West Wayne Vicariate Plan
Updated March 2006

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Guiding Principles from Together in Faith Coordinating Committee

1. Due to shifting populations, declining membership, and limited resources, some pastors who retire, become ill, or are reassigned, may not be replaced.

2. Since the Cluster Guidelines were adopted in 2000, many parishes have clustered. In most cases, experience has shown that clustering should be a first step towards merging parish communities.

3. In parishes where religious orders of men are assigned, their presence in the Archdiocese centers on the mission of each order and their availability to continue to serve. Facing the possibility that religious orders may need to withdraw from the Archdiocese, their parishes were also asked to identify cluster partners.

4. In cluster or merger situations, canonically, there must be a priest-pastor. It is possible for a deacon to be assigned to the pastor to assist in the pastoral ministry necessary for the new cluster or merger situation.

5. Demographics indicate that Catholic Schools are serving students from areas that extend beyond the local parish. Vicariates/regions need to address the responsibility of financial support of schools within the vicariate/region.

6. Each parish needs to review the status of its outstanding debts to determine if the frequency of payments and/or the amount of payments being made are sufficient to pay off its debts in a reasonable period of time.

Vicariate Overview

• 23 Parishes (2 clusters) served by 23 priests

• The vicariate priest-to-people ratio is 1:270, 8 are above the vicariate priest-to-people ratio and 15 are below the vicariate priest-to-people ratio.

• 10 priests are at or beyond retirement age.

• Although conditions vary among the many communities, population is relatively stable.

• Four parishes have minimal or no savings.

Vicariate Summation of Findings

• The Vicariate Plan calls for the coordination of worship schedules and educational activities and identifies a need to provide staff development and consistent educational criteria.

• The vicariate will focus on adult faith formation, senior citizens, and family catechesis, as well as on Hispanic Ministry.

• New Boston, Belleville, Romulus, and Wayne need to maintain one parish.

• There is also a need to prioritize and identify location of parishes in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Westland, and Garden City.

• The vicariate plans to implement a Vicariate Task Force to identify and recommend location of parishes and to recommend specific "pairing" of parishes.

• There is also a need to coordinate of fundraiser dates, public relations efforts, and marketing across the vicariate.

• The Vicariate Plan also calls for greater compliance with Archdiocesan financial practices, policies, and procedures and for cooperation among all parishes regarding the sharing of public relations efforts and waiting lists.

• Vicariate-wide needs for transportation, standardized tuition, and a limit to competition are identified.

• The vicariate will explore the possibility of regional schools operated by the diocese.

Question from Coordinating Committee: Many of the focus areas and scenarios in the vicariate plan are vague and unarticulated. How will these focus areas be accomplished? Who will take lead responsibility? What is the time frame? How will they be funded?

VICARIATE RESPONSE: Each representative was given the responsibility to dialogue with his or her pastor, come together as councils and/or key leadership within each group, and begin a dialogue. To date the following has occurred:

• Group 1 (St. Alphonsus, St. Barbara, St. Clement, and St. Cunnegunda): Pastor presented a proposal to the Cardinal but it has not come before the council and the priests did not reach a consensus. Another pastor informed his parish representative that he will communicate directly with the Cardinal, and another parish has no representation on the Vicariate Pastoral Council.

• Group 2 (Divine Child, Sacred Heart, St. Anslem): Priests have met, but not with their leadership. 

• Group 3 (St. Dunstan, St. Linus, St. Mel, St. Sabina, and St. Raphael): St. Linus asked to join with this group and their pastor attended with their representatives. The council agreed that originally the vicariate recommended they be partnered with the named parishes; however the pastor of St. Mel does not support this move. The people have not met.  

• Group 4 (St. Albert the Great, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, St. Martha, and St. Sebastian): The pastors and the parish leadership met. St. Joseph, who has been aligned with this group in the past, did not attend. The pastor of St. Joseph wants his parish moved to group 2 but the vicariate supports it in this group. St. John the Baptist will cluster with St. Albert the Great. St. Albert the Great and St. Sebastian have schools and they need to plan together. This group recommends three parishes of the five remain after the priests retire. They recommend to cluster and move to merger. 

