PRIORITIZING THE PASTORAL PLAN
SAINT PAUL CATHEDRAL PARISH
REVISED:  SEPTEMBER 2022

STATEMENT ON THE USE OF CHURCH SITES FOR SAINT PAUL CATHEDAL PARISH
VERY REVEREND KRIS D. STUBNA, S.T.D., RECTOR AND PASTOR
April 26, 2022

At the time of the merger of our four former parishes (Saint Paul Cathedral, Saint Regis, Saint Rosalia, and Saint Stephen) in July 2020, the decision was made, after careful consultation with the clergy team and the finance and pastoral councils, to use two parish churches for regular worship: namely Saint Paul Cathedral and Saint Rosalia. Since July 2020, however, we have permitted the use of both Saint Regis and Saint Stephen churches for funerals, weddings, and baptisms. This was a pastoral decision made to help the faithful in a time of transition as we worked to bring our four communities together into one.

As we approach our two-year anniversary as a parish, there is much progress to note. While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult to navigate, there have been many positive developments. Among them: (1) our daily and Sunday Mass schedule has been solidified and meets the needs of our parish family; (2) many parish organizations that were in place at the four different parishes prior to the merger have come together and are working beautifully in serving the needs of many in our new parish (e.g., Pastoral and Finance councils, Ladies of Charity, Food Bank, liturgical ministers, Saint Vincent DePaul, RCIA, Young Adults); (3) many formation programs are flourishing (Wine, Cheese, and the Gospel, bible studies, Father Vanyo Library, religious education program, men’s group); (4) facility upgrades at Saint Rosalia (renovation of social hall, new lighting, renovation of organ, painting of the sacristy, door security upgrades); (5) facility upgrades at Saint Paul Cathedral (installation of LED lighting in the Church, painting of the social hall, repairs of sidewalks and steps, installation of Hearing Loop, and social media meeting technology in the social hall); (6) implementation of a parish pastoral plan that prioritizes mission and ministry; (7) hiring a new Director of Music for the parish, a new organist, and the growth of a choir at each of the two sites; (8) many members of the parish volunteering with our social ministry outreach (food bank, meals on wheels, homebound and elderly visitation, grieving ministry outreach); (9) enhanced television and live-streaming ministry for the daily Mass and many other parish events and activities; (10) an offertory appeal was made by members of the parish finance council at each of the Masses recently which provided a financial overview to our parishioners and has resulted in increased offertory revenue; (11) the renovation project for Synod Hall is underway. This building will become the new parish pastoral center. More than $1 million in additional funding has been secured over the past 12 months to be added to the nearly $2.5 million raised through the Church Alive campaign for this project; (12) those serving in ministry roles for the parish are now serving at both sites including lectors, EEMs, altar servers and greeters; (13) our Latino community continues to grow in the parish and includes a growing number of those attending the Mass in Spanish on Sunday at 12:00 Noon, as well as those attending Masses at the Cathedral; and (14) our parish bulletin is our primary means of communication for the faithful. This is a labor of love each week as we seek to make the bulletin informative and formative. Our presence on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and our website) provide wonderful ways in which we are sharing the Good News of our parish life. Flocknote has invited parishioners to become part of network in which we can communicate more easily with information, prayers, and other ideas, including providing resources for learning and spiritual formation.

However, as we look at our available resources – financial and human – it is time to take another step to continue building and strengthening parish unity and ensuring sustainability for the future. We are challenged to be the best stewards possible with the resources we have available to us in maintaining sufficiently and safely the two sites we are using for regular worship and for parish life and ministry. There are so many needs relative to maintaining our church sites for even occasional reverent use. These needs include cleaning and maintenance, safety and security, providing sufficient ministers, and ensuring that the necessary liturgical instruments and supplies are on hand, etc. Maintaining all four churches has become more and more challenging with the passing of time.

Over the course of the past 22 months, the parish finance council and pastoral council have been discussing how to balance our parish’s commitment to mission and ministry, while managing the demands of building maintenance and upkeep. After a thorough study of pastoral need and financial considerations, the councils have made a unanimous recommendation to me regarding the use of parish buildings, which I have accepted. Effective, June 1, 2022, Saint Paul Cathedral Parish will only use Saint Paul Cathedral and Saint Rosalia Church for regular worship (as we now do) and that all other sacramental and liturgical celebrations including funerals, weddings, and baptisms, will only be celebrated at Saint Paul Cathedral and Saint Rosalia church. Furthermore, all parish activities and outside activities will only be permitted at Saint Paul Cathedral and Saint Rosalia sites. Saint Stephen and Saint Regis churches will continue to be maintained but will not be used for regular activity.

We will consolidate our parish resources so that we can celebrate all our liturgies properly and reverently with sufficient human and financial resources to provide for what is needed. There will be one Mass celebrated each year at the Saint Regis and Saint Stephen sites (either on the feast day of the patron saint or the anniversary of the church’s dedication whichever is more appropriate).

