HOLY APOSTLES PARISH
EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 1, 2021
 

With "glad tidings of comfort and joy" we celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus on Christmas.  It is now with further joy that I share with you the name of our new parish being born on February 1, 2021.  I have received official word that Cardinal O'Malley has accepted our first suggestion of the three names submitted.  We will now officially be called "Holy Apostles Parish."  A formal letter of decree will be signed by Cardinal O'Malley and will be forthcoming.  I want to thank all of you for your prayers, hard work, discussions, and feedback over these many months since April when we first inquired about merging our two parishes.  As with the birth of a child, it has been nine months in the making! What joy it is to be "born" during the Christmas Season!
God Bless, 
Fr. Mike

CARDINAL O'MALLEY CHOOSES NAME FOR NEW PARISH TO BE "HOLY APOSTLES PARISH -- JANUARY 6, 2021
 

THREE POSSIBLE PARISH NAMES SUBMITTED TO CARDINAL O'MALLEY ON DECEMBER 17, 2020 

After receiving almost 60 name suggestions for our NEW PARISH from parishioners of both Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker, and consulting with the Collaborative Pastoral Council, Joint Pastoral Finance Council, and Collaborative Staff we have narrowed the list down to three. 
These are listed below in order of preference:

1. Holy Apostles Parish  ---   It is unique (only a very few churches/parishes through the country).  Our Lady Mary and Joseph were Jesus' first Apostles; of course all of Jesus' Apostles can be included as well as present day…such as "us"
2. Christ the Bread of Life Parish  --- As we know Joseph (St Joseph the Worker) and Mary (Our Lady of the Lake) were the parents of Jesus; therefore as we prepare to unite our two Holy Catholic Families (SJTW & OLOL),  Jesus (Christ) shall be "Our Bread" and "Our Life" in our new journey!!!*  John 6:35
3. Saint Faustina Parish --- St. Faustina is the one who shared Divine Mercy with the world. There is a Divine Mercy in Quincy; there are no St. Faustinas in the Archdiocese.  Also, not many parishes have been named after Saint Faustina, and both of our churches have the very large paintings of Divine Mercy.

We should know within a few weeks the decision of Cardinal O'Malley as to the name chosen for our NEW PARISH!

HELP CHOOSE THE NAME OF OUR NEW PARISH

Please download this flyer which is being inserted into the parish bulletin.  All parishioners are being asked to prayerfully discern a new name for our merged parish.  You may mail the form to the Collaborative Office, bring it to Mass, or email your suggestion to ololsjtwmerger@gmail.com
ll suggestions need to be submitted by December 15th.  

NEW PARISH NAME SUGGESTION FORM
 

Pastor Letter to Cardinal O'Malley October 21, 2020

Fr. Hobson appeared virtually before Cardinal O'Malley and the Presbyteral Council on November 5, 2020 to formally request a merger of Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker parishes.    He presented the statements from the Joint Pastoral Finance Council, the Collaborative Pastoral Council, and the recommended letters from the Vicar Forane Fr. Robert Deehan and Episcopal Vicar Robert Connors.  After consultation with the Presbyteral Council, Cardinal O'Malley approved the merger which is to become effective February 1, 2021.

A joint meeting of the Collaborative Pastoral Council, Joint Pastoral Finance Councils, and Collaborative Staff was hell on Thursday October 15th.  Areas of discusion included: 
1.  Update on the Archdiocese (COVID-19 Directives, Mergers, Catholic Appeal
2.  Collaborative Update (Staff, Faciliites, Faith Formation, Finances)
3.  Collaborative Merger Discussions (Summary Report, Feedback, Joint PFC statement, Collaborative Pastoral Council Statement, and Merger process)

To see the Collaborative Pastoral Council Merger Statement click the link below: 

Click the link below for a statement from Fr. Hobson given during the Live Streaming 10:30am Mass on Sunday September 20, 2020
Message from our Pastor - Initiating Merger Process - 9-20-2020

View the most recent meeting of the Collaborative Pastoral Council of Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker parishes.  The following areas were discussed:  1. Collaborative Update; 2. Staff Reductions; 3. Faith Formation; 4. Financial Reports & Grand Annual; and 5. Merger feedback. The meeting lasted just over two hours.  The Merger discussions continued at about 57 minutes into the meeting and continuing until the end.  No motion was made either for or against a Merger. 
CLICK HERE for the video.

Ongoing questions can be sent to the following email addresses: 
ololsjtwmerger@gmail.com
OR
Frank Moran (SJTW) at francis.moran@comcast.net
Becky Daily (OLOL) at marjorie90@verizon.net

Dear Parishioners of the OLOL and SJTW Collaborative,

As members of the Joint Pastoral Finance Council for OLOL and SJTW, we are reaching out regarding the very strained financial position of both parishes. Fr. Hobson has been transparent in sharing the troubling trends in decreasing church enrollment, active participation and monthly collections. This is proving to be a significant challenge for the Collaborative and for the entire Archdiocese of Boston. COVID has certainly magnified the issue, but the downward trend began long before the pandemic hit.

The current path is untenable. Offertory for both parishes is down 22% and 32% for SJTW and OLOL, respectively. We have a forecasted a combined operating deficit (ongoing revenue, less expenses) of over $67k. These numbers are AFTER the significant staffing reductions documented in the August 1st bulletin.

