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Merger Feedback/Questions and Answers Thank you to the many parishioners who have offered questions and feedback related to the parish merger announcement. We will publish questions and answers as we receive them. Look for an update each week in the bulletin, on the website, and on the merger bulletin boards at each parish and at the school. Please continue to give us your thoughts and concerns by submitting an e-mail to: mergerfeedback@gmail.com or by placing a question in the suggestion boxes located near each bulletin board. December 29/30, 2007 Comments: 1st Comment I am very hesitant to share my opinion on the new name, because I know it is likely a mute point. We (as parish members and school parents) were not asked for input on the name, thus it likely doesn't matter what we think now that it has been decided. But with all due respect, I am going to share my feelings anyway because I think the vast majority of people will not. This seems to be a very fragile time for both the IHM-St. Luke’s school and parish. Many members of both have left and many others are waiting to see what will happen before deciding what to do. This new name, in my opinion, is not a positive direction that will convince many to stay. In fact, just the opposite might be true. Having a name change for the parish and school was not an issue for me, as I think it is and was a good idea. But the chosen name, St. Thomas More, is a very poor idea for a struggling school/parish in St. Paul. It was confusing enough for people to have a St. Thomas Academy AND a St. Thomas University. Now add another St. Thomas to the mix and we have lost our identity with the community at large. At a time when having a distinct identity is so important, this is a terrible marketing decision that I fear will have a negative impact. It was a challenge to market the school before, now the challenge has been doubled. I'm sorely disappointed and have yet to find anyone who thinks the new name is a step in the right direction. I don’t expect or need a response. I know that there might be great symbolic ideas behind the name that are truly wonderful. I do not need to be convinced of that. Unfortunately, we are dealing with the public who needs things to be simple, clear, and very easy to understand. The name of St. Thomas More will continually be confused with the other two St. Thomas schools and no amount of marketing dollars can ever correct that. ~ Roxanne Nelson 2nd Comment I’m writing to express my sadness and loss of a church and school our family has been a part of for 20 years. I speak for all of us as we mourn the loss of the name St. Luke. It may only be a name to some, but it is an identity that we have long been connected to and feel that it has been taken from us. Our children went to school at IHM-St. Luke’s and graduated from there. We have also been members of the church of St. Luke. They are confused and angry about the name change. How do you talk about your old school without referring to its name? So there is pain and sorrow surrounding these changes. I'm surprised at how strong our feelings are about this issue. We will continue to reflect on these changes and hope that one day our hearts can find this new parish to be a place we can call home, like St. Luke’s used to be for us. ~ Susan Elsass December 22/23, 2007 Comments: 1st Comment
I think St. Thomas More is a perfectly good name
but NOT for IHM/St. Luke’s. My husband and I were married there and quite a
few of our kids when to school there. Before that, two of my 2nd Comment
I recently learned about the merger activity
between St. Luke’s and IHM AND the decision to create a new name for the
parishes. Why the latter? I was born and raised (32yrs) in St. Luke’s, first
on Linwood, then on Fairmount, and finally on Portland right behind the
present school. I attended the old St. Luke’s grade school. The reasons for
the merger seem valid but there is no way it can be construed as a merger of
equals. In the corporate world, mergers take place 2nd Comment I believe that to lose the name “St. Luke” is to lose a bit of this history. To keep it as the name of the newly combined St. Luke/IHM church would be an honor to those who came before us.~ A parishioner 3rd Comment There goes over 100 years of St. Luke history down the drain. ~ Anonymous 4th Comment We are very pleased with the new name for our merged parish and school. St. Thomas More’s life story is an inspiration. He was a devoted spouse, parent and member of his chosen professional. He strongly valued lifelong education. Like us, his life was not without difficult decisions, fear or doubt. St. Thomas More’s inspiration to us is that, above all else, he knew the importance of honoring and remaining faithful to his God. As we enter into this new era in our parish history, this new name is one way in which we can come together to create a new, more vibrant combined community, honoring and remaining faithful to our God. While we personally are happy about the new name, we know that this is not the case for many people. Both the Churches of St. Luke and Immaculate Heart of Mary have a long and rich history which needs to be honored and respected during this transformation into the Church of St. Thomas More. As we come together as a new, combined parish, we are praying for the members of both parishes that the Holy Spirit provides us all with inner peace and provides the spark which will set hearts on fire for our Lord. Each of the two churches are made up of many wonderful people who have attended and contributed to their individual worship community. Now, as we merge, we look forward to discovering the combined strength and energy that will be created by bringing these wonderful people together to meet and commune together at one table.
