The Merger of Saint Luke
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Click here to read about the above section, taken from the Trinity Icon.
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Letter from Fr. Joe that was sent to all parishioners on December 2, 2007: Peace be with you! Dear Friends, I begin this letter filled with gratitude to God, gratitude for you. I am grateful for your faith and hope, your courage and trust, your prayers and support as we journey together to become a new parish, one community of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thank you for sharing your questions and concerns during the recent months with the members of our Parish Pastoral Councils and with me. Your questions and insights provide us with an invaluable opportunity to listen to your concerns and offer you our most up-to-date information as we make this transition together. Today, I want to update you on what is taking place in the structural and pastoral processes of our parish merger and, at the same time, give you a preview of what to expect in the early months of 2008.
STRUCTURAL MERGER PROCESS I have received Archbishop Flynn’s letter and decree accepting our request to merge our parishes of Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Luke into one parish. As we begin the new liturgical year and the season of Advent, I am pleased to announce that Archbishop Flynn has named our new parish in honor of Saint Thomas More. History shows that Thomas More was a sixteenth-century layman, a faithful husband and devoted father, scholar and teacher, lawyer, judge, and Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VIII. He was committed in mind and heart to the Gospel and the person of Jesus Christ. When he followed his conscience and opposed the Act of Supremacy, which made Henry “Head of the Church in England” and divorced him from the Queen, Thomas More was imprisoned and beheaded, dying a martyr for the faith of the Church. In his letter, Archbishop Flynn writes: “I am confident that this new common identity will enable the parish community of Saint Thomas More to exercise responsible stewardship, build community, and focus on mission.” When the civil and canonical merger takes effect on January 1, 2008, the three entities of the Church of Saint Luke, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and IHM-St. Luke’s School will formally become the Church of Saint Thomas More. Because both worship spaces will be dedicated to Saint Thomas More, what is presently Immaculate Heart of Mary will be designated as the West Campus and what is presently Saint Luke will be designated as the East Campus. IHM-St. Luke’s School will become Saint Thomas More Catholic School. The school will be rededicated and blessed in honor of Saint Thomas More during Catholic Schools Week. Trustees Minnesota State Law governs the formation of a parish corporation. The Bishop (Archbishop) , his Vicar General and the Pastor of the parish designate two lay members as trustees. These five people make up the Board of Directors of the Parish Corporation. Together they are responsible for and have the power to transact all business of the parish. Currently, Pat Shea and Gloria Wilkie are the Trustees for Immaculate Heart of Mary. Kay Miller and Ken Goodpaster are currently the Trustees for Saint Luke. After prayerful reflection and discussion, I have invited Pat Shea and Ken Goodpaster to continue as the first trustees of the Church of Saint Thomas More. The Trustees will begin their new term of office when the civil merger takes effect on January 1, 2008. They will be installed at 4:15 PM Mass on Saturday, February 2, 2008, West Campus.
