Back in 2009 the diocese combined our churches into one parish. Labeled as “Cluster 14”, by the diocese, we called ourselves St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, and were tasked with coming together as one, after years of operating separately.
 
As a newbie on the parish staff, I remember the challenges we faced together. But now, in 2022, 13 years later, we’ve made huge strides in bringing our family together as one. I enjoy attending Mass and parish events and seeing members from all three churches present, saying hi to one another and asking how their loved ones are doing. This past year we had a women’s Bible study group and women from all three of our main churches were there, sharing intimate and beautiful testimony of their lives and inspiring one another!
 
The clustering unfortunately dismantled most of our commissions and COVID has dealt a devasting blow. Some of us have not come back to Mass and a sense of disconnection from clustering and COVID lingers. Where do we go from here?
 
Right now, we have a unique opportunity, Father Nathan and Father Divine have talked to us about forming parish teams in the last two bulletins. Just to recap: the idea is for each of our three main churches to have a team of 8-10 faith-filled and engaged parishioners who have their pulse on the life of the church community. These folks would represent various areas of church life and meet at least monthly to help discern/communicate/implement their church’s needs, goals, and desires, making sure they maintain their unique identity while integrating with the larger parish vision.
 
Parish teams will be a bridge to help others know what is happening in our church communities, strengthening what is already there and working, and visioning what possibilities there might be for the future. I would like to stress here, and sorry for my bluntness, that these team members are not going to do all the work—it takes all of us .
 
The hope is that each team organically ignites fires of discernment, prayer, and action in all parishioners, creating a vibrant and intentional parish. 
By our baptism, each of us are called in big or small ways to be involved in the life of our church. This may be the only way we will have a church in the future and to grow  as a family in Christ. Prayers for every church and our parish!