Dear Parishioners,

The committee assisting with the process of merging parishes would like your input!  Attached is a questionnaire to give you an opportunity to share your thoughts, concerns, desires, and ideas for the future of our area parishes. You may fill out a paper copy or fill out this online questionnaire.

Please complete this questionnaire by July 15, 2019. The completed paper copies can be put in the collection basket or dropped off at your parish office. Once we collect this input, parish meetings will be scheduled to answer questions, address concerns, and consider plans for the future. We are deeply grateful for you and for your time in filling out this questionnaire!

There are several reasons why parishes are merging across our diocese. It is for a greater good! Our parishes are meant to be vibrant, full of life, and focused on the New Evangelization to bring all to encounter Jesus Christ. With fewer priests, declining populations, and modern modes of transportation, our diocese does not need as many parishes as it did in the past.

Right now, the plan is to have one priest for our Area Faith Community in the summer of 2020.  So the six area parishes are asked to merge into two parishes with weekend Masses in Redwood Falls and Wabasso. The process of merging has been different in each AFC – we need to discern what the Lord desires for our area parishes.

The parishes of St. Mathias in Wanda, Our Lady of Victory in Lucan, and St. Mary’s in Seaforth have a couple options to consider when merging:
o the church building can remain open for a possible weekday mass, weddings, funerals, special feast days or other prayer services.
o church buildings can be closed, sold (with restrictions), or taken down

The parish of St. John’s in Morton has already begun to move forward with this process. After careful consideration, the parishioners at St. John’s decided that it would be best for their parish building to close and eventually be taken down (many parishioners believed it was important to ensure that the church did not become another abandoned building in town).  

Each parish needs to prayerfully consider the best way to move forward as parishes are merged. We hope that this questionnaire will help with some of those important decisions.  

Let us trust our Heavenly Father who has a good plan! Have great confidence in Him – He desires beautiful things for our parishes! Please pray for this process, that we would seek and follow the Lord’s will in all the decisions ahead of us!  

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for woe, plans to give you a future of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

In Christ,

Parish Pastoral Planning Committee