PASTORAL MERGER PROCESS On October 27 and November 17, the Pastor, Pastoral Staff, Trustees, Pastoral Councils, Finance Councils, and Committees of both parishes met with Maureen Geddes and Joan Gecik, seasoned professionals in guiding church transitions, for a morning of reflection. At these meetings participants reflected on their parish experience, the transition, the values we hold that have made Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Luke dynamic faith communities, and how these values lay the foundation for our new community of Saint Thomas More. Listening Sessions In addition to these Leadership Retreats, the first Listening Session (which was open to all parishioners) took place on November 15 in the church at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Again, the staff, council members, trustees and I participated along with a number of parishioners from both communities. The evening began with prayer with Maureen Geddes facilitated the session. Participants represented the full range of membership in our communities, from those who have lived in Immaculate Heart of Mary or Saint Luke parishes all their lives to those who had just registered earlier in the month. The comments, questions, concerns, and conversation were both respectful and enlightening. It was an evening blest by openness and understanding. We will continue to have more listening sessions scheduled in the future. The next listening session is scheduled for January 14, 2008 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of St. Thomas More Catholic School. LAY LEADERSHIP A fundamental component of the Pastoral Process is establishing lay leadership for the new parish. This involves creating one parish pastoral council and one finance council composed of members from our present councils who have been selected by discernment and appointment by the pastor or directly appointed by the pastor. New Parish Pastoral Council The members of the Parish Pastoral Councils from Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Luke met for discernment on November 7. In preparation for the meeting, each member discerned their candidacy as members of the new Parish Pastoral Council. The trustees of both parishes and I met on November 14 and discerned through prayer and reflection, eight of the nine members of the new council. The ninth member is in discernment at this time. The new Parish Pastoral Council will begin its work as of January 1, 2008, and will be formally installed at the 10:15 AM Mass on Sunday, February 3, 2008, East Campus. At this time, I am privileged to appoint eight members of our community to the first Parish Pastoral Council of the Church of Saint Thomas More: Yvonne Hanson, Peter Ries, Barb Thomalla, Steve Thomas, Gretchen Tieder, Gloria Wilkie, Steve Wilson and Darwin Williams. Finance Council During the month of December, Renee Sherman, parish finance manager, and I will be working with the chairs of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Luke Finance Councils to create the new Finance Council for the Church of Saint Thomas More. Like the new Parish Pastoral Council, the Finance Council will be composed of members from our present councils. Along with the Trustees and the Pastoral Council, they will begin their work January 1, 2008, with installation on the weekend of February 2 and 3, 2008.
END OF YEAR BUSINESS Earlier this year the Twin Cities German Immersion School approached the Pastoral Council with a rental proposal for our Immaculate Heart of Mary building beginning in the summer of 2008. The Pastoral Council established an “ad hoc building committee” (Steve Otto, Steve Thomas and Peggy Junkin) to research and enter into negotiations with the German Immersion School. On November 28 this committee received the approval of the Pastoral Council to make a counter proposal to the German Immersion School. We anticipate a response to this proposal before the end of year. Should we enter into a lease agreement with the German Immersion School, we will continue to retain our worship space, the community room and other rooms in that area for the foreseeable future, in addition to having access to the gym and the upstairs kitchen. Saint Luke: Capital Campaign Timeline in Light of the Parish Merger Earlier this fall, the Capital Campaign Cabinet published a digest of the house meetings held in May and June in parishioner’s homes. While there are challenges to overcome, most notably, the stabilization of parish finances, there was general consensus that we should improve our buildings and grounds to make them more accessible and more welcoming to all. However, the merger of Saint Luke with Immaculate Heart of Mary has now taken precedence over other long-range activities and any campaign will require commitment from everyone in our newly formed parish. Consequently, the Campaign Cabinet has agreed to a revised timeline for the project. The earliest an active campaign could begin is the fall of 2008, maybe later. This will give the new parish leadership and me time, following the legal merger, to re-establish working committees and councils, including the Steering Committee for the building project. In addition, concept plans and feasibility analysis will surely be updated because of the merger. Thank you for your continued interest in this important project, and for your continued patience with what has become a long timeline for implementation. Surely, we will be blessed if we put our trust in the Lord. COMING UP IN 2008 Finally, I invite you to attend the naming and dedication of our worship spaces to Saint Thomas More on Saturday, February 2 at 4:15 PM Saint Thomas More West Campus and on Sunday, February 3, 2008, at 10:15 AM Saint Thomas More East Campus. On these dates, we will celebrate the installation of our Trustees and Council members at our first Masses as the new Catholic community on Summit Avenue, the Church of Saint