Frequently Asked Questions

Design – In the context of Set Ablaze, a pastorate is a geographic territory consisting of one or more parishes that is created as a stable structure to be used by the diocesan church for the upcoming 10 years. Within the pastorate there exists an alignment of our priests who are available for assigned ministry with the existing parish resources (e.g. numbers of Catholics participating in the sacramental life of the Church, physical infrastructure, financial resources, etc.). Mechanism of planning – The pastorate is created in order to make this alignment (priests and parish resources) a sustainable planning structure that is meant to be used all throughout the 10-year period for which we are planning. This establishes a workable context in which pastoral planning will occur. The pastoral planning that follows the implementation of the pastorates is an intentional effort to re-orient the resources and ministries of the Church. Set Ablaze seeks to disrupt unhealthy trends, and the re-orienting of the ministries and resources will mark the intentional efforts within the pastorate to disrupt those trends. Purpose – Therefore, the pastoral care of all the people within the pastorate’s boundaries is entrusted to the pastoral care of a single priest, the pastor. The pastor, parochial vicars, deacons (if they are available), consecrated and parishioners of a pastorate are called upon · to grow together as a community of faith; · to worship God through worthy celebration of, and participation in, the Mass and other sacraments of the Church; · to organize the resources of the pastorate to most effectively build up and support parishioners in the pursuance of Lifelong Catholic Missionary Discipleship Through God’s Love in the apostolic mission we have been given; · to foster opportunities to lead people to an encounter with Christ, and to grow in Christian service to their neighbors; · to be good stewards of God’s gifts within the pastorate by calling and equipping people to live their vocations well and fruitfully by optimizing parish staffing, including the use of volunteers, in the pastorate and the organization of a leadership team, advisory council, etc., to be effective, and to avoid duplication of administrative resourcing; · to delegate and empower; and · to assist and support the pastor and with the help of diocesan resources, to develop a pastoral plan which identifies within the pastorate how best to achieve the above aims. Means toward an end – A pastorate is also marked by a locally developed pastoral plan that is subject to the approval of the diocesan bishop. Pastoral plans are the specific measures to be implemented within a pastorate with the purpose of achieving a common vision.

There is really one essential distinction: a pastorate is erected with the explicit purpose of creating a context in which a pastoral plan is written and implemented. They begin with the directive to collaborate with neighboring parishes in their ministry offerings, to cooperate in mission, and to find solutions that work for the good of all souls within the pastorate. This includes cooperation and collaboration in the administration of parishes. One essential reality that remains: all ministry activities, particularly those carried out by the staff and appointed volunteers, is to be carried out under the direction of the pastor. This is the case in our current model of pastorally linked parishes and will remain the case under the pastorate model.

Feedback from priests is that, for many, so many of the administrative duties are not life-giving nor is the model of the pastor having to fulfill them all sustainable. The pastorate model will allow our priests to focus more on offering sacramental, spiritual and teaching ministries to parishioners entrusted to their pastoral care. The pastorate model addresses the needs of our priests by providing a consolidated lay staff that better supports the priests serving within the pastorate. The intentional development of a lay, employed/volunteer operational staff serving all parishes within the pastorate is meant to take away much of the administrative duties that our priests and pastors typically carry out under our current model.

The Bishop has mandated that our pastorate offer five Masses, which is based on the number of priests available, seating capacities, and the size of our parish communities. Adjusting the schedule to add an additional Mass at any of our parishes would require another parish to forgo its Mass time entirely, which is not a desirable outcome. The sixth Mass will be used for special occasions like youth events or sacraments such as Confirmation, allowing us to offer meaningful Masses for parishioners during these significant moments. Data shows that Mass attendance is not necessarily driven by convenient scheduling. Despite efforts to optimize Mass times, we've still experienced a 26% decline in attendance over the past decade in the diocese. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), when we are interiorly rightly ordered to what is objectively good, true and beautiful, we are blessed with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity (love), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity (CCC 1832). For, as Jesus himself said, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” (Jn 15:5). This is powerful. As parishioners, we need to engage in Mass no matter what the time, or what the convenience, because God calls us to do so.

Since the launch of SetAblaze in July 2023, Our Lady of Grace parishes have experienced an increase in attendance. Parishioners have shared positive feedback, noting greater enjoyment of the homilies from our priests and an improved overall Mass experience. Following the Mass time changes in September 2024, our attendance numbers have remained consistently strong.

On May 9, 2024, our Leadership Team of Our Lady of Grace Pastorate began its weekly meeting. Its members presently include Fr. Richard Fox (Pastor), Fr. Randy Phillips (Parochial Vicar), Deacon Mo Barrett (Pastoral Ministry Deacon), Deacon James Bregel (Liturgical Deacon), Jane Suelflow (Director of Business Management), JoEllen Stadler (Director of Office Administration), Mandy Konechne (Director of Communication). This team serves as the pastor’s “kitchen cabinet” by assisting him in overseeing the operations and management of our pastorate. Its members, selected by the pastor, can consist of ordained, religious, laity, staff, or volunteers. The Leadership Team is the top level of the new pastorate structure. The Leadership Team will oversee the Pastorate Directors. The Pastorate Directors will oversee the local Parish Coordinators. The Parish Coordinators will oversee all within their particular parish ministry. The Leadership Team commit to "change readiness" termed by the diocese. This means that the team has an intellectual, emotional and spiritual preparedness for changes that can be reasonably expected, in this instance as a result of a consultative planning process. Change readiness can be marked by one’s ability to articulate the changes about to happen accurately and effectively, to reflect a positive disposition toward change, to be able to authentically reference the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance in the midst of the changes, to distinguish fears from anxieties, and/or to model needed changes in personal behaviors or patterns after others who have experienced similar change.

The full plan isn't being shared at this moment for several reasons. First, it's a long-term initiative that will take time to implement. The document itself is quite detailed and lengthy. Additionally, there will likely be differing opinions on where to begin, and without careful attention, we risk lacking a clear structure or proper assessment of the goals. The leadership team is gathering feedback from the laity frequently to ensure the plan is adapted in a way that produces meaningful fruits from year to year.