Reconfiguration – Deanery 6
St.
James, Penns Grove,
Queen
of Apostles, Pennsville, St. Mary,
The
New Merged Parishes would then form a 2 PARISH CLUSTER
Observations:
◦
Deanery
planners developed an innovative approach to configuration.
◦
The
Spanish speaking community in included in the planning process.
◦
You are
struggling to deal with aging and deteriorating facilities.
◦
The DPC
recognizes the difficulties you are dealing with and appreciates your efforts
to address them.
◦
You
recognized the limitations of the recommendations made.
1. There is not a financial report for the
merged/cluster entities. However when
adding the total revenues for the 4 parishes ($650 K) and total expenses ($671
K) it appears that the annual net loss would be 21 K. If this assessment is accurate, how will the
parishes remain fiscally viable?
2. A particular challenge you noted was serving
youth and young adults. How will a part
time youth minister adequately serve the 4 merging and then the 2 clustered
parishes? How will other pastoral priorities
be met?
3. Would you provide greater specificity and
fuller detail as to how the parishes will provide suitable worship space for
parishioners with ample seating, sufficient parking, and convenient mass times?
4. Difficult though considering a major change
might be, what would be the advantages of merging the 4 parishes into one new community? How would you envision doing that and what
would be needed to make this happen?
5. How are you going to address the need to
hire professionally prepared people to address the pastoral priorities that
lead to a viable and vibrant parish? Be
specific as to methodology and reasonable time line.
The
DPC does not affirm this reconfiguration.