God's peace and blessings to each and every one
during this special Christmas season! November 24/25, 2007 Questions: 1) What is the process for deciding a new name for our parish? Who chooses it, who approves it, where are we in this process? The Archbishop names the new parish. In October, the concept of naming our newly combined parish with the name of a lay saint, rather than a created name like Lumen Christi, was presented to the Archbishop on behalf of our community. The Archbishop was intrigued by the idea and gave indication he would strongly consider a saint’s name representing the lay people. It is anticipated the new name will be announced in the early weeks of advent. 2) What physical changes need to happen to the churches to change their names? This is a serious issue with longstanding implications not to be taken lightly. The newly combined Pastoral Council together with the strategic planning and ritual committees will research the needs, wants, and restrictions associated with the physical changes of the churches and school and move forward in a purposeful and respectful manner. 3) Will the church be renamed through mass and ritual? Absolutely. We will publish more information on this after the new name is announced. November 17/18, 2007 Comments: Just a note of gratitude to the newly forming parish: I commend the community for your warm hospitality. In addition to the fine blend of contemporary and traditional, sacramental and socially aware, liturgical and practical, I have experienced a strong sense of community among you. I know the merger causes grief due to the lost past and the unknown future, and processing that grief is healthy. I write simply to remind you in all this that the present is beautiful. Thank you for who you are allowing God to be in you now. I’m so happy to be among you. ~ A new parishioner Questions: 1) We refer to ourselves as communities. How do the pastoral councils feel about deciding to merge without first sharing their thoughts with and getting feedback from the parishes? This part of the merger has been incredibly difficult and painful for all of us who serve on the Pastoral Councils. Honestly - in retrospect - we may have done this somewhat differently. It became very apparent to us over the summer that the option of partnering parishes was ultimately not a viable one, in light of finances in both parishes, the growing challenge of finding priests for liturgies and the disposition of the Archdiocese toward merging parishes. Pastoral Councils from both parishes met in July and truly came to consensus on the choice to merge. At that time, we believed we should shape the merger as much as we could. This meant moving quickly at a time of the year when many parishioners were not around. We acknowledge that this might not have been the best choice in terms of timing, but we were elected to represent our parishes and we made this decision in good faith. 2) Who is in the larger community we seek to serve? How does this impact us financially? How our faith community serves the larger community will be revealed as the mission and vision for the new church is determined. In the past, both Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Church of St. Luke have identified those in need and have responded openly and generously through our many outreach programs. Through the strategic planning process in the months ahead, the needs of the greater community and our available resources - both financial and volunteer hours - will be assessed. At that point, it will be determined how to best serve those in need of our support. 3) Is there an opportunity for 18-29 year olds to get together as Christians? Yes! The Galtier Society is an association of adult Catholics (late 20’s to mid-adult-life) united in their desire for an ever deepening and enriching knowledge of their faith. They are united with the Archbishop in service to the people of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. You will see many fellow parishioners at these events. Visit their website: www.galtiersociety.org You could also volunteer on the communications committee or participate in the faith formation or social justice ministries. Explore this website for contact information. 4) The combined bulletin is great but it would be even better if it was available on the IHM website until a combined website is built. Can't whomever posts it on the St. Luke’s website also post it on the IHM website until the new one is launched? It would be possible to post the bulletin on the IHM website; however, since the merging of staff in September we do not have the human resources to properly maintain the IHM website. For now, the bulletin and other community information can be found here at our combined website. November 3/4, 2007 Questions: 1) How and when will the new pastoral council and finance council be chosen? Members of both parishes had input in choosing their current council members, either by nominating or electing individuals. These pastoral council members of both parishes will meet on November 7 for an evening of prayer and discussion to determine who possesses the needed talents and gifts to move our parish into the future. The process of discernment—through collaboration among the current council members, the pastor, and trustees—will be used to identify the members of the new council. Seven members of the current councils, as well as two additional members appointed by the pastor, will comprise the new pastoral council. The archdiocese recommends that the pastoral council be no larger than nine members. Our finance councils will follow a similar discernment process during the month of November. 2) I would like to know what the monthly rental income is from the following: Macalester College and the other school that uses our facilities; and the St. Joseph School of Music before they left our facilities. I would like to know where the approximately $920,000 is from the sale of the Immaculate Heart of Mary rectory and why we haven’t received a financial statement and profit and loss statement for the past fiscal year. During the summer months, the parish Finance function underwent a great deal of transition, from staff changes to moving the office to the Pastoral Center at Saint Luke’s address to new Archdiocesan computer software. Our new finance manager, Renee Sherman requests your patience and understanding as we close out the previous fiscal year and finalize reports. As you process the answers below and review the annual financial mailing information coming to IHM parishioners soon, Renee welcomes your questions and thoughts. Here are specific answers pertaining to your questions.
