The core planning committee for Cass County parishes met April 22 at the St. Luke parish hall in Virginia. The three other parishes served by Father Chris Brey as pastor are St. Augustine, Ashland; St. Alexius, Beardstown; and St. Fidelis, Arenzville.

A vision for each parish is to continue the mission of Jesus Christ through building up of a faith-filled, vibrant Catholic community of word, worship and service, says diocesan chancellor Marlene Mulford. How that will come about is through careful and prayerful pastoral planning, she says.

Part of Mulford's duties as chancellor of the diocese is to lead the pastoral planning process.

"Pastoral planning is developing and changing with more intensity than in years' past," Mulford said. "The main challenges are the decline in priests, the change in rural area population and the decrease in parish membership."

Mulford said statistics reveal the problem:

In 1949, there were 101,200 Catholics in the diocese in 176 parishes and missions, served by 217 active diocesan priests. By 1995, the Catholic population had risen to 178,500 in 168 parishes, served by 102 active priests.

In 2007, the Catholic population had decreased by about 15 percent and there were 131 parishes in the diocese, served by 80 active diocesan priests.

"In five years, we may have only 60 active diocesan priests under retirement age, plus the seminarians that will be ordained," Mulford said. In addition, the annual October count continues to demonstrate a decline in the number of people who attend Mass.

"The reality of these facts is serious and requires careful and considerate pastoral planning on the part of our diocese and parishes," she said.

Closing parishes is one solution, but it is a painful and unpleasant process for all involved, Mulford said. "These experiences brought about a desire to face the planning challenges in different, more compassionate and deliberate ways."

In November 2006, more than 45 priests and laypeople from the diocese attended a workshop on Multiple Parish Ministry.

"Basically, the workshop provided information on how one priest could effectively pastor several parishes," Mulford said. "The main requirement for success in multiple parish ministry is leadership and support from parishioners."

In multiple parish ministry, two or more parishes, called a pastoral unit, are served by one pastor. Although the parishes remain separate, a core committee of parishioners assists the pastor in shared ministries such as planning, sacramental formation, catechesis, financial operations and more. "The core committee decides with the pastor if parishes need to alternate services, share ministries and the type of lay leadership needed in each parish," Mulford said.

The church in the Springfield diocese is facing a challenge, admits Mulford. "But the outlook is not dismal; in fact, it is filled with hope! Instead of being blinded by our own fears of the future, we need to open our eyes and see what God is doing and join him in this effort," she said.

"Unfortunately, many see parish life as only the need to go to Mass to fulfill the Sunday obligation," Mulford said, "but there is so much more. Now more than ever, it's time for the laity to come forward and share their God-given gifts and talents to help transform our parishes into vibrant communities of faith. It is also time for our pastors and parish leaders to invite and encourage more lay leadership."