Bishop outlines Oshkosh plans

January 9, 2007

	Bishop David Zubik

My dear Sisters and Brothers in East Oshkosh,

Tonight marks an historic moment for the Catholic Community in East Oshkosh. For more than two years, you the faithful from the parishes of St. Josaphat, St. John, St. Mary, St. Peter, Sacred Heart and St. Vincent de Paul have been engaged in energetic collaboration to help reshape the design of the Church in East Oshkosh and more importantly to better enhance collaborative ministry for all the Catholic faithful in this area of the Diocese.

What has sparked this process is the need to continue to practice good stewardship when making decisions about the facilities as well as the finances, the personnel, and most particularly, the pastoral and spiritual resources so necessary to grow the Church in Oshkosh for years to come.

As has been evident in each of your six parishes, this effort has mirrored a similar process that has or is taking place in each of the other 162 parishes throughout the diocese, in all 16 counties, in the 15 planning clusters and in all 12 vicariates of the diocese.

While the process in East Oshkosh has been particularly challenging, the input garnered from Town Hall meetings, parish leadership deliberations and exemplary forward planning and co-operation among and between each of your pastors and parish director, has given promise to an even more vital Catholic community in East Oshkosh.

Before responding to both the majority and the minority proposals presented to me as your Bishop, I should like to speak first to you from a personal perspective. Anytime any change of significant magnitude occurs, there is more than the likelihood of pain. You have probably heard the expression: "I know how you feel." In this instance and as your Bishop I believe that statement is particularly true - "I really do know how you feel," because I have personally experienced it. Here is the story.

As many of you already know, I am a native of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania. Actually, I grew up in a community called Ambridge, located 18 miles northwest of the city of Pittsburgh. When I was a youngster in the 1950s, Ambridge had a population of over 13,000 people. There were seven steel mills and seven Catholic parishes - five Roman Catholic and two Eastern Rite. That all changed beginning in the 1980s. Economic conditions resulted in the closure of all seven steel mills. As a result, the population in the town dropped under 5,000 people. The five Roman Catholic parishes realized that change for them was necessary too! Having engaged in a process, not unlike your own, they too made some difficult recommendations to merge all the parishes to form one new parish which eventually led to one church building. This process culminated in 1994.

The parish in which I was baptized, made my First Confession, received First Communion and Confirmation, the parish in which I celebrated my first Mass as a priest was scheduled to close. Since the pastor of my home parish was gravely ill, I was asked to celebrate the last Mass. As a matter of fact, six days before the last Mass, the pastor died. His funeral was celebrated two days before the last Mass. The Sunday of the final Mass was marked with a double sadness; not only had the people lost their pastor; they would also be losing their church. I too felt both losses. The Sunday of the final Mass, I remembered all the many ways my faith grew in that parish. I led the people through the closing process feeling their pain, for it was mine too.

What has resulted since then is one faith community, somewhat smaller but far more vibrant than the previous parishes. New ministries have emerged. New opportunities to serve the faithful have come to life. A new sense of enthusiasm has embraced not only the Church, but the entire community of Ambridge as well. The faithful have come to realize that what they are able to accomplish together as one parish is more than they were able to accomplish as different parishes.

It is my sincere belief and confident hope that what happened in the hometown of my youth, may likewise happen in Oshkosh in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Now for the recommendations which you presented to me.

The majority recommendation by the representatives from each of the current six parishes by a vote of eleven in favor and four against proposed that two parishes be formed from the current six in East Oshkosh. One parish would be located in the Northern portion of East Oshkosh and would be comprised of the current members from St. Josaphat, St. Mary and St. Peter Parishes. This majority recommendation called for St. Peter Church to be the church site to be used for all liturgies, both weekend and weekdays, as well as all Baptisms, weddings and funerals with the possible consideration of using St. Josaphat Church for weekday Masses.

The local planning group also recommended that a second parish be established in the South of East Oshkosh, comprised of the current members from St. John, Sacred Heart and St. Vincent de Paul with two church buildings to be used for all Masses and sacramental celebrations, those two buildings being Sacred Heart and St. Vincent de Paul. According to the majority recommendation, three priests would be appointed, one pastor of the North Parish, one pastor of the South Parish and one parochial vicar or associate pastor who would be shared between both parishes. Together the parishes would serve the needs of the Newman Center at U.W. Oshkosh.