1) IHM receives $9750 per month from
Macalester College. 3) How is it cost-effective (or make any sense) to keep both worship spaces open? I would think that would be a good place to save money by only using St. Luke’s and using the IHM building for something else. If we are to be one parish how does having 2 churches make sense? Your point regarding efficiencies is well taken. We have already taken steps to streamline processes, systems and activities to make our faith community run more smoothly for less. Some of these changes include the merging of staff, the hiring of a Certified Public Accountant to help manage budgets for both parishes, the participation in the beta program for parish census and accounting software. Knowing efficiencies are important, a smooth transition is equally significant. This is the reason our leadership elected a voluntary and systematic merge rather than experience a mandatory imposition of a merger. There will be changes. We are working with very experienced consultants to develop a timeline and help guide us through this delicate time between the past and an abundant future. Comments: Suggestion for a school name: SUMMIT CATHOLIC. This name encompasses our history as a Catholic school for over 100 years on historic Summit Avenue. October 27/28, 2007 Questions: 1) What has happened to the balance of the funds generated by the sale of the IHM parish house? The biggest expenses that we have covered through the sale of the house have been purchasing the new boiler and retrofitting the pipes throughout the building to accommodate the new heating system. We have made other smaller investments to accommodate the new tenant, Macalester College, and continue to maintain the building in good condition. The remainder of the funds has been invested in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Trust at USBank. The Parish recently moved to a new accounting software program, and we have hired a great new finance manager. Renee Sherman is a CPA with wonderful experience working with nonprofits and businesses. Renee is pulling together the current financial reports for both Parishes, which will be shared with everyone in the very near future. 2) IHM is solvent. Why do we need to merge? There are two fundamental reasons why Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke need to merge: the number of priests available for parish ministry and the responsible stewardship of our common resources. First, the number of priests (Jesuit or Archdiocesan) available for parish ministry is limited. In the Archdiocese, a single pastor overseeing multiple parishes will continue to be the norm as it has been for Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Church of St. Luke during the past 3 years. This, however, is a very difficult task and an ineffective way to carry out pastoral ministry. As a result, in order to develop and nurture vital Catholic parish life today, multiple parishes are being merged into single new parishes with one pastor and one pastoral staff throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis as well as the dioceses of the United States. Second, the merger of the parishes is about seeing the future and choosing the best path of responsible stewardship of all our resources so that our community can continue to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ. While Immaculate Heart of Mary is solvent today, it also is true that each parish is effectively “getting by.” Regular parishioner contributions are not adequate to cover the cost of daily operations along with maintenance of both buildings. Looking to the future, five years from now, parishioner contributions—impacted by demographics (especially for Immaculate Heart of Mary), required building maintenance, and rising cost of operations (pastoral staff, school staff, etc.)—will make even “getting by” a greater challenge. Consequently, today and into the future, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke are (and will be) unable to separately sustain their missions and their ministries to both their parishioners and the larger community they seek to serve. By merging our collective resources (spiritual, human, financial) into one parish, we can create a new dynamic Catholic Community and School where we can better serve Christ in our neighbor and in one another. 3) IHM is a tight-knit community. We don't want to become St. Luke. How do we stop this merger? As Catholics we are all called to advance beyond where we feel comfortable and to share our faith with many. We cannot be limited by our existing physical communities and truly live the life Christ wants us to live. A merger will help both our Catholic Communities expand by embracing one another and by welcoming new parishioners. A new parish community, drawing on the positive attributes and resources of both, will be established—with a new name and a new identity. One parish will not consume the other. The Archbishop fully supports this merger and anticipates our combined community will set an example of a strong, viable parish. 