Thomas More. Thank you for reading this letter and taking the time to understand where we are in the merger process and where we are going in the coming months. As you digest this new information, please continue to submit your questions, concerns and insights into the process at: mergerfeedback@gmail.com. To become more involved in either the process and/or the community during this exciting time, simply send an e-mail telling how you want to participate and which talents and desires you would like to share to: morecommunitylife@gmail.com. I look forward to working with all of you as we create a vibrant and welcoming worship community. Your input will be critical in developing our future. May God who has begun this good work in us bring it to fulfillment. In Christ, Rev. Joseph E. Weiss, S.J., Ph.D. Download the PDF of this letter here Letter from Fr. Joe that was sent to all parishioners on September 19, 2007: Dear Friends,
May the peace of Christ be with you! I know this news will elicit a variety of responses from the members of our two parishes. Some of us, perhaps long time members, may receive this news with anger, while others may experience a sense of sorrow and loss. Those members who have joined our communities more recently may experience a sense of relief, hope, and expectation for our future. There is no “right” response, but each of us needs to be aware of our response, acknowledge it, and respect one another. Speaking for myself, I am excited that the members of the Pastoral Councils have come to this decision and have made this recommendation to me. I welcome this decision, and I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit among our lay leaders. Through my own prayer, experience, and reflection, I also confirm it as the right decision. Because I have been pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke for the past three years, I have seen the strengths and weaknesses of each parish and foresee the profound gift we can be for each other by creating a new Catholic community. Naturally, you will have many questions about the merger, its process, its timeline, and more, and I recognize that communication at this time is critical. You can expect this exchange of information to be an ongoing conversation as the process unfolds. It is our intention to provide you with information as quickly as it is available, and we ask that you raise your questions as soon as they are known so they can be shared and answered for the whole community. A communication committee has been established to make sure this happens. Please watch in the very near future for more information on how to communicate your thoughts, your worries, and your questions. To begin the ongoing conversation, we have prepared a Question and Answer sheet responding to anticipated questions about the merger of our parishes, as well as a glossary of terms that may help facilitate our conversation. Let me reiterate that the decision to merge was not made lightly. But as our fiscal future became clearer and as priest availability remained low, a merger rather than a partnership seemed to be inevitable. Pastoral council members from Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke believed it was important for us as parishioners to be proactive and make this decision now. We would prefer to work together to shape our future as a faith community as much as possible. I pray you will join me on this journey. Wherever you find yourself in response to this news, please pray each day that we may desire the direction God wills for us - more than our personal desires, more than the past history of our individual parishes, more than the future we would choose for ourselves. Ever grateful for what we have received from those who have gone before us, let us build on our inheritance so that future generations may be blessed through us.
In the Lord,
Pastor Have questions or feedback related to the parish merger? Please E-mail all your comments to: mergerfeedback@gmail.com (click the address and send your message). When you submit your comments, you may do so anonymously or you can ask for a member of the Pastoral Council to contact you personally. On a weekly basis, the communication team will gather all the question and respond as soon as possible. The answers will be made available online and on the merger bulletin boards at the East and West Campuses of St. Thomas More and at St. Thomas More School. As questions come in and discussion topics rise to the top we will also be holding listening sessions as a way for your voice to be heard in a community setting. We will inform you of dates and times as the need arises.
Hearing Your Voice During the
Merger Process: We have set up multiple ways for you to submit your questions and frustrations, your ideas and words of encouragement. First, we have set up new bulletin boards at the entrance of each church and by the office at our school. At those locations we have also placed Q&A boxes. Simply write your comments on pieces of paper and drop them in the box. Second, for those of you who use email, we have set up a dedicated E-mail address here to which you can contact us. Third, after each mass, members of our Parish Pastoral Councils will be available near the main entrance to the church to personally try to answer your questions, or at the very least carry your questions back to the Pastoral Councils or Communication Team, as appropriate.
Fourth, you can mail your feedback or
questions to:
Questions and Answers The most current questions will be posted first, with preceding questions to follow. February 2/3 Submission: Comment & Question: I am concerned about parish input into the ongoing merger process. The parishes were merged without broad input from the community, and in the recent bulletin we learned that the name was selected by Fr. Joe without input and now the logo is being professionally designed with no mention of input.
