Fr. Patrick McConnell, seated, chats with Fr. John Anderson at the Feb. 18 meeting. Fr. McConnell, pastor of the Medford cluster of parishes, raises rabbits and quails at the rectory and brought quail eggs to give away. (Catholic Herald photo by Anita Draper)

Anita Draper
Catholic Herald staff

Editor’s note: This article is second in a series on the Diocese of Superior’s new Maintenance to Mission Pastoral Plan.

In the parish hall at St. Peter, Cameron, on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 18, Bishop James P. Powers and members of his Diocesan Planning Committee rolled out the new Maintenance to Mission Pastoral Plan before a crowd of deacons and priests from across the diocese.

“This has been a long, arduous” process, Bishop Powers said, acknowledging the hundreds of hours of work committee members have contributed in guiding the Diocese of Superior’s move from Maintenance to Mission. In addition to Bishop Powers, committee members include Fr. John Gerritts, Fr. Gerald Harris, Fr. Andrew Ricci, Dcn. John Grek and Chancery office directors Peggy Schoenfuss, Dan Blank, Chris Hurtubise, Christine Newkirk and Steve Tarnowski.

Gifted a plaque on behalf of the diocese on the occasion of his ninth anniversary as a bishop, Bishop Powers said the effort to map out the revitalization of the local church began years before the efforts were made public, but there were also other matters to attend to along the way – the U.S. Bishops’ Eucharistic Revival, the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality, the limitations wrought by the COVID pandemic.

Despite any delays, the bishop said there was never a question of where to begin: “Where we needed to start was evangelization.”

“This is where this has gone,” he added, referencing the new pastoral plan.

The document

Divided into six sections, or “pillars,” the Maintenance to Mission Pastoral Plan opens with a letter from Bishop Powers. In it, he acknowledges local Catholics often recall with nostalgia the days when their churches were busy, energetic communities. Today, those words no longer describe many parishes.

In response to the question, “What happened?” the bishop writes, “People have left the practice of the faith.” He speaks of Christianity’s waning influence on secular culture, but also the diocese’s “compounding problem” – that “towns that were once bustling with activity are now nearly ghost towns,” institutions like schools and libraries have merged or shut down and businesses have moved or downsized.

“These happenings, however, do not preclude us from having a flourishing church in the Diocese of Superior or from having churches ‘full on Sunday mornings,’ ‘bustling with activities,” he added. Referencing the work of the Diocesan Planning Committee in his letter, the bishop observed that they could have simply chosen to close the 27 churches with fewer than 50 families, or shuttered the 35 parishes that did not have a baptism last year.

“I don’t believe that is necessary,” he continued. “I believe in you! I believe in us! …. I believe that we are ready to do what Pope St. John Paul II called for when he declared, ‘The moment has come to commit all the church’s energies to a new evangelization.’”

The bishop hopes the plan will see the Diocese of Superior far beyond of the life of anyone here, he told clergy at the Cameron gathering.

“There is no finish to evangelization,” he emphasized. “There is no finish to making sure the celebration of the Eucharist continues to take place … no finish to discipleship.”

No parishes closing at this time

Acknowledging that change isn’t easy, the bishop said there aren’t any immediate plans to close parishes.

“There’s not any parish being closed today, tomorrow, the next day,” he added. “Part of the plan is if we do it, if we live it, hopefully rather than close our parishes, we can be strengthening our parishes.”

Working better together, in parishes, clusters and Chancery offices, is part of the solution, he advised – moving forward together and helping one another succeed.

Initially the committee looked at restructuring all the clusters, but “the Holy Spirit and common sense” deterred them, the bishop explained. Instead, they made a few changes: Hawkins is joining parishes in Winter and Radisson; Hammond is being separated from River Falls, which will be a standalone parish again, and Hammond will be clustered with Glenwood City and Wilson. Clear Lake will join the Balsam Lake and Amery cluster.

At the diocesan level, a new office – the Office of Parish Transformation – will oversee the implementation of the pastoral plan. Current diocesan directors Christine Newkirk and Peggy Schoenfuss and Fr. Andrew Ricci, rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King, will collaborate to help parishes manage data and draft planning documents.

“Don’t panic,” Bishop Powers added. “It’s not going to be done overnight.” The intention is to take “baby steps” toward lasting change.

Fr. Ricci said the new Office of Parish Transformation will be built up over the next six months. More information will be released in the summer and in the fall, but parishes already implementing evangelization initiatives will not undergo much immediate change. The diocese is hoping to see the first fruits from their processes, although he acknowledged that what works in one parish won’t necessarily work in another, and they want to “make sure no little parishes fall through the cracks.”

New trainings opportunities will be coming, he said. Right now, parishes are encouraged to read, study and discuss the new plan.

Telling a quick story of a recent executive board meeting she attended at a Catholic school, Chancellor Peggy Schoenfuss said everyone was talking about evangelization, and everyone knew the cluster’s mission statement. “There is hope,” she said. “You’re able to do it. it just takes time.”

Emphasizing the need for parishes to begin with accurate data, state an end goal and strategically plan how to get there, Office of Parish Transformation Director Chris Newkirk said every parish has specific charisms, resources and people that are underutilized. As well as thinking about how to get more people in the pews, parishes need to ponder how to get their faith out into the community.

Pillar 1: A Church on Mission

Fr. John Gerritts, pastor of St. Patrick, Hudson, presented on the pastoral plan’s first pillar. When they see the document, most people think it means “more work to do,” he said. But the question he asked is, “What can we let go of?”