4) Who is going to lead us through this process? The Archbishop recommends parish leaders work through the process of parish transition under the guidance of Maureen Geddes and Joan Gecik. Maureen and Joan carry with them over 30 years of experience in transitioning parishes. Our parishes stand to benefit by avoiding serious pitfalls that other parishes have encountered during this exciting yet fragile time. October 20/21, 2007 Questions: 1) How can we urge Archbishop Flynn to give our new parish a saint’s name instead of something like “Lumen Christi”? The naming of a church is monumental and will not be taken lightly. In an effort to reflect the history and vision of the church, the Archbishop has indicated our newly combined parish most likely will be named after a saint. At this time, however, we do not know what that name will be. 2) Have we received a reply to Fr. Joe’s letter from the archdiocese yet? The Archbishop met with Fr. Joe on October 5 and gave his permission to merge our parishes as requested by our Pastoral Councils. 3) Where are the two worship areas? As indicated during the initial announcement, worship spaces currently used at Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke to gather our community and celebrate Eucharist will continue to serve as our worship spaces in the future. 4) The last thing we heard was that we would be partner parishes but merger was not on the table. Now we're merging. What happened? Why did Fr. Joe make this decision to merge? The Pastoral Councils of both Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke—after many long hours of prayer, discussion, and discernment—unanimously made the recommendation that Fr. Joe petition the archbishop to merge our two parishes. Recent history in the archdiocese shows there are a number of parishes not given the choice. Our communities are blessed with the opportunity to proactively merge and continue the union our parishes started with the merger of our school. 5) What will happen to all the parish records (baptismal, etc.) from IHM? The records for Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke are located in our Pastoral Center at 1079 Summit Avenue. If you need record information: please contact Jane Gilbert, 651/227-7669, ext.301 or e-mail her at jgilbert@luke-acts.org 6) Why did Mark Richards resign his position as leader of the IHM pastoral council early? The chairs of both our Pastoral Councils serve for a two year term. Mary Garcia, St. Luke, 2005-2007 and Mark Richards, Immaculate Heart of Mary, 2005-2007, completed their terms in September, 2007. As leaders of our Councils, the long hours and dedicated ministry of Mark Richards and Mary Garcia are deeply appreciated. Comments: "I just went to the website to check out the new bulletin and love both the bulletin and website! Great job!" September 19, 2007 Questions: 1) How did the Pastoral Councils come to this decision? On July 14, the members from the pastoral councils of Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke gathered to discuss the future of our parishes. As lay leaders, they met to learn more about our financial situation and the future vitality of our parish communities. The councils broke into small groups to discuss what to do as well as possible models for merger. They concluded we could not continue on our partnership path, and that it was best to consider a merger. The discussion was very personal, emotional, and genuine. The greatest concern was properly informing fellow parishioners about the coming changes and making this a collaborative process as much as possible. The councils advised Fr. Joe, to announce our intentions to the Archbishop and pursue a merger. 2) Why a merger not partnership? The intent of the partnership was to reinvigorate, grow, and unite the parishes over the next few years, making each parish stronger in all ways. Unfortunately, our weak financial position does not give us the time to allow this to happen. What is the current financial state of the parishes? Today, each parish is effectively “getting by.” Regular parishioner contributions are not adequate to cover the cost of daily operations and we operate buildings without adequate reserves. Consequently, we are unable to adequately invest in our ministries to both our members and the larger community that we seek to serve. 3) Why merge now? By deciding to merge, we choose a path of responsible stewardship. By beginning now, we give ourselves the time to determine how best to serve all three entities - two parishes and the school. We can pool our collective resources - leadership, staff, parishioners, facilities, and financial assets - and create a single parish community and parish school where we will invest ourselves and serve the mission of Christ better than we do today. 