A special video message for employees about
Partners in the Gospel from Archbishop Etienne
We want to be sure you feel prepared to answer questions that may come your way about Partners in the Gospel. Please read the highlights below.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to partners@seattlearch.org.
What is Partners in the Gospel?
Partners in the Gospel is a strategic pastoral planning process to help us better achieve our mission of growing in our faith, and helping others know Jesus Christ.
Partners in the Gospel will restructure parishes into parish families, in most cases with 2 or more parishes. Each parish family will be served by one pastor and one or more parochial vicars.
The pastor along with staff, consultative leaders, and with input from members of the parish communities, will develop a plan for how it comes together as one canonical parish – one community of faith.
Partners in the Gospel is an opportunity for us to re-envision parish life and how we carry out the mission of the Church.
Our goal is to re-invigorate and renew our local Catholic Church.
Why are we doing this?
Because we have a vision for vibrant parishes with full Masses, active youth groups, welcoming hospitality, engaging outreach efforts – and much more.
New parish families will benefit from the shared gifts, talents, finances, resources and more from each of the joining parishes.
We must address many challenging realities including declines in parish engagement (Mass attendance, sacraments, giving, etc.), fewer priests, aging buildings, and more – in order to bring our vision to life.
Quick Facts
A parish is a community of people. A church is a building.
We are not closing parishes. We are joining parishes together to form a parish family under the leadership of one pastor and one or more parochial vicars. There are a few exceptions: a few parishes will stand alone because they are staffed by a religious order or serve a specific cultural community.
Parish Catholic Schools are a ministry of the parish and will therefore move along with their parish into parish families.
Most parish families will have a new pastor starting in July 2024.
It will be up to parish leaders and the community to discern how to use all their resources: people, finances, Mass times, formation programs, ministries, campuses, and more.
Resources, tools, training, and staff from the Chancery will be supporting parishes along this journey.
There is a tremendous need for lay leadership in this process and many new roles and needs will emerge. Yes, this means some people may change their roles in this process, but we anticipate we will have many opportunities for people to share their gifts.
Based on discernment, each parish family will develop a “One Parish Plan” with its recommendations for becoming one canonical parish. The plan will outline how church buildings will be used, how the community will re-envision parish life for mission, and any proposed changes for ministries, including schools. The creativity, determined locally, for how to re-envision parish life will be outlined in this plan.
Once a parish family becomes one canonical parish (in three or so years) as outlined in its One Parish Plan, the following changes will occur:
It will receive a new parish name. However, church buildings will keep their current names. For example, the church at St. Anne Parish will become St. Anne Church within NEW NAME Parish.
There will be one finance council and pastoral council to serve the parish community, even if it is spread across one or more campuses.