We have been working diligently now for more than four years to bring people together into one new parish, Saint Paul Cathedral parish. Our parish, with the support of the clergy team, staff, and members of the Finance and Pastoral Councils, has come to the realization that, given our needs and resources, our parish can only sustain two worship sites, at best, moving forward into the future. We have tried to respond pastorally in the initial period of transition by permitting the use of all four church sites in our parish for some liturgical celebrations, but due to reduction in the number of clergy and the demands on other human and financial resources, this is no longer feasible or wise. The demands on all of us have only become more pronounced and we need to find ways to serve our parish family more efficiently.

I realized that these changes will affect some parishioners deeply and in different ways. It pains me to have to make difficult decisions that potentially result in grief for some of our parishioners. These kinds of decisions are never easy for a pastor. At the same time, as pastor, it is incumbent upon me to tend as best as I can to the needs of the whole parish community and ensure that the sacraments and ministry are provided with excellence and integrity, which at this moment requires the forthcoming adjustments.

Thank you for your continued support, especially your prayers, as we continue our journey together as Saint Paul Cathedral parish.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OF NOTE FOR OUR PARISH – EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2022

1.    Dates for annual liturgies at the two sites not being used:

a.    Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 pm – Annual Mass at Saint Regis for the Feast of Saint Regis

b.    Thursday, September 15 at 6:30 pm – Annual Mass at Saint Stephen for the Dedication of the Church (1902)

2.    Scheduled liturgies of note:

a.    Annual Mass in Honor of San Lorenzo – Sunday, August 7 at 12:00 Noon at Saint Paul Cathedral

b.    Annual Mass at the Parkway Shrine – Tuesday, August 16 at 6:30 pm

c.    Volunteer Appreciation Vespers and Dinner – Thursday, October 20 at 6:30 pm

3.    Priest on Duty in Hazelwood – beginning in July:

a.    Last Wednesday of each month from 1:00 – 3:00 pm (at Saint Stephen Rectory)

4.    Confessions at Saint Rosalia Church:

a.    First Saturday of each month from 3:15 – 3:45 pm (with the priest celebrating the 4:00 pm Mass)

b.    Every Sunday at 11:00 am (Father Walsh is available to hear confessions prior to the Spanish Mass)

5.    Priorities in moving forward:

a.    Resuming Coffee and Donut Sundays:

i.    1st Sunday after 9:00 am (Saint Rosalia)

ii.    2nd Sunday after 10:00 am and 12:00 Noon (Saint Paul Cathedral)

b.    Connecting people who need rides to Mass with other parishioners

c.    Scheduling some social gatherings which can bring people together for fellowship

d.    Hosting a Ministry Fair to increase involvement in parish ministry

e.    Scheduling a parish mission

Facilities Task Force Recommendations and Next Steps

Our On Mission for the Church Alive journey has taken place over the past three years now. Along the way, we have made every effort possible to communicate and to share the information about our parish merger with everyone. There have been opportunities to come together for assemblies, discussions, and ZOOM meetings. Our parish bulletin and website has contained weekly updates. On July 1, we became one new parish, Saint Paul Cathedral Parish.

Many decisions have had to be made along the way and will continue to need to be made for the good of our parish family. As we seek to create a vibrant parish that is able to do all the things a parish must do in ministry and outreach to the faithful, we have to find ways to move from maintenance to mission – spending less on our buildings and more on ministry and people.

After much prayer, deliberation, and consultation, we have made the decision to accept the recommendations of our parish Facilities Task Force regarding our four church buildings. The recommendations put forward unanimously by the Facilities Task Force are:  

1. Short Term: Saint Regis and Saint Stephen should not be reopened for regular worship but can be used for funerals, weddings, and baptisms with the pastor’s permission.

2. Long Term: Saint Regis and Saint Stephen are not needed for the operation of our new parish. The permission to close (relegate to profane use) should be sought in accord with both diocesan regulations and canon law at the appropriate time.

As you know, these recommendations were approved by the clergy team, by the parish finance council, and were communicated in a presentation on the website and discussed in two ZOOM meetings. I realize that these are difficult decisions, but ones that must be made in light of our parish needs and resources as we move forward. We are not able to focus on just “simply operating” or “getting by” in this present moment. We are making decisions that will help us to be a viable, strong, and faith-filled parish community for the long term.

As we study the demographic and financial data of our parish, and look at our long-term capital improvement needs, we find that we do not need – and are not able – to operate four different church buildings. Even more importantly is to realize the goal of On Mission for the Church Alive: to bring people together and to focus on the needs of ministry. This requires fewer church buildings and fewer Masses to serve the needs of the faithful for the long run.

To this end, and in light of acceptance of the recommendations put forth by the parish Facilities Task Force, we want to inform the faithful of Saint Paul Cathedral parish of several important decisions:

1. Only Saint Paul Cathedral and Saint Rosalia church buildings will be used for regular daily and Sunday worship.

2. All four church buildings: Saint Paul Cathedral, Saint Regis, Saint Rosalia and Saint Stephen will be used for funerals, weddings, and baptisms for the time being.

