PARISH FAMILY 45
LISTENING SESSIONS
The next opportunity to participate in the Partners in the Gospel process is coming up in February! Parish Family 45 will be hosting another round of listening sessions so that we can hear from you on the topic of “Who Do We Want to Become?” All parishioners are highly encouraged to attend any one of these sessions. Parishioners may attend a session at any of the locations, so please go to the one that works for your schedule! See the schedule below:
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Sunday, 2/1, 2:00 pm at St. Joseph
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Sunday, 2/1, 2:00 pm at St. Joseph (Spanish)
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Sunday, 2/1, 2:00 pm at the Proto-Cathedral (Vietnamese)
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Following the Vietnamese 1:00 pm Mass​
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Tuesday, 2/3, 6:00 pm at Our Lady of Lourdes
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We are asking parishioners to register for a listening session, so we know how many people we should expect. To register please below!
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Partners in the Gospel Phase II - Who Do We Want to Become?
Our Parish Family Advisory Council (PFAC) has put together a summary document to prepare parishioners for the upcoming listening sessions. This document details "Who We Are Right Now", so that we can answer the question of "Who Do We Want to Become?". It highlights our gifts and strengths, challenges, growing edges, and our parish ministries. Click here to read this document now!
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Why Are We Doing Partners in the Gospel?
Partners in the Gospel is a response to real and changing conditions in parish life across our Archdiocese. Over the past several decades, we have experienced fewer engaged parishioners, a significant decline in the number of priests, financial pressures, aging facilities, and changing patterns of volunteer involvement.
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One of the most pressing realities is the shortage of priests. Our presbyterate is aging, and we have lost 22 priests in the past two years. While it is encouraging that there are currently 17 seminarians in formation, that number is not sufficient to sustain the number of parishes we have long-term. At the same time, parish life has shifted. Many households now have two working adults, which has reduced the availability of volunteers and placed greater strain on fewer people to carry much of the work.
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Partners in the Gospel invites us to respond to these realities thoughtfully and faithfully — strengthening collaboration between parishes, sharing resources, and focusing more intentionally on our mission. As we move forward into the next phase of listening sessions to discern who we want to become as a new parish and what is our vision, the conversations may become more challenging, and your input will be increasingly important. This is still an ongoing process, and your voice matters now more than ever.