By Mary Lou Kilian
Editor

Ogdensburg – Today there are 62 resident pastors serving 102 parishes in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Ten years from now, the number is expected to drop to 40.

To ensure that Catholic families of the North Country continue to receive the pastoral care they need, the Diocesan Planning Committee has been working to determine the best way to staff parishes in light of the decline in number of priests.

For example, the group has proposed the 40 likely locations in the diocese's 12,000 square miles where pastors will be in residence. (See map below)

The Planning Committee, under the director of St. Joseph Sister Jennifer Votraw, is comprised of the deans of the diocese, the chancellor, the head of priest personnel, a parish life coordinator, the bishop’s secretary and two lay people assigned by the bishop.

From the first day of February through the end of March, Sister Jennifer and the committee members made presentations in seven deaneries of the Diocese of Ogdensburg seeking input as the plan continues to develop.
Pastors and parish representatives were invited to offer solutions or suggest changes to the plan which the planning committee didn’t consider, Sister Jennifer said.

Diocesan Planning Phase I
The first phase of diocesan planning started 12 years ago, Sister Jennifer said. A plan of linking parishes was devised in an effort to prepare for the time when the number of available priests fell below the number necessary to staff each parish in the diocese.

As a result some parishes have merged, or been made oratories and others have a pastor but not a resident pastor (linked parishes).

All but a very few of the parish linkings of Phase I have been completed,  Sister Jennifer said, but the number of priests of the diocese has diminished to the point that the plan needs upgrading.

Looking to the future
When the number of priests in the diocese drops to 40, another 22 parishes will not have a resident pastor.
Thus the planning committee was charged with making recommendations to the bishop about the best placement of future pastors.

Some of the criteria for deciding where resident pastors would be assigned include:
• Ease of access (highways etc.)
• Population density
• Size and condition of existing churches.
• Centrality of existing parishes
• Percentage of priests per deanery so the total remains the same as today,

“It should be pointed out,” Sister Jennifer said, “that we expect that the parishes without a resident pastor will still have a vibrant parish life. They will be staffed by a non resident pastor as well as deacons, religious and laity assuming a much larger role in parish life.

Sister Jennifer told those who attended the recent deanery meetings that the new plan “is not cast in stone.”
"The plan may change as circumstances change but it is as we expect it to eventually work out," she said. " For example, a parish may not be immediately linked to one of the 40 but that will eventually happen.”

Sister Jennifer emphasized that the new plan, "like any planning document is a living document because we’re dealing with human beings.” “This isn’t cut and dried,” she said, “because we always need to be respectful of the needs of people and of the priests."

How should Catholics of the diocese plan for the next phase?

“First pray for vocations and then encourage young people to consider the priesthood, religious life,” Sister Jennifer said. “Encourage parishioners to become parish life coordinators, deacons and lay ministers.
“What is happening today is an opportunity for a greater empowerment and involvement of the laity as well as an opportunity for an enhanced spiritual life of the faithful,” she said. “The Lord promised to be with us until the end of time but He didn’t say what form His Church would take,” Sister Jennifer said. "There have been many changes since AD 32 and there will be many more.”