structure? His rock reference is just that.
Naming grace
On February 2nd of this year we celebrated the 1st
annual Appreciation Night for all our various ministries. Those who volunteer are the grace of the
parish. It was a very fun night—no
business, just enjoyment of one another.
The faculty and staff set up, served the meal, cleaned up and made both
appetizers plus desserts. Steve Senski
conducted the entertainment. Karen Dix
organized the structuring of the entire evening.
Sometimes there is a gravity at SVFP; an intensity that is
too intense. This night was a “let-us-play” evening where folks were truly in a mood of levity. This was universal to the gathering. No commands or demands on folks but simply
enjoyment of God’s blessings in our midst.
This event is definitely a keeper.
1931 to 2006 = 75th
anniversary of SVFP
The planning of the celebrations for the parish’s 75th
Anniversary is underway. Cardinal George
will be with us on January 8, 2006,
celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord at the 11am
Sunday Mass. The 75th will
conclude on Christ the King Sunday,
Nov 26th 2006.
Each month we plan for something to happen spiritually, socially, in the
schools, and more. In the regularly
scheduled events we hope to focus on our history and heritage. A dinner/dance is planned among other
events. This is to be the year of a
photo directory of the parish. Many
groups of people are currently meeting to structure the celebration. The bulletin addressed this also for the
Sunday of 21 November 2004.
Applied Christianity
At SVFP we struggle with applied Christianity. This has its roots in a lack of quiet and awe
for the sacred. In our secular, overly
busy society, many people do not seem to know what to do in a quiet prayerful
setting. We need to address the spirituality
of the parish on a deep level. Psalm 46 reminds us to “be still and know that I
am God.” This deep sense of God in our
lives brings us to worship, to honor and respect our sacred space and
sacraments.
Belonging to the Catholic Church, or any religion for that
matter, is a quest of identity. What has
flowed into SVFP from our consumer, materialistic culture is the tendency to
treat religion as an idea. Spirituality
is applied Christianity. Through my
preaching I have tried to promote the application of our beliefs. All the Masses, sacraments, devotions, and
prayers serve for nothing when we misuse them to justify our mediocrity, our
hatred, or our sinful ways. Applied
Christianity is the struggle to become Christ in a world that wants Him no more
today than when Jesus walked. The
mystery of the Incarnation is God in our skin—our flesh. That is not an idea. That is an identity. The blessed burden of the gospel is awesome
empowerment. When we trivialize faith to
arguing over ideas, we remove the focus on our own souls. When we justify our absence from sacraments,
weekly Sunday Mass and parish connectedness, we have not applied Christianity
in our earthly journey. At each Mass we
are called to receive the “Body of Christ”.
We are what we eat. We all hunger
for the identity that can make our lives more meaningful. Applied Christianity is being convicted of
who we say we are. If you were on trial
for being Christian, would they have enough evidence to convict you? Without this depth of reality, religion can be the
easiest and best place to avoid God.
Religion can then become a mere social statement.
On a personal note
In my family we joke about me in this job. The reason is that my older brother retired
at 50 and my younger sister at 55. I am
60 this past year working the toughest job of my life. That is not a complaint but the irony of
Church. Remember that Fr. Kilbridge is
just about the pope’s age.
The toughness of this ministry is the volume. Being an itinerant preacher for 12 years had
lots of hours but most were on the road, waiting in
airports, and studying. This first year
is a shock to my body and soul with the demands and volume of the job. Much of the volume of the job is lack of
structures that have inefficient dialogues.
Structure is also civility.
Being barked at or defending staff who are bullied are structural voids
that shock me. Threats, ultimatums, and
control games may be structures of function for some but are not civil. Yes, this is very, very few people but
nonetheless real. I am no
shrinking-violet style personality, but such anti-Christian behavior has never
fit the norm of even my secular existence.
I cannot be courted into administering sacraments, favors, etc for
anyone. Structures create an even
playing field. Living without them is
personal inner terrorism for me.
One of my overused lines this past year is that I am going
to get a SVFP patch. I say that every time I stand in the
headlights of something I never had a clue about. “Now how would I have known that?” The answer comes back that this is the way it
always has been done. “That’s fine, but
how would I have known that?” This is an
example of charismatic leadership. The
person becomes the tradition or the norm.
The minister becomes the ministry.
One thing I do know is that I am a man of structure. Blame it on my Luxembourg/German roots if you
wish, but it is both my gift and my curse.
If I can bring any gift to SVFP, it will be structures that
nurture. I need structure; I do not fly
by the seat of my pants. Working without
structures exhausts all involved very quickly.
Some feel I should get out of SVFP as soon as possible. They feel I am not right for the job. They think I am stern, rigid, and
demanding. When crude and rude behavior
attacks frequent the sacraments, the church space, the staff, other
parishioners, etc, I do not role over.
Believe me, I have daily opportunities to be
classified as mean. I never holler. I do
not scold. I attempt to inform and catechize. I’d call it structure. When folks are hearing what they don’t want to
hear, much drama can enter the reporting of the information. Being pastoral is not giving people what they
want and when they want it. Pastoral is
bringing heart to the structures.
Structures protect the sacramental life of the church. Even if I were not here, the need for structures will remain for
the faith community to flourish in faith.
Anything less is back to sacraments on demand.
Please know also that I am willing not to be the
one for this ministry of pastor. I do
not covet this job. I do it as a
ministry. I would not see it as failure
on my part or the parish to not be a fit—so to speak. What you see is what you get. I will continue to structure and restructure. We need to create and recreate structures,
allowing them to breath new life and affirm our parish
in the process. Even though I need
structures they need not be my structures.
Believe me when I say I am not interested in reinventing the wheel. Structural leadership for me is a non
negotiable. The lack of structural
leadership in any institution will deteriorate the system in short or extended
periods of time.
An insight that I have experienced is that youth love
structures. You want to see youth? Create loving structures. For National Pastor Appreciation Day the
school students wrote me individual letters.
The reoccurring theme of the content both last year and this year
thanked me for structures that have been put into place in the school or the
parish. Out of the mouths of babes! I get to the school very little compared to
what I would wish; to the school of religion even less. I am convinced that in the structures of
these rooms is the structure of our faith.
I am looking forward to the day when the structures are so
in place that I can enjoy being free to connect more with all the flock. Building fences and tearing down barriers is
labor intensive. Staff and volunteers
feel this in a real way. Bless your
vision, patience, and love of the structures building lives and families of
grace.
The State of SVFP’s Soul
You have read much for reflection. Even though this report is for this past
fiscal year, the obvious reality is what is mentioned herein is larger than one
year. Reflection will form us better as
we see who we are; who we were; and who we are becoming. SVFP has been a great source of grace for
three-fourths of
a century, and it will continue to be so.
At this point in her history she has an outstanding faculty, valued
catechists, dedicated staff, seven ordained ministers— four priests & three
deacons, with a very faithful and faith-filled core assembly. From this wellspring of hope, tomorrow will
be holier. The greater Church
of Chicago and the world are ever
rebuilding into the source and summit of strength that is needed. Whatever the future of SVFP will be lies
within its people. All else comes and
goes—such as the priests, faculty, and staff.
The passionate volunteer is that servant who renews the face of the
earth and this parish. The SVFP soul? ….in
process, to quote Dickens, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of
times. These are the times that try
men’s souls.” The harvest is great! Laborers wanted. Inquire within—deep within.
Thomas
D. Noesen, O.P.
Pastor
1 July 2005