Holy Cross Church

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Members of Task Force

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Holy Cross/Our Mother of Sorrows: Fr. William Coffas, Fr. Justin Miller

Holy Cross: Joseph DiVincenzo, Ryan Snyder,

Our Mother of Sorrows: Marc Boeh, David Witkoski,

St. Charles Borromeo: Fr. John Firpo, Gina Reeder, David Steklenski,

St. John the Evangelist: Fr. Peter Enyan-Boadu, Paul Parkman, Nick Verdino,

St. Lawrence: Fr. Lee Chase, Steve Amico, Jeri Rombaut,

St. Leo the Great: Fr. Joseph Catanise, David Jones, Barbara Surash,

St. Mark: Deacon Frank Pettrone, Peter Blind, Kimm Wesley.

“All shall be well…for there is a force of love moving through the universe that holds us fast and will never let us go.”

Saint Julian of Norwich

Charlotte/Greec/Hilton Pastoral Planning Task Force Members & Contact Info

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Task Force Update

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July 9, 2023

Pastoral Planning Update

Sharing Our Reality—The Buildings of Our Parishes

Our seven parishes have a lot of buildings—something like 30 total. These include churches, rectories, schools, parish centers, office space, garages, and a former convent. At least one is in the process of being sold. There is a spreadsheet with detailed information about each parish’s buildings, how they are being used, their condition, and special features/assets. If you would like a copy, please ask at your parish office.

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Parish Structures Currently Used in the Diocese of Rochester

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Interactive map of Diocese of Rochester

Maps of the Deaneries

Single Parish
This is the traditional configuration. A parish is founded to respond to a growing Catholic population in a specific geographic area. It develops a faith community, generates the resources to build facilities and develop programs, and continues to serve a stable or growing population.
In our area single parishes include St. Charles Borromeo, St. John the Evangelist, St. Lawrence, St. Leo, and St. Mark.

Some single, free-standing parishes, however, include areas or parishioners which were formerly part of other parishes which have been closed. This often happens in areas where several parishes exist in close proximity. The parishes were originally founded to serve different nationalities or in areas with high population density. Population declines have resulted in a declining number of members and the inability to support the facilities and ministry required for a vital parish. Such parishes are often consolidated with close-by parishes in order to make better use of resources and provide higher quality ministry and services. Excess facilities may be sold. An example in our area is St. Charles Borromeo—Holy Name of Jesus was merged into St. Charles and was later closed.

Cluster
Two or more parishes are served by a single pastor or pastoral administrator, but each parish retains its own identity according to both church and civil law. Ministry programs and staffing can be autonomous within each parish or may involve partnerships with other members of the cluster. Typically, clusters move toward a more integrated ministry. In our area Holy Cross and Our Mother of Sorrows are parishes with the same pastor, parochial vicar, and some shared staff.

Under diocesan guidelines, parishes joined in a cluster may operate with a joint pastoral council with at least some members of each parish represented. Although each parish must have its own separate finance council, the councils may at times be assembled as a group to discuss common concerns and issues.

Single Parish with multiple worship and ministry sites
Typically, this would result from the combination of two or more parishes into a single parish. While the physical facilities of the previous parishes could be used as worship and/or ministry
sites, there would be only one parish and a single faith community. Most often the resulting single parish takes a new name. St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Irondequoit is a single parish with multiple worship and ministry sites.

Oratory
An Oratory is a building designated for divine worship for the benefit of some community or group. Other members of the faithful can also come to it. Some examples of oratories in the
Diocese of Rochester are the Abbey of the Genesee as well as the Mercy and Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouses.

Mission
A mission church is erected to serve a large community of faithful which, however, is not large enough to be a free-standing parish. A mission will often not have resident pastoral leadership but will depend on the mother parish at least in the early years. This is often a process for establishing a new parish in an area of high population growth. St. Ann in Owasco is a mission of Sacred Heart, Auburn