Changes Coming for Diocese of Winona
It appear changes are in the works for the Catholic Church in southern Minnesota.
The Diocese of Winona has released a draft of what it calls its Vision 2016 plan that deals with changing demographics, fewer priests to serve its 114 parishes and variations in participation trends.
Officials hope to finalize the plan by the spring of next year.
The draft plan indicates nearly half of the parishes will face an organizational change, which could involve mergers. Recommendations call for 21 of the smaller churches to be stripped of Sunday services as they merge with larger, nearby parishes.
“Nearly half of our parishes have received recommended organizational change as a result of the draft plan. These may include variations in how parishes are clustered, the residence of a pastor, or the merging of parishes,” stated Msgr. Richard Colletti, Vicar General and Director of Planning for the Diocese. “The Bishop received recommendations from the planning teams formed in each deanery and after much consultation, discussion and prayer, has accepted their recommendation to take the difficult step of moving 21 of our smaller parishes toward ‘oratory status’ as they merge with larger parishes.” Converting to oratory status means that these smaller churches will no longer have a Sunday/Vigil Mass, but could host Catholic weddings, funerals, and local prayer, until the local congregants can no longer maintain the facility and wish to close it altogether.
The overall goals of Vision 2016 are to strengthen parish and diocesan life in Christ, to be proactive and wise in stewardship and growth as a Catholic community, and to have the capacity to serve all of the faithful in the lower 20 counties of Minnesota. Vision 2016 is a process of moving forward together toward greater and shared vitality, clearer expectations, and deeper hope and faith.
The Diocese of Winona has provided detailed information regarding Vision 2016 in current and past issues of The Courier newspaper www.dowcourier.org.
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