From the Editor In December 2020, in the midst of COVID-19 gathering restrictions, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich announced that three parishes—St. Joseph, St. Michael the Archangel, and Holy Cross-Immaculate Heart of Mary (itself the product of an earlier merger)—all located in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, would be merging into one. This merging was part of Renew My Church, a multi-year initiative meant to reinvigorate parishes in the archdiocese and ensure its growth for generations to come. In a letter announcing the new parish—now named St. Oscar Romero—Cupich cited the shared Hispanic and bilingual identity of parishioners along with a steep decline in Mass attendance, significant budget deficits, and the cost of maintaining three separate staffs despite the continually decreasing number of priests in the archdiocese as reasoning for the decision.1
community organizing coalition in the Chicago area, leading to powerful actions for justice centered in community's lived experience. As Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez talks about in her article for this issue (“Rebuild My Church”), CSPL held a series of listening sessions. “What emerged was a declaration from the community that more resources were needed to prevent gang initiation and violence among youth,” Arellano-Gonzalez writes. In the U.S. Catholic Church, parish mergers and closures have become a fact of life. Chicago’s Renew My Church program is still ongoing. The Archdiocese of Seattle is in the midst of Partners in the Gospel. And about an hour away from my own home in Western New York, the Diocese of Buffalo just announced that it will decrease the number of parishes by almost 40 percent—moving from 196 worship sites to 118 by Pentecost next year. This issue looks at how—like in the case of St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero parish— parish closures can be done in a way that is lifegiving and prophetic, breathing new life into the church despite shrinking resources. In “Crossing Into the Future,” Susan Francois, CSJP talks of grieving when losing a community. Writing about her own experience with provincial mergers—in this case of her religious order—Francois discusses the importance of ritual and mourning in order St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero Parish (SOAR) is made up of four previously majority-Latino/a parishes to move forward into the unknown of what (pictured from left to right): St. Joseph, Holy Cross, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Michael. comes next. See article on page 5. Photos: wikimeida and flickr Next, Arellano-Gonzalez talks about The process of merging, while perhaps necessary, wasn’t community organizing as an important tool for parishes always smooth. In an article for Chicago Catholic, Father going through a merger. “It is our vision that as these parish Carmelo Mendez, pastor of St. Oscar Romero, says that “there mergers continue, community organizing serves as a model to was a lot of resentment at first.”2 ‘rebuild and renew my church,’ thereby creating vibrant faith To ensure all community members felt a sense of ownership communities,” she writes. of this new community, Mendez and other parish leaders Other articles suggest some ideas for what ministry might developed a three week-long parish-wide assembly, where they look like in these new communities. In “A New Era,” E.N. West met once a week to talk about the type of parish they wanted to writes about how unused property and land can be used in just have. More than 100 people attended each meeting. “I’m really and equitable ways. In “A Challenge to the Changing Church,” excited,” Mendez said in the article. “The laity, men and women, Victoria Reis talks about what a lay-led church might look like they said, ‘This is the church we want. OK, let’s form it together. in the future. And in “A Glimpse of Heaven,” Hosffman Ospino Let’s build it together.’ ” writes about multicultural parishes as the kingdom of God. These meetings and this new perspective on ministry Finally, AMOS speaks with the Very Rev. Gary F. Lazzeroni, the eventually paved the way for the parish to work with the Coalition vicar general and vicar for strategic planning for the Archdiocese for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a Catholic-rooted of Seattle, on his vision for the church. Change is hard. Losing communities where you have 1 Cardinal Blase Cupich, “Decree,” December 11, 2020, https:// worshipped for decades is hard. But if we remain open to the www.renewmychurch.org/documents/1607309/1607597/2020 process, it is possible that the church becomes better able to 1210+2020+RMC-19+Back+of+the+Yards+Grouping+Decree++correction+12.28.20.pdf/a880b7e6-74f0-4581-8a87-6f717ecded1b. work for justice and meet the needs of all people, despite 2 Joyce Duriga, “St. Oscar Romero parishioners look to the future,” becoming smaller. I hope the articles in this issue inspire that Chicago Catholic, September 13, 2023, https://www.chicagocatholic. work in all of our communities. com/chicagoland/-/article/2023/09/13/st-oscar-romero—Emily Sanna, Editor parishioners-look-to-the-futu-1. 2
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