4) What is our future financial picture if we do not merge? If we fast forward five years, giving levels will be impacted by changing demographics, (especially for IHM) and the required building maintenance and rising cost of operations for the parishes and the school will make even “getting by” a greater challenge. How has the immediate financial need been addressed? The anticipated deficit for the coming year has been eliminated through a special appeal, rental income, fundraisers, and bequests. 5) How are two parishes merged? A merger takes place on two levels: structural and pastoral. 6) What is a structural merger? The structural merger involves the canonical, legal and financial merger of the parishes. 7) How will the structural merger be carried out? We will work with the archdiocese to complete the structural merger. The Vicar General, Fr. McDonough, and the Canonical and Civil Chancellors of the Archdiocese will coordinate the work of the appropriate pastoral staff members and lay leaders of our parishes. When will the structural merger be complete? With Archbishop Flynn’s approval, the structural merger will begin this fall and be completed early in 2008. 8) What is a pastoral merger? The pastoral merger facilitates the changes that need to be made to our daily parish life such as worship spaces and schedules, lay leadership, faith formation etc., as we transition into one new community. The pastoral merger also involves ministering to all parishioners as we travel together through a time of uncertainty. 9) How will the pastoral merger be carried out? The pastoral merger is primarily the work of the pastor, the members of the pastoral council, and other key lay leaders under the direction of a professional coordinator. Sr. Donnelly (the archdiocese’s Director of Parish Life) will assist us in this process. Parishioners will be asked for input throughout the process. 10) When will the pastoral merger be complete? With Archbishop Flynn’s approval, the Pastoral Merger will begin this fall. The completion of this process cannot be determined at this time. 11) What happens when parishes merge? When two parishes are merged they form a new parish with a new name. 12) What will our name be? We don’t yet know what our name will be. The naming of a parish belongs solely to Archbishop Flynn, who may or may not seek recommendations from the parishes. 13) What will happen to our separate worship spaces? As one parish, we intend to continue to use both of our worship spaces. However, the parish leadership will regularly review our space needs as part of our on-going stewardship. 14) How can parishioners be involved? We will be able to provide more detailed information about parishioner involvement once Archbishop Flynn approves the request to merge our parishes. For those who are not actively involved in the process, please pray that we will find the best solutions possible to meet the challenges we face so that we will have a full and vibrant parish life and an excellent Catholic school for years to come. Pray, too, that we will not be afraid or resistant to change, but rather open to God’s spirit working among us. 15) How can I find out more information as the merger unfolds? 1)Use the bulletin boards located at each church to read updates on the merger and submit questions. 2) Use the email address designated for the merger to submit questions online. 3)Access the IHM or St. Luke websites to read merger updates and answers to submitted questions. 4)Watch the bulletin for ongoing updates. 5)Visit the website for updates and to view/download supporting documents. Glossary of Terms Canonical This is an adjective derived from canon as in canon law, the legal system governing the Roman Catholic Church. We will undergo a canonical merger. This refers to the legal actions the church and the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul must perform under canon law to merge two parishes. Chancellors of the archdiocese They are advisers to the bishop in civil and church (canon) law. The Chancellor for Civil Affairs and the Chancellor for Canonical Affairs will make sure we’re correctly merging the two parishes under both legal systems. Director of Parish Life for the Archdiocese This person oversees the Division of Parish Life in the Archdiocese. The Director advises the Archbishop on pastoral issues and situations affecting the parishes of the Archdiocese. Lay leader This is another term for a volunteer in the parish who is either appointed by the pastor or elected by the parishioners. For example, committee members are lay leaders. Pastoral council The Pastoral council serves in an advisory capacity to the pastor. As a leadership body the council leads the parish community in the discernment and expression of its mission and through on going planning maintains the integrity of the parish mission and the goals and objectives related to it. Vicar general Appointed by the diocesan bishop, a vicar general shares in the bishop’s duties as a sort of second-in-command. Vicars general must be priests, auxiliary bishops, or coadjutor bishops. |