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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Happy New Year!
As I reflect on the past year, I am filled with gratitude for the numerous blessings in my life and in the life of our local Church. Together, we accomplished many things — launching new ministries, welcoming people to our communities, starting parish families, embracing synodality and much more.
This past year has also had its challenges — especially as the world around us faces war, pain and suffering. Knowing that our Lord is always walking with us — and working through us — brings me comfort and helps me face difficulties with more strength. While we are not immune from our own challenges and difficulties that test our faith, we cannot forget that he is with us always on this journey, continually calling us to conversion and holiness.
Partners in the Gospel
The focus of the past year was on the beginning of our Partners in the Gospel journey. After nearly a year of consultation with priests, staff and parishioners, we announced the final configurations of the parish families, which resulted in 60 parish families, including eight standalone parishes. This was not a simple task. It took months of planning and many staff and volunteers to accomplish it. Catholics shared their hopes and fears for this process as well as their specific feedback, which not only brought synodality to life in our local Church but also gave us the input we needed to finalize the plan. It is because of this direct input and feedback that we were able to configure the final plan in such a way that reflects the voice of parishioners and local realities. I am so grateful for the engagement of Catholics across the entire Archdiocese in this process, and my hope is that this level of engagement continues and expands as parish families start working together.
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