He offered examples from his parish: St. Patrick traditionally hosted a three-day parish festival that was “wonderful” but costly and led to volunteer burnout. It was doing nothing to help them go out on mission, so they dropped it. A second example, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, turned out not to be right for Hudson, and although they lost families when they ended it, the faith formation program is still going strong. He advised clergy to examine their parishes and add things to their schedule, but also take off events or programs as well.

The pastoral plan looks at the fact that the diocese has a shortage of priests, Fr. Gerritts said, but also a shortage of people in the pews, a shortage of sacraments celebrated and a shortage of families in faith formation programs. The plan’s aim is not doing more work, “just doing more of the right work.”

Pillar 2: A People on Mission

Briefly presenting on the plan’s second pillar, which focuses on the laity, Fr. Ricci said the clergy’s job as “architects and engineers” is to inspire and empower lay men and women “so they are the front line of evangelization.” Using such tools as invitation and witness, the laity can reach out, and they already have all the interactions in their everyday lives.

Pillar 3: Diocesan Governance

Presenting on the third pillar, Office of Administration Director Dan Blank commented, “This is a big deal.” The pillar directs the diocese to do an annual self-assessment, the same as in parishes. The diocese will also change for the sake of mission, with Bishop Powers meeting with staff, assessing the diocese’s structures and committees and setting goals and ensuring accountability.

Blank said they will review the diocese’s mission statement, unite diocesan department leaders and focus on working together and evolving as needs in the diocese change. As the document details, the evaluation will ensure diocesan staff are working with parishes to assist them, “being particularly attentive to any ways the diocese is imposing burdensome tasks that prevent parishes from pursuing mission.”

The diocese wants to make sure they are helping, not hindering parishes, Blank said.

Pillar 4: Parish Governance

In her new role as director in the Office of Parish Transformation, one of Newkirk’s roles will be to ensure parishes and/or clusters have created mission-driven Parish Evangelization Teams. These groups are tasked with carrying out the Maintenance to Mission Pastoral Plan.

The Pillar 4 section of the document details Code of Canon Law and Wisconsin Corporate Law requirements and diocesan policies, which are basic rules governing all parishes.

In addition, Newkirk said new diocesan guidelines mandate that priests will not celebrate more than four scheduled Masses per week (not counting funerals, weddings, etc.); priests must have a half-hour before and after Masses to be with their parishioners; a single main office should serve each cluster, although other secondary offices may remain open for community presence; and each cluster should also have a strong online presence.

“Try to use technology as a gateway to mission,” she advised. Beginning in 2026, parishes will be asked to set goals using annual statistics provided by the diocese, and the Office of Parish Transformation will assure accountability.

We “want them to be living documents, not just collecting dust,” she said.

Pillar 5: The Inevitability of Change

Fr. Gerald Harris, pastor of parishes in Amery and Balsam Lake, spoke on how the church has changed in his 46 ordained years. Using an example from the Knights of Columbus – an organization that used to have a “secret society” vibe but now conducts its ceremonies openly and invites family and friends to attend – Fr. Harris added that the reality for parishes is many northern communities are aging.

In response, parishes should be actively moving toward engaging and welcoming people. He suggested reading, “Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel,” by Fr. John Ricardo, or “Start with Jesus: How Everyday Disciples Will Renew the Church,” by Julianne Stanz.

“Every single parish in the Diocese of Superior will experience change in the foreseeable future,” the pastoral plan states. That can include changes in clustering, Mass times, programs, events, etc. “Change is hard, but on this side of eternity, it is also inevitable,” the section concludes.

Pillar 6: Opportunities for Change

The pastoral plan’s sixth pillar details what to do when a parish is no longer stable and thriving, as determined by its own leadership.

Fr. Andrew Ricci said in 1970, the year he was born, there were a lot more parishes in the diocese. In moving from Maintenance to Mission, change is inevitable and must be confronted.

“What happens when a parish goes away?” he asked rhetorically. There’s a process of grieving, acknowledgement, facing facts and then moving forward.

“There will be a “constellation” of factors if a parish goes away,” he explained, and then there will be three options.

The first option is for the parish to close; the second option is to merge with another parish; and the third is to name the building an “oratory.” Although the parish ceases – members join another parish community – the building remains a church and can be opened for special events, including dinners, feast day Masses, sacraments and more. In that case, a society must be formed to ensure the building and grounds are being maintained.

In all three cases, the same careful, individual process happens, Fr. Ricci added. It’s not just a “pull the trigger” situation. It remains “crucial that we serve the people of God,” ensuring their access to the sacraments, Mass and the consolations of the church.

Buildings have a life cycle, he said, and sometimes communities have a life cycle. The parish where Fr. Ricci attended catechism classes is now a performing arts center. The church where he was ordained has been leveled.

“Things change,” he repeated.

Emphasizing how essential it is for parish clusters to collaborate – to host retreats together, to invite clustered parishes to meals, to work together – he said the level of cooperation in clusters will reveal which parishes want to survive.

“Isolation will kill us, weaken us,” he commented. “Breaking through the silos, we find more strength.”

Addressing his fellow clergyman at the end of the meeting, Bishop Powers spoke on his experience serving in clustered parishes – how a mentality of “them and us” can develop. All the resources go to the big parishes, while small parishes struggle to stay alive and wonder how long it will be before they close.

“Everything can’t go to the big parish,” he said, stressing the importance of all parishes in moving forward as a diocese.
“Pray that we do so with joy, with happiness, with faith, with that love of our God, and truly be that witness that we’re called to be,” he added.