‘Drafts, not decisions’: Seek the City session uses feedback to create working model for parish sites

ARBUTUS – Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., vicar for Baltimore City, encouraged those in attendance March 22 for the archdiocese’s third and final modeling session for parish planning to repeat after him: “Drafts, not decisions. Drafts, not decisions.”

The theme emphasized that no final decisions have yet been made in the parish planning process that has been underway for about two years. It is unusual in diocesan planning efforts nationwide in that the Seek the City to Come initiative in Baltimore has included parishioner and parish leader feedback at every step of the way, with more opportunities to come.

The Seek the City initiative is designed by the archdiocese to renew the church in Baltimore with parishes that are vital and vibrant. The study area includes 62 parishes in the city and some nearby areas of Baltimore County. 

Bishop Lewandowski noted that no new parish boundaries or clergy personnel decisions have been made. “No pastor can be assigned to a draft model. No name can be assigned to a draft parish,” the bishop said.

At the beginning of the meeting – attended by more than 150 people at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Arbutus – Bishop Lewandowski and Geri Byrd, director of Seek the City, noted their appreciation for the work the group had done two weeks earlier where each of five regions in the city came up with as many as three models for worship sites in their area. 

Those models – as many as six for each region, because the priests were a separate breakout group – were synthesized by archdiocesan staff and consultants into two alternatives presented March 22. 

The first option included 18 parishes, two additional worship sites and two personal parishes. The second option proposes 17 parishes, three additional worship sites and two personal parishes. 

Bishop Lewandowski explained that a personal parish has no territorial boundaries. The two parishes designated as such in this draft are: St. Alphonsus, where the traditional Latin Mass is offered, entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter; and St. Ignatius, staffed by the Jesuits, providing a number of ministries based out of the church on Calvert Street, including a school for young children.

After presenting the models, Bishop Lewandowski told the group, “Take a deep breath. Remember, these are drafts, not decisions.”

Byrd said, “I understand the courage that it takes to work collaboratively and sometimes put emotions aside. … One thing I count on is that I know this is God’s work. Through us, collectively, he is working.”

She said the goal of regional breakout sessions after the models were presented was to capture the “consolations and desolations – Share what gives you comfort and what doesn’t sit right in your heart,” she said.

In a prayer reflection before the regional discussions, Bishop Lewandowski noted that wheat must be ground into flour before it can become bread for the Eucharist, and grapes must be pressed into wine before becoming the Blood of Christ.

The song, “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship, accompanied his prayer, in which the lyrics say, “In the crushing, in the pressing, you are making new wine. In the soil I now surrender, you are breaking new ground.”

In his prayer and remarks at the beginning of the meeting, Archbishop William E. Lori said, “Let us not see ourselves as put upon. Rather let us see ourselves as partners, … partners in a church that is poised to grow and flourish in the years ahead.

“This is the time, this is the place the Lord wishes us to be to grow the church.”

Regional groups indicated which option they preferred for their area. Those who did not prefer either option were encouraged to make sure their concerns were recorded in their “consolations and desolations,” so the feedback could be considered. 

The afternoon session of the meeting provided an opportunity for real-time feedback, with results posted on large screens for all to see. 

Asked whether they agree “that the model we have created together is one you can accept to meet the Eucharistic vision,” 55 percent agreed and 45 percent disagreed. 

Participants were then asked about their sticking points on accepting the model, with more than 130 comments populated on screen within a matter of minutes as people participated via a website on their cell phones. Bishop Lewandowski responded to some of the comments as they flashed on the screen, and noted that all would be considered as the process moves forward.

Then, when asked if they could support the map as a starter to further develop the plan, 30 percent strongly agreed and another 48 percent agreed; 15 percent were neutral and 7 percent disagreed or disagreed strongly.

Deacon Patrick Woods, who has served for 10 years at St. Pius X in Rodgers Forge and St. Mary in Govans, gathered feedback from parishes in the north region. He said the discussion was a mix of consolations and desolations. “I left here last time and my word was ‘heartbroken.’ I’m still heartbroken, but I believe that the Holy Spirit is leading this process.”

He said he has been praying for the archdiocese’s bishops for their discernment in the process and hopes others do so as well.

Stefanie Pawelczyk, pastoral council president at the pastorate of St. Casimir at Canton and Patterson Park, said she thought this meeting was more stressful than the last one, because people could see the impact on paper. “The temperature in the room was a little different,” she said. 

She hopes that any parishes or worship sites that remain – including possibly her own – will welcome people coming from other parishes. “My heart goes out to the people who are eventually going to lose something.”

“We need to maintain our strong Catholic presence in Canton,” she said. It will be important for the church to continue to have a eucharistic and evangelizing presence in the city, even if there are fewer locations. “How do we evangelize around that?” she asked.

The Seek the City process was helpful to her because she met people from parishes she might not otherwise have encountered. 

Deacon Steve Sarnecki, who was recently assigned to the Catholic Community of South Baltimore, said he hopes “we can be Catholic in this archdiocese, not just parochial.”

“As parishes merge, they need to come together. Identity is part of that,” he said, noting that it would be good for all the new merged parish entities to take on new names to even the playing field for all the parishioners. “Everyone will sacrifice … to reconstitute and rejuvenate the community.”

Seek the City’s Byrd encouraged those at the meeting to take the information from the meeting and share it with those in their parish. “Ask people if this is what happened, how would you feel about it? What would the consequences be for us?” She wants people to be prepared for upcoming public comment sessions, but emphasized that the implementation process will be gradual. No one will be asked on July 1 to close a parish or pack up their offices, she added. Implementation will include assistance from the archdiocesan human resources department and other departments.

She said archdiocesan staff members and those who are assisting with the project will gather the feedback from the meeting and refine the map, which will be presented as a recommendation to Archbishop Lori. At that point, he will consult widely – with the auxiliary bishops, priests in the city, the College of Consultors, the Board of Financial Administration and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

Two public meetings will be held April 25 and 30 to solicit input from the community.

“We will keep listening to the feedback,” Byrd said.

The archbishop will discern his decision in mid-May, and in mid-June, final models and implementation guidance will be shared first with parish leaders, then publicly. 

Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org.

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