Timeline established
for parish, school restructuring announcements
Bishop Edward U. Kmiec has
announced a timeline for announcing changes in parish and school configurations
as the diocesan-wide “Journey in Faith and Grace” moves forward.
Reviewed by the Strategic Planning Commission on Wed.,
May 10, and approved by the bishop, the timeline calls for decisions to be made
public on three separate occasions during 2007:
in February, June and October.
The first announcements will be delivered to parishioners
at weekend Masses. Information will then
be communicated through the diocesan Web site, the Western New York Catholic
newspaper and the media.
The
complexity of some situations and the need for additional study may necessitate
that decisions for some vicariates be delayed until early 2008.
“In the majority of the cases, we would hope to implement
the finalized restructuring proposals within three to six months,” said Bishop
Kmiec. “There may also be some cases
where extraordinary situations would make a delay in implementation advisable,
and we will be sensitive to those situations.”
The approximate implementation period would fall between
May 2007 and December 2008.
Some announcements may be made during this calendar year,
based on local situations, and decisions regarding the configuration of some
Catholic schools will be announced in January 2007. The order of announcements has not been
determined and commission members may find it necessary to make changes to the
announcement schedule.
Because of the nature of the parish-based process, it is
not possible to make a single restructuring announcement. The commission, which is meeting monthly,
except during the summer, will be spending several months reviewing
recommendations and after the bishop has approved those recommendations, they
will be announced during the aforementioned time periods.
“Once decisions are finalized,” the bishop stated, “it
doesn’t make sense to keep people waiting for several months before the future
of their parish is revealed. We are well
aware of the anxiety this process is creating among some people and we are
trying to be as sensitive as possible as we move forward.”
Canon (Catholic Church) law requires the bishop to
consult with the diocesan Council of Priests before he makes a final decision
about parish merger or closing. If a
proposal involves the acquisition or sale of property, the bishop must also
consult with the diocesan
Parish clusters are currently working on proposals that
will be forwarded to vicariate councils for review between now and the end of
September. Beginning October 1, the
Strategic Planning Commission will conduct a final review of the
recommendations before Bishop Kmiec makes the ultimate decision regarding
parish and school restructuring.
The bishop also noted that no more school mergers or
closings would be announced this year, unless there is an emergency
situation. At this time, none is
anticipated.
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For more information on the “Journey in Faith and
Grace,” go to www.buffalodiocese.org/plan
.