Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

ALL THINGS NEW – Steadfast in Faith - Forward in Hope

Strategic Pastoral Planning Initiative for the Archdiocese of St. Louis

      Last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at all of our Masses, reading a letter from Archbishop Rozanski that was dated January 25, 2022.  He wrote about All Things New, the Strategic Pastoral Plan Initiative for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Archbishop’s letter was also printed in last week’s bulletin.  In addition, we had  tri-fold brochures in the pews for our parishioners to take home.  That brochure helps to introduce some of the key elements of All Things New.  It explains:

        An initiative driven by the Church’s universal mission to evangelize is being implemented throughout the archdiocese.

        All Things New will assess the effectiveness of the Church in St. Louis in proclaiming the Gospel and will identify opportunities to build on our strength and improve our ministry to bring about renewal within all parishes, schools and curia offices and agencies.

        This multi-year process will impact the archdiocese for the next 75 years.  All Catholics are urged to pray and offer their feedback about the future of the archdiocese, rooted in our encounter with the Lord and desire to share the Good News with others.  The plan will focus on the Church’s efforts to evangelize ensuring the appropriate resources and infrastructure are in place.

      Mr. Dave Baranowski, Director of Parish Stewardship & Leadership Formation for the Archdiocese of St. Louis reminds us that the mission of the Church has always been to evangelize – to bring people to Jesus. He writes:

•   “All Things New” is the name of the Archdiocese’s strategic plan to better equip ourselves for our mission to evangelize.

•    The theme, “All Things New”, was inspired from the Book of Revelations  (21:3-5).

•    Due to changing demographics, a more secularized society and fewer future priests we are at a point where we need to reallocate our resources to better serve our evangelization efforts.

•   “All Things New” has three goals:

    1.   Unceasing Prayer – to call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance.

    2.   Unifying Vision – to empower all Catholics to spread the Gospel message.

    3.   Intentional Stewardship – to reallocate resources, impacting parishes, schools, the seminary, the Curia and all agencies, to ensure the long-term   vibrancy of our Catholic presence.

•   The timing of “All Things New” is in two phases:

   1.   Phase 1: Summer 2021 – May 2023

         This is a time for prayer, discernment and planning.

         All Catholics will be invited to participate in surveys and listening sessions.

         And new parish models will be discussed.

   2.   Phase 2: Fall 2023 – End of 2028

         Implementation of new parish models.

•   The Good News of “All Things New”:

          It will ensure that the Gospel is proclaimed to future generations!

          It will help everyone grow in friendship with the Holy Trinity!

The brochure also presented the MOTIVATION for this initiative.  “All Things New” will enable us to proclaim the Gospel with a renewed zeal to future generations.  The current structure of the archdiocese is reflective of an immigrant Church formed centuries ago, when parishes were built around Polish, Irish, German and other primarily European communities.  In our current society, the landscape looks very different. 

The population of St. Louis is more diverse and people are less connected with the Church, with many people claiming no religious affiliation.  This process will enable ministries to meet people where they are – spiritually and geographically – while remaining constant in our mission and rooted in faith.

I encourage you to learn more and subscribe to: allthingsnew.archstl.org

Sincerely yours in Jesus,

Fr. John Seper