The broader community is expected to want to be engaged in
the parish but lacks opportunities to meaningfully participate in the
process. Can we improve the ability of the collective a Parishioner Answer: The Archbishop names new parishes, and he selected the name of our new parish. In October, Fr. Weiss presented the concept of naming our newly combined parish with the name of a lay saint, rather than a created name like Lumen Christi, to the Archbishop on behalf of our community. The Archbishop was intrigued by the idea and gave indication he would strongly consider a saint’s name representing the lay people. Archbishop Harry Flynn named the new parish in honor of St. Thomas More to pay tribute to the community’s long history of lay leadership and the academic mission of the Jesuits serving the parish, a religious order strongly committed to education and building Catholic communities rooted in “faith that does justice.”
Each member of the community will have the opportunity to
meaningfully participate in building and shaping our newly formed parish as
we collectively commit to a new mission The new Pastoral Council and the Strategic Planning Team are diligently working on a draft of the new mission statement. Your input and reflection upon this draft will be requested at an upcoming Merger Update Session scheduled for early spring. Please look for announcements in the bulletin, website, family flyer, and church bulletin boards for further information. In the meantime, please contact the various directors of each pastoral ministry for a variety of opportunities to engage fully in our parish life. January 26/27 Submission: Comment: The Catholic grade school I attended in another city no longer exists. The Catholic church where I was confirmed is now an Assembly of God house of worship. My high school was razed a few years ago. Friends and family have changed their names and businesses have done the same. Liberty State Bank is now Associated Bank. The list goes on.
I know the merger is very painful for many of the good people
in this neighborhood. But I also know a bit of advice from two sages. I once
read an interview of a 100-year-old woman What we have left is Jesus in the Eucharist who empowers us with grace to live each gifted day. We have church and school structures, we have Father Joe, and we have community. Our children have a new patron who sets a fine example of scholarship and integrity. All of us are MORE challenged to move forward with grateful hearts under the Holy Spirit.
Michaelene Zawistowski, IHM January 19/20 Submission: Comment: For the longest time I have thought, reflected, and prayed over the many changes, unexpected events, and seeming conflicts that continue to be an unsettling part of the life inside and outside of the IHM-St. Luke complex. I’ve tried to make sense of the pain, alienation, comings and goings, and general rage, anger, hurt, and frustration that exists in the conversations and feelings expressed by so many of the parishioners of both communities. Without saying so, it seems like we were asked to die to some of the things we held dear: worship at the three locations; expectations about community, faithfulness, and spiritual nourishment; a vibrant (albeit, casual) ritual and liturgical gathering of each community. There was a bond, a unity, a togetherness that existed in spite of the differences in points of view, diversity of liturgies, and lack of communication.
One of the things that has become clear to me is that we will
not return So, I hope you will read on as I still try to make sense about all of this. It may be a big leap in mind, heart, faith, and spirit to consider that through the voices of Archbishop Flynn, the Pastoral and Finance Councils, Fr. Joe and staff, parishioners and friends, the Holy Spirit is inviting you and me to create a new community in this place (St. Paul) and time (2008 to ??) that has never existed before. It could be an invitation for you and me and many others to be a gathering of God’s family, relatives, friends, in-laws and out-laws, children, elders, etc., who can be a new way of being Christ in this world, gathered around Eucharist, and able to receive and give love to a broken world.
We are also being called to be known as the community of St.
Thomas More. And while this name change is difficult and even painful, it really does not take anything away from who you were as a Luker or IHMer, any more than by taking her husband’s name, my niece was no longer known as a Fisher (her family name) or when a company spins off another entity as 3M did with Imation, the original Imation people still had the 3M spirit as part of their history. This certainly is not the only way to make some sense of the recent pronouncements, but it is one that allows me to be involved and to put energy, and excitement into what I believe is fairly direct communication from the Holy Spirit. There are so many options open to us today that none of us is obligated to become an integral part of this new ecclesia, this new gathering of God’s people. But if you are willing to risk ‘making all things new,’ of being a leading example of a community that is inclusive, diverse, committed to loving one another, of being a way for Christ to be in the world, of celebrating our brokenness and our dependence on one another around the Eucharistic table, and of being with one another in our sorrows and joys, please prayerfully consider joining the community of St. Thomas More. Joe Claus
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