The RCIA teams at St. Thomas and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes in Decatur joined together for an RCIA retreat for their candidates and catechumens. Father James O’Shea, St. Thomas pastor, leads a prayer service at the retreat. This summer Father O’Shea is retiring, and Father Richard Weltin, Lourdes pastor, will also become pastor at St. Thomas.

Working together with their pastors, a small group of parishioners at two Decatur parishes and another small group of parishioners from all four Cass County parishes are helping spread the news - pastoral planning works.

When Father James O'Shea retires at the end of June as pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Decatur, the parish will no longer have its own resident pastor. Instead, Father Richard Weltin, pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Decatur, will also become pastor of St. Thomas. In January, Father Christopher Brey became pastor of four parishes - St. Alexius, Beardstown; St. Fidelis, Arenzville; St. Augustine, Ashland; and St. Luke, Virginia.

Bishop George J. Lucas had announced the Decatur changes during his October 2006 pastoral visit there.

"The people knew Father O'Shea was going to retire," Father Weltin said. "And the bishop said, ‘I'm not going to have another priest to send to St. Thomas. What we will do is Lourdes' pastor will also become responsible for St. Thomas. I'm going to leave it all up to you.' Each parish, Lourdes and St. Thomas, formed a working committee to get together to do various things."

Preparations began last June. "The planning process for the two parishes is going extremely well," said Father Weltin. "It really is a lot of fun."

The working committee includes some parish council members, some interested parishioners and some finance committee members, "maybe five from each parish," said Father Weltin. "It is looking at ways we can share ministries. Working with Kim Diaz, the DRE at St. Thomas, has been a very exciting time. She has a lot of good ideas, a lot of enthusiasm."

The parishes have formed a working RCIA group that shares some of their classes. The Bible study groups were combined as were some adult education classes. The two parishes have a combined JustFaith class, which Diaz facilitates. The committee is looking at other possibilities of doing things together in the future, to share ideas and people.

"At this point Lourdes and St. Thomas will both remain independent parishes and they each will have their own bulletin," Father Weltin said. "I will be pastor of both of them. We may share some liturgical things together, and probably for RCIA we will be working together."

Lourdes Parish, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, was established "when St. Thomas just got too big," said Father Weltin. Back then, the boundary at St. Thomas went all the way to the county line. "St. Thomas School had over 800 kids, who were going in two shifts - one from 7 a.m. to noon, another from noon to 5 p.m. The sisters who taught there worked 10 hours a day just teaching school."

Over the years, the demographics of St. Thomas Parish changed and eventually Lourdes became the larger parish. "Once the school closed at St. Thomas, that had a big bearing," said Father Weltin.

At present, Lourdes has five weekend Masses, St. Thomas has two. Both have a 4:30 p.m. Mass on Saturday. "With two priests here, we'll be able to cover it," said Father Weltin, who has a parochial vicar at Lourdes, Father Donald Blickhan. "We may change part of the weekday schedule. It is one of those things we're going to have to wait and see, to determine how we are able to respond to the needs of the people."

Pastoral planning in Cass County began even before January, when Father Brey was appointed pastor of its four parishes - St. Augustine, St. Alexius, St. Fidelis, and St. Luke. A core committee was formed with representatives from each of the parishes.

"They worked together, to discern through the Holy Spirit a new Mass schedule," Father Brey said. "Each parish had to sacrifice, and each parish lost a regularly scheduled weekend Mass. But with great sacrifice and a willing spirit, we had a revised schedule that allows each community to worship according to their individual parish needs."

The core committee initially came up with three goals, Father Brey said. The goals were: First, to build up the kingdom of God; second, to embrace and work on the parish cluster unity; and third, to enhance the youth and catechetical programs.

"During the process, Father Blickan and Father Kenneth Venvertloh were extremely helpful to begin this process of parish clustering," Father Brey said.

The Hispanic ministry in Beardstown is almost like having another parish, said Father Brey, who is fluent in Spanish and is diocesan coordinator of Hispanic ministry.

"Every Sunday at St. Alexius, we are blessed to have so many people at the 12:30 p.m. (Spanish) Mass that there are from 30 to 50 people standing, because we don't have enough places in the pews. On Mother's Day we will have 35 Hispanic children receiving their first holy Communion at St. Alexius," said Father Brey. The children received their sacramental preparation from the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ad Gentes, the religious order of Mexican sisters whose motherhouse is in Puebla, Mexico.