Detroit — The second phase of the ongoing Detroit archdiocesan pastoral planning process, Together in Faith, has been endorsed by the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council and will commence this month.

The process was started in 2001 as a way for parishes to best allocate their resources for ministry in the context of their communities and in relation to their neighboring parishes. It has been an ongoing process since its inception and over the past decade has played a key role in the relationships between local parishes.

Priests of the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council — a consultative body to Archbishop Allen Vigneron — received an overview of goals, objectives and timelines of the next steps of Together in Faith at a Jan. 10 meeting.

The next phase will call for pastors in the archdiocese to identify four to five lay leaders to represent their parish in regional planning groups that will meet over the course of the coming year.

In this second phase, all parishes will again examine their sacramental activity, finances, and demographic projections.  They will also be called on to again reflect on the hopes and dreams of their Catholic community, and how to best reach their goals.

The next phase of Together in Faith is necessary at present because the economy has worsened, the regional population has shifted, and several parishes continue to struggle with limited human and financial resources. When Together in Faith began its implementation in 2001, few could have anticipated the current state of the local economy and real estate market, for example. Since 2005, 29 parishes in the archdiocese have clustered, merged, or closed.

“Together in Faith Phase II has no pre-determined outcome,” Archbishop Vigneron has said, adding that he believes this process will result in stronger parishes serving parishioners, and evangelizing in word and deed their neighborhood communities.

“It is my hope that innovative, new models will emerge,” he said, “to serve the current and future needs of our communities, and to help the Church fulfill her mission.”

The planning groups from local parishes are projected to submit their initial plans to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council in July.  After reviews and consultations with the planning groups, the APC will forward its recommendations in December to Archbishop Vigneron for his review and implementation.