WHAT IS A FAMILY OF PARISHES?
A Family of Parishes is a grouping of three or more parishes that collaborate in deeper and more intentional ways than parishes have ever done before. It is the continuation of the work of the Holy Spirit to move us from maintenance to mission and is our effort to realize the fruit of Synod 16 where the Holy Spirit spoke through the faithful in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
This new model will allow the priests, deacons, and lay staff associated with each parish to better share their gifts and talents with the whole family of parishes.
This is a significant change of the way our parishes are currently structured, but a necessary step in our missionary transformation. Just like the early Church and the missionary activity of the early apostles, the transition to this new structure will require docility to the Holy Spirit, a spirit of collaboration and innovation, and confidence in God who continues to lead us in our mission to unleash the Gospel in southeast Michigan.
We are being invited into a time of greater innovation for our parishes, exploring how they can work together and finding new and uncharted ways to unleash the Gospel.
The Family of Parishes is led by our Priests in Solidum, the Family Pastoral Council, the Family Finance Team, the Family Leadership Team, and our Directors.
The Family Pastoral Council is a representative body of the lay faithful, comprised of two parishioners from each parish and all priests assigned to parishes in the Family. The parishioners selected should be active in the life of their parish. Parishes have the freedom to choose membership through an election process or by appointment from the Moderator or One Pastor.
The Family Pastoral Council supports the priests of both an In Solidum Family and a One Pastor Family as follows:
The Family Pastoral Council is led by the Moderator or One Pastor.
A Family’s Finance Team is chaired by the In Solidum Moderator or One Pastor and is comprised of the Family Mission Support Director and two representatives from each parish finance council in the Family. It is recommended that the representatives from each parish be members of their respective Parish Finance Councils.
The Family Finance Team is to convene as needed to handle acts of extraordinary administration and to review and approve the common expense budget allocations across parishes in the Family. The expense budgets for each parish must also be approved by the parish governing authority (the board of directors for the incorporated parishes).
The Family Leadership Team should be comprised of at least one Director from the Mission Direct Ministries, the Mission Support Director, and may also include other Priests In Solidum or Parochial Vicars, at the discretion of the Moderator or One Pastor. Other members may be added to the team, based on critical talent or insight that is needed for success.
The Family Leadership Team, assembled and led by the Moderator or One Pastor, has the collective responsibility for developing and achieving the strategic objectives of the Family, especially as defined in the Missionary Strategic Plan. The function of the Family Leadership Team is to support the priests of the Family in coordinating the major areas of ministry in the Family and effectively communicating the plans, programs, and activities to the other clergy, parish leaders, and parishioners within the parishes of the Family.
