Frequently Asked Questions

The Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan is being put in place because we are one Church, to make Jesus Christ known to the people and for the salvation of souls. The plan will help the parishes and schools that make up our diocese become more vibrant, stable and mission driven. It is also meant to help standardize operational processes and provide training and assistance. In other words, to unite in the heart of Jesus through Word, Sacrament and Charity.

The ultimate goal of the plan is to Unite Hearts in the heart of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Church (Christ’s bride & our Mother) through our 3 Pillars (Mission, Community, Witness) and our new Pastorate structure. The new Pastorate structure will allow for us to identify strong leaders with a missionary spirit to pastor and to best utilize the various gifts and talents of all of our clergy and lay leaders to implement the plan.

• Catholics are leaving the Church in alarming rates
• Priests are becoming overwhelmed with administration
• Not all priests have the skills or desire to be pastors
• There is not a good structure in place for (clergy/lay) leadership development and most parishes felt that they lacked in the areas of Evangelization, Catechesis, Formation, Homilies and leadership (both staff and councils). 
• Many parishes felt that they lacked community and faith in action. 
• Operating and organizational structures are outdated and we needed a new way forward. 

1. The first was with the entire diocesan leadership team, including the Deans from each of the current Deaneries as well as the Presbyteral Council Chair. 
2. The second was with the priests at their priest gathering in Brown County. 
3. The third was with Pastors and their leadership teams (these leaders represent the parish interests and parishioners) in each deanery at the Deanery meetings held in June. Parishioners were also invited to attend.

The churches, oratories, and chapels of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana are set apart by a rite of blessing or a solemn dedication marking them out as places for divine worship, most specifically the celebration of the Eucharist. It is only the diocesan bishop who can erect, suppress or alter parishes (Canon 515.2) after consulting the Presbyteral Council.

Definitions:
Church: A sacred building set aside for public worship which the faithful have a right of access (the cathedral and parish churches).
Oratory:  A place set aside by permission of the bishop for divine worship for the benefit of some community or assembly of the faithful who gather there. All sacred celebrations may take place in an oratory unless otherwise excluded by the law, by particular provision of the bishop or by liturgical norms.
Chapel: A place set aside by permission of the bishop for divine worship for the benefit of one or more persons. Special permission over and above that given to establish the chapel is required for the celebration of Mass or other sacraments in a chapel (e.g., chapels in schools, nursing homes, hospitals).

A pastorate is an organization of parishes, but it may also be a single parish, which has a single pastor, one pastorate leadership team and one pastoral council.  The pastorate is where the parishioners, within the boundaries of a given pastorate, form as one community in faith; it is where we gather to celebrate the Mass as one faith community.  It is where we seek God’s grace in the Sacraments.  It is where we, as missionary disciples, carry out the mission of the Church spreading the Good News of the Gospel and bringing people to an encounter with Christ our Savior. The pastorate is where a faith community, led by one pastor and supported by a pastorate leadership team and pastoral council, builds a three-year pastoral plan rooted in the 3 Pillars of the 2030 Pastoral Plan: Mission, Community and Witness.

The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana has consulted with and learned from a handful of dioceses that have previously addressed the way their parishes are structured in order to better align their resources and advance their mission. These dioceses vary from smaller communities to large archdioceses and have chosen models which range from merging/clustering models to initiatives closer to the collaborative pastorate model we are pursuing here. In particular, the parishes in Archdiocese of Detroit have united in what they’re calling ‘families of parishes’ that resemble what we are doing with our pastorates in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. We have also consulted with the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Sioux City and the Archdiocese of Hartford. In all of these cases, the goal of parish groupings is to allow parishioners to become part of a larger faith family, work together and leverage resources in pursuit of our mission to Unite in Heart and bring more souls to Christ.
 

We currently have 48 pastorates made up of 61 parishes across 5 deaneries. This plan outlines 28 pastorates of 61 parishes across 3 deaneries.  

The plan does envision a new parish in the Hamilton/Boone County area and the need after some growth to spin off a couple of other parishes combined into a Pastorate after sufficient growth has occurred. This would increase the number to 28-30 Pastorates. If we become an evangelizing diocese with increased vocations and developed leadership, we can envision strong pastorates who find a great sense of new community and opportunities for others to spin off. 
 

It is entirely possible that a pastorate would in the creation of their 3 year pastoral plan and after careful consideration of the spiritual and community needs of their pastorate would entertain the idea of becoming one new parish/pastorate while retaining some or all of their church buildings.

