The person wrote, “We are, I believe, a broken parish. We do not really know what to do, other than pray. The priest shortage is partly to blame, as is our own surrender to frustration. Our priest has accused some of us of a conspiracy to bring him down, but really, we are just broken in our own little ways, isolated and adrift. Some of us can afford the gas commute to other parishes. Some of us skip Mass. Some of us have begun to give our offerings to other charities. . . We are Catholics in search of a parish.”

Strategies and Options :
This is a devastating experience, especially for those who have given their life blood to the growth and renewal of their parish community. It is hard for the priest who has been transferred out of the parish to look back on his former home and see the structures of collaboration and shared decision making collapsing. It is also difficult for the current priest who wants the parish to succeed and feels it is his sole responsibility to make this happen. Instead, he sees parishioners pulling away, withdrawing their financial support and going elsewhere. Is there anything that can be done to bring this faith community back together again?

One of the letters-to-the-editor in a subsequent issue of America mentioned a strategy used in her parish. The parishioners set up a special escrow account to which the people could make their contributions. Receipts of their donations were sent to the bishop. The pastor was eventually replaced and order restored.

Another strategy begins well before a change in priests. Create a system of commissions in which staff members act as resource persons, not as the ones in charge. Experienced and qualified lay leaders, together with priest and staff, set goals and funnel the implementation of these goals to various committees and task groups. The pastor is a partner in this operation, providing motivation, encouragement and feedback as needed. Make this model visible in the diocese, show the bishop and priests’ personnel board the level of renewal that is possible when many people share the ownership and running of the parish together, establish a tradition that has some chance of surviving a change in priests. This approach is not foolproof, but it holds out the promise of a successful transition because prospective pastors, knowing what kind of parish this is, consider whether they are the right person for this setting.

A third option is to locate someone that the new priest trusts and respects. This might be one or other of the parishioners with whom he has confided, or perhaps someone from the parish he has just left. It might even be a fellow priest or the local dean who has his ear. Sit down with these advocates, explain the situation, and ask these influential persons to intercede for you and for the parish. Then get everyone in sight to pray for the success of this meeting with the pastor. It has more likelihood of success than direct confrontation. We witnessed one parish in which staff members and lay leaders were withdrawing in droves within six months of a new pastor. He himself was not happy. It was a bad match for all concerned. When the dean of the area explained that he would either have to change his approach or be offered a new position, he jumped at the chance to go elsewhere. He was relieved to be given another chance in a place that better fit his leadership style and drew out his gifts. This is how grace operates – if you believe it you will see it.

Tom Sweetser, SJ & Peg Bishop, OSF
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Parish Newsletter - February, 2008
A Service of the Parish Evaluation Project
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Reproduced on the OPRFM website with permission