November 10, 2019

On Mission for the Church Alive! – What will Moving Forward Look Like?
         There are many perhaps who are wondering “What is happening with our church building; what is its future?”  This question is likely being asked in almost every grouping of parishes across the diocese and in our own.  Let me make it clear, it is not my intention or plan to close Saint Alphonsus Church.  My vision is to bring two parishes with great strengths together and form ONE community from two with a new identity.  That identity is more than simply merging two parishes; it’s about giving birth to one community with a greater identity.   This community is to be a more vibrant community because of the gifts God has bestowed on His people and the graces He has promised us.  We are not just preserving what we know or now have, but dreaming and shaping a community that is robust, attractive, growing and reaching-out to the un-churched: those who do not know Jesus or have not yet experienced his presence in their lives.  That’s my vision and mission, one that is guided by the Holy Spirit shaped collaboratively by parishioners.  It is to bring the community of the Church to those who have drifted away and lost sight of the difference Jesus and his Church makes in our lives.  We are to be a Church evangelizing, witnessing to the love of God that we have come to know through Jesus!
     We will continue to expand our sense of what it means to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us and be the best Church we can be!  We will continue to assess and determine the best use of the resources that we have to ensure that the Church will be here and be attractive and meaningful for our children, grandchildren and generations to come.  This is our charge and focus.
     Friends, especially those from Saint Alphonsus, know that I am not here to close any church.  I intend to continue to make necessary and reasonable improvements to the buildings and the campus.  The installation of a pair of bathrooms is currently under discussion.   Once the best direction in moving forward on this project has been determined, information about location and cost along with renderings will be shared with you.  Other updates that effect safety and the quality of worship will be addressed as well.
I recognize now that making this public statement is overdue and hopefully will dismiss any rumors that are out there concerning this matter.  In the meantime, let us continue to pray, work together, trust the Holy Spirit, and bear witness to the larger community that we ARE Christian and that others will recognize this by our love.