3. We will continue to monitor the needs of our parish and the resources available to us with the help of our parish staff and parish finance council and make decisions as necessary as we move forward.

4. Effective the First Sunday of Advent (November 28-29, 2020), we will implement a new Mass schedule for Saint Paul Cathedral Parish. That schedule is as follows:

5.  Transportation. We are working with a transportation company to provide some shuttle service to those who express a need for it. We would want to be able to have a pick up at Saint Stephen site and Saint Regis site for anyone who desires to attend the 4:00 pm Mass at Saint Rosalia site on Saturday night, the 9:00 am Mass at Saint Rosalia site or the 10:00 am Mass at Saint Paul Cathedral on Sundays.

I would continue to ask for your patience and understanding as we do all that we can to bring our parish together into one community of faith. Change is never easy for any of us. But let us never lose sight of the big picture and why we are here in the first place: to grow more deeply in our love for God, to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, to open our hearts each day to the amazing grace of God given to us in the Church and especially the sacraments, and to serve the needs of others, so that we can gain the only thing worth gaining – life forever in heaven. Saint Paul, pray for us.

We have reached the point of making decisions about the use of our church buildings moving forward. A Facilities Resource Task Force has worked over these past months, in accordance with the policies and protocols of the diocese, to evaluate our church buildings in light of what our new parish needs for ministry and what our parish can afford given our resources. These are not easy decisions to make. The whole reason for merging our four parishes is the reality that we cannot continue to support all the church buildings that we have and there is not a need for using them all for regular public worship.

Our goal has been and continues to be moving from maintenance to mission – allowing our much-needed resources to move from bricks and mortar to the needs of the faithful in our parish community. We want to touch the hearts of the faithful and be able to serve their needs and to help bring them closer to the saving love of God and life in Jesus Christ.

I would invite you to view the presentation below that explains the process underway and provides the recommendations that the Facilities Resource Task Force has made to me about the use of our church buildings moving forward. You will see the many challenges confronting us with declining offertory revenue, significant capital projects needed for some of our buildings, changing demographics, the number of clergy available and the need to reduce our Mass schedule. These recommendations from the Task Force come after much investigation, study, reflection and prayer and represent for us the best opportunity we have to create a vibrant, life-giving and financially stable parish for the long term. I am grateful to the Task Force and the fidelity, professionalism, and care with which they accomplished the very difficult task they were given.

I know that these decisions will affect people deeply. Change is never easy. But I am inviting each of you to consider the most important questions of all:
 

1. What do we need to do to make these changes work?

2. What do we need to do in order to help you and others feel comfortable and welcome in attending Mass at another church site?

3. Think about what else we can do to serve the needs of our parishioners and others? What can you do to get involved in the life of our new parish?

FACILITIES RESOURCE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS
Q & A from the input received in the ZOOM meetings and other means
 

1. If we can use the church buildings for funerals, weddings, and baptisms, why can’t we just have one Mass on Sunday as well?

2. How can I go to St. Rosalia or St. Paul Cathedral when I don’t feel welcome?

3. Why do we need to worry about issues with capital improvements when the Church is perfectly fine the way it is?

4. If St. Stephen closes Hazelwood will suffer. If St. Regis closes, South Oakland will suffer. What about the Church’s support for our neighborhood?

5. I can’t believe that the financial numbers presented are really accurate. Where did those numbers come from?

6. What will happen to the funds received from the sale of any parish buildings?

7. Why do we have to pay off the debt from Saint Paul Cathedral and Saint Rosalia?

8. Why should we have to pay for the renovation of Synod Hall?

9. Why should I contribute any money at all if we aren’t going to use my church building?

10. I walk to church and have no car but if my church site closes how will I get to Mass?

11. Is the closing of church sites and possible sale of assets really about abandoning the poor so that our parish can serve the rich?

12. How will we identify the needs of our parish and make decisions about the kinds of ministry and outreach that we need?

13. If we can raise sufficient funds to keep the church building open will that change the plan?

14. Will we have time to celebrate a final Mass in any of the church buildings that might close in the future?

15. If we close St. Stephen and St. Regis, some people have said they will go to another parish somewhere else. What can we do to prevent that?

We do not want to lose a single person as we move forward with whatever decisions have to be made. It would be sad indeed for a person to make a decision to leave Saint Paul Cathedral parish simply because they cannot attend Mass in a particular church building. Each of us has to work hard to try and convince our family, friends and neighbors to remain a part of our new parish, to get involved, and to bring the history and legacy of our four former parish communities into the makeup of our new parish. But in the end if people want to leave our parish because of a building and have no desire to remain, then we wish them well and will keep them in our prayers. If someone makes a decision for the good of their own faith journey to move to a different parish then it would be our hope and prayer that those who leave will continue to practice their faith in whatever parish they chose to attend.

1. Please watch Father Stubna’s presentation prior to the ZOOM Meeting

2. We will focus on clarifying anything in the presentation and discussing how best to implement the recommendations moving forward

3. Everyone will be muted and can unmute to ask one question or offer one point of feedback so everyone has an opportunity to participate

Click here to see our current liturgy schedule.