BishopAccountability.org
	Irondequoit Pastoral Planning Group's Announcement to Parishioners Democrat and Chronicle January 31, 2010 http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100131/NEWS01/100131009/1002/NEWS NEW YORK -- "Last July, in response to various pressures that jeopardize the future of the five parishes in Irondequoit, the Irondequoit Pastoral Planning Group, announced that it had reached consensus on a recommendation to present to Bishop Clark for approval. The recommendation was: • To consolidate the five Irondequoit parishes into one new, unified parish that would use the campuses of St. Margaret Mary, Christ the King, and St. Cecilia. • As part of this proposal, to close the buildings housing St. Salome and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes, the disposition of which to be resolved at a later date. The timetable for submission to the Bishop was adjusted at the request of the St. Salome and St. Thomas the Apostle pastoral councils to permit each to submit responses or counterproposals to the planning group. Each submitted thoughtful responses, and these have been discussed carefully at every IPPG meeting since they were presented. It grieves us to have to say that, given these very real and critical pressures and issues that face all of us going forward, all of the properties cannot be retained in the configuration of the one parish model. The IPPG has concluded that the recommendation that was announced in July 2009 remains the best solution for our region. We fully realize that this decision will cause sadness and disappointment, especially among the parishioners at St. Salome and St. Thomas the Apostle. Members of the Planning Group, and all Catholics in Irondequoit, feel this deeply and share this pain. But we ask all of the Catholic people of Irondequoit, sisters and brothers in Christ and in our mutual faith, to come together for the good of the church not only now, but for the future. The planning group has looked at this challenge from the Diocesan Administration from every angle and we have done our best to make a recommendation that represents our collective best judgment. We acknowledge that it may not be perfect, but trust that, with God's help, we can make it work. It is hoped that, if the recommendation is accepted by the Bishop, all Irondequoit Catholics will embrace the unified parish and work together to build a strong and welcoming faith community, incorporating the uniqueness of each parish into the new so that the Catholic community in Irondequoit grows, delivering the message of Jesus Christ to all. There will, of course, be questions as we move forward. We promise to try to answer these questions in a timely way as the final process unfolds and we move forward. We ask everyone to remember that if the recommendation is accepted, we will be one new parish with three sites. We will not, as some have feared, be a grouping of three distinct parishes with two former parishes disappearing or forgotten. All of our talents, special gifts and prayers are needed to move us forward into a 21st century Irondequoit parish. Please take this journey with us."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.