Last week I began to share some of the plan & the vision for where we are going, specifically with the Mass schedule. As I mentioned last week, please know how much love & devotion I know that you have for the Mass & that I have as well. I know that talking about reducing Masses is not an easy conversation to have. So many times in the suggestion boxes I have seen the comment, “We need more Masses.” Believe me, having more Masses would be great, but the reality is that adding Masses is just not feasible at the current moment.

  But, as much as adding Masses might not be feasible now, I would also invite & encourage us to look beyond the simple reduction in Masses at each particular parish & to look instead to an invitation. As I’ve always said, & I’ve always meant, the current plan is for both parishes to remain separate parish communities, but, while we remain separate parishes, that doesn’t mean that we have to do everything separately. For example, with the upcoming reduction of weekday Masses, rather than approaching it with the thought of, “We only have 2 weekday Masses,” I’d invite us to look at it as, “We have 4 weekday Masses, 2 days at each parish.” On the days where there is no Mass at a particular parish, for example, rather than simply putting in the bulletin, “NO MASS,” we are going to start listing, “8:15 Mass at St. Patrick” or “8:30 Mass at St. Vincent de Paul,” depending on which parish bulletin we are looking at. Everyone is welcome at either parish for the celebration of the Mass.

  The Saturday Vigil Mass may be the toughest change that we are looking at. With St. Patrick Vigil Mass currently at 4:30 & St. Vincent de Paul at 5:00, there is no way that I would be able to celebrate both Masses & also add in time for Confessions & travel time between the parishes. While I do have a list of priests who are available to help in times of sickness & vacation, for example, there is not, at the moment, someone who can be available for consistent help on a weekly basis. Also, as you are probably aware, Saturday’s are a popular day for Funerals & Weddings to be celebrated. Factoring all that together, we will need to look at having only 1 Saturday Vigil Mass for both parish communities. Again, this is not to say that only 1 parish will have a Vigil Mass, but that the Vigil Mass for both parish communities will be at one parish. I am debating about what that will look like exactly. Will the Mass be at one particular parish every week? Will it rotate on a somewhat regular basis? Thoughts such as these are what I’m contemplating as I certainly recognize how much decisions like this impact a parish. Whatever ends up happening, I truly hope and plan to make the Mass a joint celebration.

  Again, these changes aren’t going to happen immediately, but my plan is to integrate them over time so that when we arrive at November, we aren’t making every change all at once.