There was also a minority recommendation which was drafted by the four individuals who voted against the majority proposal. They agreed with all the aspects of the majority recommendation with the exception of the number of church sites in the North Parish. In addition to the St. Peter site, they recommended the inclusion of St. Josaphat as a worship site for Masses on both the weekend and weekdays.

In addition, I have received from parish leaders and parishioners many heartfelt thoughts, ideas and suggestions regarding the reorganization of the Church in East Oshkosh. I have seen all of this input as a sign of your deep love for the Church and your particular interest in the future shape of the Church in East Oshkosh.

For all of your input, I am profoundly grateful. Most especially, I thank the members of both planning committees, the Vicariate Planning Committee and the subsequent East Oshkosh planning committee, representative of all six parishes. Their task was not easy. However, they remained faithful to the process through much discussion and deliberation.

Finally, having consulted with your pastors and parish director: Fr. Bob Kollath, Sr. Judy Miller, Fr. Tom Reynebeau, Fr. Bob Stegmann, Fr. Bill Van De Kreeke; having reflected upon the recommendations presented to me by your parish leaders and you, the parishioners; having heard the mind of the Diocesan Priest Council; and having prayed about this matter with an openness to the Holy Spirit, I am prepared to announce my decision regarding the future of the Catholic Church in East Oshkosh.

Effective, July 14, 2007, all six faith communities will be merged into two parishes. St. Josaphat, St. Mary and St. Peter will be merged to form one new parish on the North Side. St. John, Sacred Heart and St. Vincent de Paul will be merged to form one new parish on the South Side. The North Side parish will gather to celebrate Mass and the Sacraments at both the St. Peter and St. Mary sites. The parish on the South Side will gather to celebrate Mass and the Sacraments at both the Sacred Heart and St. Vincent de Paul sites. Moreover, I have decided that the other two Church buildings - namely, St. Josaphat on the North Side and St. John on the South Side will remain open for the celebration of Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals until decided otherwise by the Pastors of each respective Parish working in consultation with the parish leaders of the two new parishes. In the same vein, should future conditions suggest that only one church building is needed for weekend and weekday Masses in either parish, that too must be considered by the respective pastors and parish leadership.

The faith communities of East Oshkosh will be served by three priests, one pastor on the North Side, one pastor on the South Side and a parochial vicar, associate pastor, who will serve both parishes. Together both parishes will also serve the Catholic Community at the Newman Center at U.W. Oshkosh.

Very shortly I will be announcing the names of the respective pastors who will work with the current pastors and parish director in the important transition leading up to the creation of the two new parishes on July 14. One of the first tasks of the newly appointed Pastors will be to provide me with a list of three possible names for each parish.

It is important to note that in this parish transition, all the assets of the former parishes including the spiritual and historical treasures of each, become the assets of each newly created parish; that is, the assets of St. Josaphat, St. Mary and St. Peter Parishes become the assets of the new North Side parish and the assets of St. John, Sacred Heart and St. Vincent de Paul become the assets of the new South Side parish. All of the parishes' resources remain here in East Oshkosh. The particulars of the transition will need to be worked out by the soon to be appointed pastors with the current pastors and parish director in consultation with parish leadership.

As I noted in the beginning of my remarks, this is an historic moment for the Catholic Community in East Oshkosh. We all celebrated together the power of God's Word and the Eucharistic presence of Jesus in the Mass before my announcement.

My hope and prayer is that the unity and respect, the devotion and the cooperation so evident in the Mass tonight will be reflected in the two new parishes coming to life from the rich past of the six faith communities. It is also my hope and prayer that all of you will embrace these two new parishes and that you will faithfully bring them to life. God bless you; God bless me as we continue to work together to grow the Church.

Grateful for our belief that "Nothing is Impossible with God," I am

Your brother in Christ,

[signed]

Most Reverend David A. Zubik
Bishop of Green Bay