In June, a webinar was held to discuss what it would mean if our two parishes pursued a merger, where our finances and associated decisions were combined. As shared, the act of merging does not instantaneously increase our operating income or reduce expenses, but is a necessary step toward creating a more sustainable future. Once complete, we can make decisions to limit redundancies, make more efficient use of space and properly allocate capital investment dollars. This may ultimately lead to the closure of a facility, but a merger is the best step to take before a decision of that magnitude can be made.

If we do not take the step of merging, any future decisions may be out of our hands. As such, it is the recommendation of the Joint Pastoral Finance Council to pursue a merger.

Joseph Bina                    Brian McKeon                John Scholl                  Cheryle O’Sullivan

April 27^{th  --} Archdiocesan Webinar on Mergers was held and viewed throughout the Archdiocese of Boston with a Frequently Asked Questions sheet compiled.  See this link, especially questions 1-47: 
https://rcabrisk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/April27WebinarFAQ-April-30-version.pdf

June 1^{st  --} Collaborative Merger Disicussion Webinar was held for all parishioners of OLOL & SJTW.  See this link to view the recorded webinar:  
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1469907815197922573

June 18^{th --} Collaborative Pastoral Council Zoom Meeting.
The Collaborative Pastoral Council for Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker Parishes held a Merger Discussion June 18, 2020.  Parishioners were invited to attend as spectators.  You can view the recorded Zoom meeting at the following YouTube link:
https://youtu.be/u80jwd9JFqk

Council members were elected in May of 2019.  Three parishioners from each parish of Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker were elected by each respective parish.  Representing Our Lady of the Lake are:  Paul Delaney, Becky Daley and Vivian Cardinal.  Representing Saint Joseph, the Worker are Frank Moran, Jack Tamulevich, and Marilyn Shaw.  Two high school youth were also appointed to the Collaborative Pastoral Council.  The Zoom meeting was held with 7 Council members, Fr. Hobson, Fr. Lee, Deacon Gervais and about 16 parishioners from both parishes were spectator attendees.  Questions submitted to or asked by the Collaborative Pastoral Council were addressed. Further questions can be addreessed to ololsjtwmerger@gmail.com or to council members Becky Daily (OLOL) at marjorie90@verizon.net and Frank Moran (SJTW) at francis.moran@comcast.net 

Fr. Hobson will be seeking advice from the Collaborative Pastoral Council, each parish Pastoral Finance Council and the Collaborative Staff to decide whether to initiate a formal Merger process.  Formal and deeper disucssions would begin if Fr. Hobson considers it to be in the best interest of everyone in the Collaborative.  The process would take at least 8 weeks, with the spiritual benefit to ensure a Catholic worshipping presence in the collective area of both present parishes which would become one larger new parish entity having a new parish name.  The names of each church building would remain the same, those being Our Lady of the Lake Church and Saint Joseph the Worker Church.  In addition, as one new parish, all resources, facilities and staff would be examined after a merger as to how best serve the spiritual needs of all parishioners, keeping in mind our principal focus of evangelization.

REGARDING THE WEBINAR DISCUSSION ON A MERGER OF OUR PARISHES THAT WAS HELD ON JUNE 1, 2020

A merger is an opportunity for two parishes to be joined together as one.  With marriage when two persons join together to become one, all assets, debts, properties, obligations and needs of each other are formed into a new creation, a new beginning, a new family.  This is similar with a merger of two parishes.  There are many advantages to a merger.  With two becoming one, there is strength in that unity.  The care, support, outreach, involvement and spiritual growth is greatly enhanced, just as with marriage.  Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs so that they could be coworkers in God’s vineyard in the work of evangelization being entrusted to them.  As Catholics, we have been entrusted from the moment of our spiritual birth through Baptism to go forth and bring the Good News of our Lord and Risen Savior to all the ends of the earth.  Our faith is lived for Jesus, not for ourselves.  In an increasingly challenged world, there is comfort and security when a foundation is built upon our Lord, who alone offers us peace of heart and mind which the world cannot give.  A merger creates new opportunities for self-reflection and greater spiritual growth.

On Monday night, June 1^st, a webinar discussion was held with over 85 participants from the parishes of Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker.  Postcard invitations were sent out to 1067 registered parishioners of Our Lady of the Lake and 2127 registered parishioners of Saint Joseph the Worker.  The webinar was advertised over the prior three weeks in the Collaborative bulletin, Facebook page, parish websites, and during the Live Streaming Sunday Masses. Preparation included previously watching an archdiocesan recorded webinar video with discussions from throughout the Archdiocese of Boston, as well as reviewing a list for Frequently Asked Questions that was generated afterwards. 

Our pastor Fr. Mike Hobson invited Fr. Paul Soper (Secretary for Evangelization and Discipleship) from the Archdiocese of Boston to be a co-panelist for the Collaborative Merger Discussion held Monday night.  Technical assistance and the queueing of questions were handled by Tom Lyman (Coordinator for Divine Worship), who also was the facilitator in the past 18 months helping our Collaborative develop the Collaborative Pastoral Plan approved by Cardinal Sean O’Malley. 

Many questions were asked and answered during the 90-minute webinar, which was also recorded and will made available soon for viewing.  In addition, a Frequently Asked Questions summary will be prepared shortly as well.   

Ongoing questions can be sent to the following email:   ololsjtwmerger@gmail.com

A Collaborative Pastoral Council Zoom video meeting will be held on Thursday evening June 18^th.  Information about attending will be forthcoming.  

May we continue to pray for each other, asking the intercession of Our Lady of the Lake and Saint Joseph the Worker!