• Group 5 (Holy Family, St. Mary, St. Richard, and SS. Simon & Jude): No Dialogue

• Group 6 (St. Aloysius, St. Anthony, and St. Stephen): Leadership and pastors met with very positive outcomes. A Tri-City Catholic Community created a bi-monthly newsletter for the parish communities of St. Aloysius, St. Anthony, and St. Stephen. Mass schedules and other information were included.

Question from Coordinating Committee: The vicariate is to be commended on its stated intentions to create a task force to "identify and make recommendations for the future location of parishes." However, creation of a task force will merely delay the process. The Vicariate Pastoral Council currently has all the information necessary to make such recommendations themselves. Based on parish size, sacramental activity, priest-to-people ratio, age of pastor, geographic proximity to other parishes, financial strength, and capital requirements, it appears that the vicariate cannot sustain all of its sites. Given that 10 priests are at or near retirement age and will probably not be replaced, what parish adjustments does the vicariate recommend?

VICARIATE RESPONSE: It is the consensus of the Vicariate Pastoral Council that the people recognize that nine priests are at or beyond retirement. They know what needs to be done but the priests within the partnerships need to be in dialogue as a presbyterate with their Parish Pastoral Council and the other councils in the vicariate. Bridges need to be built on all levels.

Question from Coordinating Committee:The vicariate's recommendation of "pairing" parishes is also commendable. The concept of "pairing," however, needs to be clarified in relationship to merging and clustering so that each parish entering into a "pairing" arrangement understands what it is committing itself to and what obligations it is assuming. What specifically does the vicariate recommend for "pairing?

VICARIATE RESPONSE: The vicariate defined "pairing" of parishes as partnering of parishes for the sharing of resources, seasonal activities, services, and masses. Every partnership will be diverse in nature depending on the needs of the parishes within the grouping. It does not mean sharing a pastor. In the long term they would see this leading to the combining of parishes or mergers.

The following partnerships are recognized:

• St. Alphonsus, St. Barbara, St. Clement, and St. Cunegunda 

• Divine Child, Sacred Heart, St. Anslem 

• St. Dunstan, St. Linus, St. Mel, St. Sabina, and consideration of St. Raphael to join from the NW Wayne Vicariate 

• St. Albert the Great, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, St. Martha, and St. Sebastian 

• Holy Family, St. Mary. St. Richard, and SS. Simon and Jude 

• St. Aloysius, St. Anthony, and St. Stephen

Question from Coordinating Committee:Four parishes are not adequately servicing their debts. How does the vicariate plan to respond to this situation?

VICARIATE RESPONSE: The Vicariate Council indicated that each parish has a responsibility to the debt they have incurred. This is not the responsibility of the vicariate.

Question from Coordinating Committee:The Vicariate School Plan has many commendable aspirations. However, in light of declining enrollments and decreasing populations, what school adjustments does the vicariate recommend? How will they be financially supported by the vicariate? How will all of the parishes in the Vicariate financially support its Catholic schools?

VICARIATE RESPONSE: A school committee has met with no definitive outcomes.

Comments and Recommendations from Coordinating Committee: The West Wayne Vicariate is to be commended for identifying the need of parishes to share resources and recognizing the fact that, in the future, some parishes will need to cluster or merge.

The Coordinating Committee has identified several issues that the vicariate needs to address:

Comment One:  Within six months, the vicariate clusters/partnerships should develop plans, including timelines, so that parishioners are informed and prepared specifically in the following areas. The remaining parishes need to identify a cluster partner within 3 months and submit a plan within 6 months.

Recommendation One:

• Presently while not clustered or merged, Divine Child, Sacred Heart, and St. Anselm are to develop and submit plans for collaboration. 

• Holy Family and St. Mary are clustered. 

• St. Aloysius, St. Anthony, and St. Stephen are to be commended on their development of the Tri-City Catholic Community.  

• St. Dunstan, St. Linus, St. Mel, and St. Sabina are to develop and submit a plan for collaboration. 

• Upon reassignment, retirement, or illness of the present pastor, the following parishes are encouraged to begin planning:

• St. Mel and St. Sabina are encouraged to begin planning for clustering upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors.

• St. Alphonsus, St. Barbara, St. Clement, and St. Cunegunda need to continue to develop the cluster/merger plan to be implemented with the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the three present pastors. 

