Archbishop of Philadelphia unveils new evangelization plan with 50 “missionary hubs”

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia announced a new initiative aimed at opening hearts, rather than closing parishes, to counter the decline in the number of faithful and active priests in an archdiocese that has long considered his home.

“I did not come here to close parishes; I came here to build the Church of Philadelphia,” the archbishop said in a pastoral letter published Jan. 5. This was announced during Masses this weekend across the archdiocese.

Titled “An Invitation from Archbishop Pérez,” the letter unveiled a decade-long plan to implement “mission hubs” throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The archdiocese has 214 parishes and 274 priests serving 1.55 million Catholics and spans 2,165 square miles across five counties in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

At least 50 such centers, 10 per county in the archdiocese, are planned for “parishes and other locations,” the archbishop said in his letter.

“We must be a community of missional disciples focused on renewal, rebuilding trust and inviting people into a relationship with Jesus Christ,” he said.

The project seeks to involve “non-participating Catholics and non-Catholics.” It aims to create “a network of support for missionary life throughout the archdiocese, animating our communities everywhere, especially in underserved areas,” Archbishop Pérez said in his letter.

He explained that mission centers will have full-time staff, which may include “service coordinators, communications experts, event specialists and missionaries,” working under the leadership of pastors “committed to community exterior”.

An online FAQ page on the project’s website, trustandhope.org, indicates that mission hubs will not replace parishes. They will be “primarily subsidized by private philanthropic funds secured over time and hopefully endowed for long-term sustainability.”

Some 46 conversation sessions across the archdiocese have been scheduled from February to June. Catholics are invited to participate in discussions “that will shape our path together,” the archbishop said on the initiative’s website.

Bishop Pérez also said in his letter that the archdiocese “may introduce directors of parish life: deacons, men and women of consecrated life, or lay people to manage operations without a resident priest.” These directors will work under the direction of the auxiliary bishop assigned to the relevant region of the archdiocese.

Canon law, the legal code governing the Catholic Church, allows the Latin Church to appoint directors of parish life. According to canon 517, the bishop can entrust the pastoral care of a parish “to a deacon, to another person who is not a priest, or to a community of people”. The bishop then appoints a priest “who, endowed with the powers and faculties of a pastor, will be responsible for directing pastoral care”.

The strategy is similar to that commonly deployed across Africa, where the Catholic Church is experiencing successful evangelization. African parishes have several mission stations – often 20 or more – usually run by lay catechists under the supervision of the pastor. These mission stations, in turn, are made up of small groups called small Christian communities.

In his letter, Archbishop Pérez said the new arrangement would allow “retired priests and senior priests to continue caring for the souls of these communities and offering the sacraments without taking on administrative responsibilities.”

In the past two years, 29 archdiocesan priests have retired, Kenneth Gavin, communications manager for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, told OSV News.

At the same time, “the statistics don’t mean they’re inactive,” Gavin said. “The overwhelming majority of retired priests still actively respond to the pastoral needs of several communities. »

“We must prioritize resources and support for evangelization,” Bishop Pérez said in his letter. “Investing in growth is essential, and harnessing the wisdom and energy of our retired priests in this way will be a gift to the Philadelphia Church in this time of renewal. »

Bishop Pérez said the renewal was absolutely necessary.

“Today, 83% of our baptized Catholic colleagues do not come to church. This fact must make us uncomfortable,” he said. “We need to act urgently on this.”

More generally, he said Catholics must recognize that “we live in a time more like the early Christians – a time when many live without Christ.” He said many Catholics “have moved away or been driven out.”

Specifically, he highlighted social fragmentation despite technological hyperconnectivity and the decades-long crisis of religious abuse.

“Yet even in the midst of this suffering, hope persists,” said Archbishop Pérez. “Our hope is in the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who always calls us home. »

As a result, the archbishop said: “Our current task is to convey this hope to those who feel alienated from the Church – those who may have drifted away or feel repelled, angry and affected by the scandals of abuse, and those still looking to connect. .”

The pastoral letter reflects the archbishop’s five years of conversations with Catholic faithful in an archdiocese he knows well: he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1989. He served there for about 23 years in several parishes and ministries before returning as archbishop in 2020, following assignments as auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY, and as bishop of Cleveland.

“In my travels over the past five years, I have heard stories of interactions with the archdiocese that have resulted in strained and deteriorated relations,” he wrote in his letter. “These stories come from your friends, colleagues, neighbors, parents or your children and grandchildren. We can do better. I can do better.

Above all, Archbishop Pérez said, “we must inspire a pastoral change of heart that focuses on those who are absent and that aligns our collective efforts in parishes, schools and charitable ministries to listen, restore trust and invite people into their homes.

To do this, Catholics must live out their baptismal call to become missionary disciples, he said.

“Often, you may be the only person in a loved one’s life who can reach them when they feel lost or disconnected. Your meetings may mark the beginning of their return,” the archbishop said in his letter. “This is our common mission: to proclaim the Good News of the love, mercy and resurrection of Jesus Christ to a world that desperately needs it. »

Bishop Pérez said he was “not naive about the number of parishes we have and the way we spread out our priests.” Although he sought to avoid “widespread closures of parishes,” some changes and closures would be inevitable. But he said that building the Church requires training people to become missionary disciples.

“Pastoral planning focused solely on changing our current parish footprint will not cultivate this culture,” he said.

Bishop Pérez said the new initiative aims to bring about “a change of pastoral heart over the next twenty years.”

He highlighted Pope Francis’ description of the parish in the 2013 apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) as an institution possessing “great flexibility” in sharing the Gospel. .

He said: “My hope is that through flexibility and an open heart we can work creatively to meet the needs of our parishes and allow more time for the Holy Spirit to inspire them. »

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