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Renew My Church Book

Northside Catholic Academy

Visit website: www.northsidecatholic.org

The Parish Grouping Process

At the heart of our Renew My Church efforts is the renewal of vital, sustainable parishes that have the leadership, resources, and vision necessary to create an effective culture of evangelization that makes disciples, builds communities and inspires witness. This requires prayerful discernment and challenging conversations on our part. It also necessitates great trust that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will lead us to where He wants us to go.

As I’ve shared, our parish is working with St. Timothy, St. Margaret Mary, and Blessed Aloysius Stepinac Mission as one group to discern and provide input into how we can best structure our parishes and ministries to make disciples, build community, and inspire witness. Together, we will work through multiple stages on a shared journey of renewal:

1. Discernment & Decisions. A selected team known as the Grouping Feedback and Discernment Team will reflect upon potential scenarios of how our local parishes and schools may be organized differently in the future and develop potential ideas to achieve the mission imperatives. This stage concludes when Cardinal Cupich makes his final decisions regarding any structural changes affecting the grouping.
2. Transition Support. Once decisions are made that result in structural/organizational changes to the grouping, a dedicated support team from the archdiocese works on-site to help pastors manage the transition - both the pastoral accompaniment to walk with people through this time of change and operational transition to ensure new parishes have strong, sustainable operational foundations, upon which the great work of ministry can be built to achieve our mission imperatives.
3. Building the New Reality. At this point in the process, with the structural, operational, financial, and personnel foundations in place, the grouping will focus its efforts on vibrantly living out the three imperatives. At the core will be a culture of evangelization that supports the work of making disciples, building community, and inspiring witness. This will be a journey over the next several years in our parish.

Along this journey, our Good Shepherd guides our steps. He is with us always and assures us in the Gospel, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27-30). It’s on us to keep our ears open and to listen with our hearts throughout this process.

As always, for more information, visit RenewMy-Church.org, or ask me, your pastor, and parish leaders.

Grouping Meeting Schedule

In English Language

In Spanish Language

In Polish Language