• St. Albert the Great and St. John the Baptist are encouraged to begin planning for merger upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors. 

• St. Joseph and St. Martha are encouraged to begin planning for merger upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors. 

• St. Richard and SS. Simon and Jude are encouraged to begin planning for clustering upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors. In addition, these two parishes are to meet with Holy Family and St. Mary to develop a plan for collaboration.

Comment Two: By December 31, 2006, all parishes should participate in developing a plan to implement the vicariate focus areas, with details about how each will be accomplished, i.e. persons taking lead responsibility, a timeline for implementation, and a budget.

Comment Three: The parishes in all the quadrants value Catholic education.

Recommendation Two: Plans for the future of Catholic schools, using the SERF Vicariate model, should be developed for all schools in the vicariate by December of 2006. The Coordinating Committee views this with great urgency.

The TIF Coordinating Committee acknowledges the hard work by this vicariate, with these comments and recommendations regarding their final response:

• The quadrant parishes of St. Alphonsus, St. Barbara, St. Clement, and St. Cunegunda are encouraged to continue to collaborate, with the assistance of the regional bishop.

• The quadrant parishes of St. Albert the Great, St. John the Baptist, St. Martha, St. Joseph,and St. Sebastian are encouraged to move forward with the original recommendations, in particular that St. Martha and St. Joseph continue with plans for a merger.

• The quadrant parishes of St. Sabina, St. Linus, and St. Mel are encouraged to move forward with the original recommendations, to develop their plan for collaboration and the clustering of St. Sabina and St. Mel upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors.

Print this Letter to the Vicar

Dear Father Kramer:

By means of this letter, I am formally endorsing your Vicariate Plan as submitted and revised by the Coordinating Committee with the following notations.

I want to commend you and the Pastors, Pastoral Staff, and Parish Pastoral Councils for your thoroughness in completing the Parish Evaluation Inventories (PEI). These documents provided me with a very clear understanding of the strengths and challenges facing our parishes. The PEI's provided the Vicariate Pastoral Councils invaluable input for drafting the Together in Faith Plans, which enabled the Coordinating Committee to affirm the uniqueness of each vicariate and multiple strategies for implementation. There are many common themes that have emerged in these plans that will be addressed not only at the local level, but by the Archdiocese as a whole.

I recognize that your Vicariate split into four planning groups to respond to the economic and demographic diversity between the different geographic parts of the vicariate. I commend your plans to collaborate as one vicariate on adult faith formation, senior citizens, family catechesis, Hispanic Ministry, and coordinating worship schedules. I am pleased to note that your Catholic schools have begun plans for providing staff development and consistent educational criteria, sharing of fundraising dates, public relations efforts, and marketing. By December 2006 the Vicariate will submit a comprehensive and detailed plan for collaboration in these areas.

In particular I want to recognize and approve the following:

• By June 2006 St. Martha and St. Joseph will submit their plans for merging.

• By October 2006 St. Mel and St. Sabina submit their plan for clustering upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors. These parishes should also submit a plan for collaboration with St. Dunstan and St. Linus.

• By October 2006 St. Alphonsus, St. Barbara, St. Clement, and St. Cunegunda will create and submit cluster or merger plans, with the assistance of the regional bishop, to be implemented upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors.

• By October 2006 St. Albert the Great, and St. John the Baptist, will create and submit merger plans to be implemented upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors.

• By October 2006 Divine Child, Sacred Heart, and St. Anselm are to develop and submit plans for collaboration.

• By October 2006 St. Richard and SS. Simon and Jude will submit a plan for clustering upon the reassignment, retirement, or illness of one of the present pastors. In addition, these two parishes will develop and submit a plan for collaboration with the current cluster of Holy Family and St. Mary.

While this phase of Together In Faith has ended, the Tracking Committee will continue the process of dialogue with vicariates and will be monitoring the implementation of the above Plan.

Finally, I especially want to thank you, Father Kramer, for your work with the Vicariate Pastoral Council to bring this part of the process to a successful conclusion. With your continued support and assistance we can move forward with confidence on this journey together.

Sincerely yours in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop of Detroit