It’s Wednesday, so it must be St. Elizabeth’s. Like the more than 4,400 priests who serve multiple parishes, Father Philip awoke to the reality of another day of travel to his second parish assignment, and then a day later to a third, and for many priests even a fourth. The expanding size and diversity of the Catholic population, paralleled by a diminishing number of priests, has led to nationwide restructuring of parish assignments. Increasingly the norm is for a pastor to be responsible for a mega-parish or for several smaller parishes; 20 percent of those active in parochial ministry have more than one parish, and 44 percent of all parishes and missions are part of a cluster. My recent study, Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 2006), was designed to uncover the rich sources of vital parish life fostered by vibrant leaders in these new circumstances. With responsibility for several parishes, priests like Father Philip are searching for models of ministry that contribute to the life of each community in circumstances where the priest is as present as in times past. “What do I do now?” is a recurring question many pastors who are newly assigned to care for several parishes ask.

Good liturgy is fundamental
Almost 1,000 priests participated in my research. Most essential, they said, was to build a community by offering dynamic and inspiring liturgies. Certain characteristics of the Sunday celebration add to its significance: preaching an effective homily, involving as many people as possible in planning and carrying out the liturgy, and making available opportunities for parishioners to live out the transforming experience of communal worship.

Lay ministers
Without question, developing and maintaining a vibrant worship community requires certain competencies that often reach beyond the capacity of the pastor.

Although two-thirds of the parishes have at least some full-time or part-time lay ecclesial ministers, others rely entirely on volunteers. Pastors with staff recognize the indispensable role these coworkers play in contributing to parish vitality. Of those responding to the survey, 96 percent report being very or somewhat satisfied with their relationships with professional staff. In situations where volunteers are the sole assistants, they too are highly valued, but many priests lament the incomplete ministerial services they can provide without professional staff.

What structural models are most helpful in coping with these multiple parish situations? Mark Mogilka, Director of Pastoral Services for the Diocese of Green Bay, has identified six different arrangements commonly used to suit various circumstances, ranging from cooperation to merger.

1. Coordinated separate parishes have their own pastors, but share programs, staff, and resources, with planning done through cooperation of pastors and a coordinating committee.
2. Separate parishes with one pastor and parish life coordinators make it possible for each parish to maintain separate leadership structures. The pastor serves primarily one parish except for sacramental ministry.
3. Separate parishes with one pastor who provides leadership, sacramental and pastoral care for all parishes is often the most challenging for the pastor. Cooperation may be facilitated by a coordinating committee, but often in these situations long distances between parishes make closer relationships difficult.
4. A centralized team and council work with one pastor, sometimes out of one location in service to all parishes, but each parish has its own council as well. A variation on this model may be a team of priests serving many parishes with a strong area pastoral council to guide the operation.
5. Merged parishes have one council, pastoral and finance committees, and shared finances to form a single canonical parish. The churches remain as separate worship sites served by one pastor and sharing all else in common.
6. Parishes are merged and worship sites closed in favor of building a new larger church. The new parish has traditional leadership structure with one pastor and staff.

Any of these models can be effective and appropriate—or not. So much depends on the pastoral leaders. These pastors are most successful when they engage in inclusive discernment with all parties affected by changes in structures, capitalize on the gifts and talents of professional lay ministers and volunteers, and demonstrate by their prayers and actions their love and concern for all parishioners. For the many Father Philips who minister in these evolving parish clusters, they have found that “life is changed, not taken away” when they follow the essentials of good pastoral leadership and engage the whole community. TPM