It would be the collaborative work of the consolidated pastoral councils, the pastorate leadership team and their pastor to propose this approach in their pastoral plan.  That pastoral plan would be reviewed by the Office of Planning in the Bishop’s Office for consultation and recommendation.

We currently have 59 priests and by 2030 anticipate that number to be down to 48. By 2033, we will have 38.

The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana is a community faced with the reality that we are in a post-Christian culture requiring us to adapt and adjust in the midst of this new reality. While it may not seem that we have major problems at the moment, we must do something about this now to prevent the smaller issues from becoming crisis situations. 

By recognizing that there is an increase in diversity in our Catholic populations, an increase in the age of traditional Catholic populations, and decreasing attendance in most of our populations, we must change the way we reach our community. We must also recognize that we have a declining number of priests and too many Sunday Liturgies. Catholics are no longer living in the neighborhood where the church building is located. We must reach out as a community of faith and be present to where our brothers and sisters are now before we become extinct. 

The pastorate model addresses the priest shortage by providing a consolidated lay staff and better support to the priests working together. The implementation of lay operational staff should take away much of the administrative duties that our priests and pastors previously found themselves in.  The use of one Missionary Pastor for a group of parishes will also allow for better resource sharing among our financially diverse parishes, the management of one pastoral council, one religious education program, and more.  Feedback from priests is that so many administrative duties is not life-giving nor is it sustainable and this model will allow our priests to focus on their sacramental and evangelization ministries.

Bishop Doherty sees our pastorate model as the best way to move forward. In conversation with other dioceses that have implemented this model, we have found priests are able to engage more in the missionary and evangelization efforts of their ministry.

 

The formation of 28 pastorates with 28 pastors does mean that many parishes will have a transition in pastoral leadership (priests). Although under the leadership of one pastor, many pastorates will still have access to more than one priest with the goal of growing a community of faith within the cities and towns in which you live. It is worth noting that about 80% of all priests will have a new assignment when the new pastorates are implemented.

As parishes come together to form pastorates, they will begin to discuss the practical ways in which the clergy and staff will interact within the pastorate, as well as finalize their new organizational structure. This includes forming a leadership team and identifying key mission and operational staff positions.  During this process, some parishes may lose some staff members (e.g., if a pastorate opts to share one bookkeeper instead of having each parish maintain its own). At the same time, some pastorates will be able to add positions that better serve the mission going forward. In addition, it is expected that natural attrition (e.g. through retirements and normal staff turnover) over the next few years may assist the parishes’ efforts to further consolidate their staffs.

These and other staffing decisions will be left to the discernment of each pastorate, led by parish leadership and with assistance from the diocese and the pastorate consultants assigned to each pastorate. This process will be rooted in prayer and driven by the mission of Uniting in Heart.

All decisions will be guided by a complete focus on and the best interest of the entire pastorate. This process will be rooted in prayer, will be respectful of building and maintaining relationships, and will be marked by quick and honest responses to questions and concerns that are raised.

The pastorate model is intended to generate a more robust and vibrant experience of the faith. Leveraging the capabilities and charisms of our Missionary Pastors, priests, deacons and lay leaders is vital to the successful implementation of Uniting in Heart. Greater evangelization and pastoral ministry efficiency can be gained through this model if leadership across multiple parishes in a pastorate are consolidated. As parishes come together to form a pastorate, they will need to determine the ways in which clergy and staff will interact, as well as finalize the new organization structure which includes establishing a leadership team and staff positions. By creating a single Director of Operations, Director of Evangelization and possibly other positions, Pastoral Leadership Team, Pastoral Council, and Finance Council, the Missionary Pastor will be in a better position to increase parish collaboration, coordinate planning across the pastorate and align pastorate facilities and resources. Additionally, consolidation will allow the Missionary Pastor to streamline management functions permitting more time for pastoral functions. This may mean that, as part of this process, some parishes may lose some staff members (e.g., if a pastorate opts to share one bookkeeper instead of having each parish maintain its own). At the same time, some pastorates will be able to add positions that better serve the mission going forward.

These and other staffing decisions will be left to the discernment of each pastorate, led by pastorate leadership and with assistance from the diocese and the pastorate consultants assigned to each pastorate. This process will be rooted in prayer and driven by the mission of Uniting in Heart.
 

