Family of Parishes Announcement

10/01/2021

Eric Hollis / Friday, October 1, 2021 0 112 Article rating: No rating

October 1, 2021

Dear Brothers and sisters,

I am happy to announce that Saint John the Baptist Parish, Harrison, will be a Family of One Parish, meaning that we are not joined with any other parish. The reason for this is that we are in one of the few areas of the diocese in which great growth has been and will continue to grow as development of subdivisions occur. The demographics indicate that this growth will be sustained at least for the near future, putting us in the category of a parish that (in our geographic context, i.e., in relationship to the particular parishes around us) would make it unwise to be joined to those parishes.

Secondly, we have shown that we are very viable parish, able to thrive as a parish.

This being said, we cannot rest on our laurels or rely on the automatic growth of this parish simply because more people are moving into the area. The purpose of the Beacons of Light is not primarily to join parishes, but to make every parish a stronger, more brilliant light in the world radiating Christ to others. Such work does not occur simply by having a nice church, excellent pastor (at least in his opinion), great staff or great organizations. It shines brightly when every member realizes that they are entrusted with the mission to life their faith fully and for the sake of others.

I want to remind you that this is a provisional decision, and the final decision will come after comments and suggestions by the laity are considered. Everyone is invited to respond to the Beacons of Light plan by going to CatholicAOC.org/beacons-of-light and giving your comments by OCTOBER 20th. In case you do not have computer access, you can call Jessica at 513-367-9086 x 217 and ask for a hard copy of the information to be sent to you. You may write your comments and return them to her (with your name & address) via the US mail, in the collection basket, or by dropping it off in the parish office mailbox (509 Harrison Avenue).

May we meet the challenge of becoming a more radiating pa

Beacons Update from Archbishop Schnurr: September 17, 2021

Eric Hollis / Friday, September 17, 2021 0 342 Article rating: 2.0

September 17, 2021

LETTER TO THE FAITHFUL REGARDING BEACONS OF LIGHT COMMENT PERIOD

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The mission of the Catholic Church, our mission, entrusted to the apostles by Jesus, is to proclaim the Good News of salvation and “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20). In short, to radiate Christ.

We have a responsibility to make the best use of all the means which God has provided us to pursue this sacred mission. It is therefore appropriate to ask, are all our resources – human, physical and financial – properly ordered to missionary discipleship? Are they working in concert to continuously draw parishioners and attract new members into a more intimate relationship with Jesus? Or are they consumed by efforts to maintain the status quo and spread too thin to be truly effective?

These are the concerns that Beacons of Light, the multi-year process of comprehensive pastoral planning for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, has been addressing. After months of study and analysis, we cannot escape the conclusion that in many cases our church buildings are grossly underutilized, our priests and parish staff members are stretched to the limit, and our parishes are simply not the vibrant, evangelizing communities Catholics want and need them to be.

To help remedy this situation and be better stewards of the resources God has made available to us, parishes in the archdiocese will be grouped into “Families of Parishes” under the leadership of one pastor. After that, each Family will collaborate internally to determine the best and highest use of their shared resources to radiate the love of Christ and form a strong, vital community of evangelization and service centered on the Eucharist.

Your thoughtful feedback at this stage of the planning process would be most valuable. A draft of the Families of Parishes will be shared for public comment October 1-20 at www.BeaconsAOC.org, the website of the Beacons of Light initiative. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with the information on the website, then prayerfully provide your input on this important step which will shape the future of our archdiocese.

As we continue this challenging but necessary endeavor, it is critically important that we earnestly seek&