Staffing at each parish office will be determined during the pastoral planning phase. The Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan does not dictate where staffing will be needed, at what times or where. This will be up to the pastoral council and pastoral leadership teams to determine when writing their 3-year rolling pastoral plan for the pastorate. These 3-year plans will then be submitted to the Bishop’s Office and the Office of Planning for review/approval.
 

The business administration of a pastorate has the potential to consume considerable time from the pastor and his leadership team. The purpose of these centers is to help alleviate some of this administration off the pastors and priests and provide standards for excellence in administration. The creation of Regional Business Centers is intended to augment, not supplant, the administration and business processes of the pastorate.

Parishes may remain open to celebrate weddings or funerals or to be used as a place of worship during the day. Also, see number 3.

The Diocesan Transition Team will be made up of members of diocesan staff and management leaders from around the diocese who are appointed by the Bishop. This group will work with and assist the Pastorate Transition Team to prepare for the initiation of the new pastorate by providing them with assessment tools to review and understand their current reality. These assessments include: Evangelization, Stewardship, Financial, Human Resources, Schools, Technology, Safe and Sacred, Safe Facility, Facilities Condition, and an Inventory of Sacred and Secular Goods.  

The Pastorate Transition Team will be made up of 2-3 members of each parish that are part of the pastorate. This group will work with the Diocesan Transition Team using the assessments mentioned above, as well as consultation with the people of the Pastorate to prepare a transition document that contains recommendations for the new Pastor and his Pastorate Leadership Team, and Pastoral Council.  

We envision one Pastoral (parish) Council for the Pastorate. The council is an essential group of people who represent all parishioners from across all parishes that make up the pastorate. The Pastorate Leadership team is made up of the Pastor and up to 4-6 other staff members or parishioners that are actively engaged with parish life and engage in the vision for the parish that has been discerned by the Pastor.  

Yes, according to Canon (Church) Law each parish must have a Finance Council. Therefore, if a new Pastorate contains 3 parishes, there will be 3 Finance Councils. 

The 2030 Pastoral Plan has identified a few parishes as potential closures.  We emphasize potential for this reason—these are parishes that we know are at risk of being able to sustain themselves for any of a number of reasons.  This is why it is essential that we begin living the 2030 Pastoral Plan now, so that the faith community in the pastorates can begin looking at how best to address the needs of these parishes.

The 2030 Pastoral Plan does not mandate the closure of a parish.  Rather, the plan encourages us to look at the factors contributing to the risk of closure that could potentially cause this fate in the future. 

As the pastorates are stood up, it will be the responsibility of the faith community in the pastorate to develop a three-year pastoral plan that cares for the spiritual and physical vitality of their pastorate.

A Parochial Vicar is Canon Law terminology for an Associate Pastor. 

Each parish will keep its own monies and there will be opportunities to pull together resources including people’s time and talents to carry out the objectives of Uniting in Heart. Finance Councils will work together with the Pastor, Pastoral Council and Regional Business Centers to contribute to the vitality of the pastorate. 

The vision of Uniting in Heart is that it keeps growing and evolving over time based on our evangelization efforts and updates to the plan will be made as this process continues. 

Instead of duplicating, triplicating or quadruplicating programs such as RCIA, Parish Councils, business offices, Sunday Religious Education programs, Youth groups (High School and Middle School), etc; Uniting in Heart envisions these programs will be united under one vision and the leadership of the pastorate. This will allow for more efficiencies across the pastorate, and programs that will be stronger, more vibrant, engaging and more responsive to the needs of the pastorate. 

The Uniting in Heart plan will increase collaboration and decrease isolation among our parishes. Our priests will be better equipped to focus on faith, liturgy, sacraments and people while building the leadership capacity of the laity to delegate administrative duties of financial, human and physical resources as well as evangelization. 

Our Catholic Schools and institutions will be robust and thriving across the diocese and our partnerships will grow to provide needed services, ministries, and true encounters with the person of Jesus Christ.

What happens to the church buildings within a pastorate is again up to the Pastor and his Pastoral Council and Leadership teams as part of their pastoral planning process. It would be the collaborative work of the consolidated pastoral councils, the pastorate leadership team and their pastor to propose their plans for the buildings in their 3-year rolling pastoral plan.  That pastoral plan would be reviewed by the Bishop’s Office and the Office of Planning for consultation and recommendation. 

For example, just because a pastorate is combining 3 parishes into one pastorate, it does not mean the other church buildings will close. Many will remain open for weddings and funerals, religious education, events and other ministries that take place there on a regular basis.