A trip across the pond brought good news for parish communities looking to strengthen their numbers. And a “Quiet Revival” of young people are looking for answers in the Catholic Church.

Father Bryan Zielenieski, diocesan vicar for Renewal and Development, took part in an Alpha International Leadership Conference in London. The 10-day conference, held April 28-May 8, consisted of an intensive leadership component and an international conference with people from across the globe.

“The intensive part was really leadership and looking at what are the trends of today and how can Alpha meet those going forward in your specific context,” Father Zielenieski explained.

One positive trend is that the Quiet Revival is happening across all Christian denominations. Generation Z and Generation Alpha, basically everyone under the age of 30, are on point to becoming the largest faith generation in history because they’re searching.

“They’ve learned that secularism and wokeism are always demanding more from you. They’re learning that culture is telling them they’re never enough, it’s never enough, or they’re not good enough,” Father Zielenieski noted. “So, as they’re searching, they’re discovering Jesus, and they’ll research online about this person of Jesus and then come to the Church wanting to learn more about that community and what it’s all about.”

France saw a record 17,000 welcomed into the Church during the Easter vigil this year according to Premier Christianity magazine. Father Zielenieski said Vancouver and Montreal also saw a large number of new members this year.

“There have been upticks of dioceses throughout the world of this younger generation that’s looking. That’s what they’re calling the Quiet Revival. Very exciting,” he said.

Father Zielenieski now wants the Diocese of Buffalo to get ready to meet these young people, noting that Europe is usually five to 10 years ahead of the United States.

“From what I saw at the conference, it’s telling Buffalo, we need to be ready because these young people are searching, looking.”

The conference informed the attendees that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are looking for a church with a sense of mission. They want to be welcomed, they want to assume leadership roles, and they want to have a role in shaping the Church going forward. They also want a varied worship style, with a mix of modern and conservative.

“They want praise and worship while receiving Communion on the tongue. There are no boundaries for them, which is very beautiful, but not something we’re used to. So, our communities need to be ready for that,” Father Zielenieski said.

At Buffalo’s Renewal conference this past May, Father Zielenieski shared much of this, asking pillar leaders to cater their work to this information.

“How are we going to meet the younger generation? Are we going to meet them? Are we ready to put them in leadership roles? Are we putting them on our pillar teams? Are we making outreach efforts inclusive and not just what we’ve always done in our communities?” he asked.

YouthMinistry360 suggested these younger generations want more personal and purposeful relationships. Suggestions include creating environments and activities that encourage kids to build friendships with one another and with their small group leaders. Gen Alpha wants people to really see them, know them, and hear them. As leaders, we need to make sure we are actively listening to what kids have to say and remembering it.

The church is heading into a “very positive direction,”Father Zielenieski said.

Three Catholic Sisters in the Foothills, also known as Family of Parishes #25, are in the process of doing an evangelization outreach entitled Make Every Person Count. This is a phone outreach to build community, answer questions, update registration, and reconnect with inactive Catholics.

On Saturday, June 14, Sister Louise Alff, OSF, did the training for the phone visitors. Part of the training was to role play the phone calls. Participants broke up into pairs and practiced calling one another. With the use of bananas as their phones, they followed the script given to them and practiced calling one another. A lot of laughter and conversation were heard in the room.

Each person will make 10 calls over a two-week period starting June 17. They have 30 volunteers from the three parishes: Holy Name of Mary, Ellicottville; Our Lady of Peace, Salamanca; and St. Philomena, Franklinville. A total of 300 parishioners will be contacted.

Evangelization and forming disciples were the top topics presented at the second annual diocesan Renewal Conference. Three different speakers described how to reach out to those who have lost connection with the Church.

The May 16 conference saw Father Frank DeSiano, CSP, author and former president of Paulist Evangelization Ministries, speak on “Finding God in the Time of Challenge and Hurt.”

He stated that tough times are not a sign that God has gone away, but when He is felt most.

He pointed out that Jews being forced into slavery in Egypt and their exile from Babylon produced the greatest prophets. As Christians were persecuted, it gave opportunities to bring witness to Christ.

In Church history, “Every single difficulty we’ve had is an opportunity for us to grow,” he said.

Looking at reasons why people stop attending Mass, Father DeSiano said experience is prized over authority, so listening to their pastor or the pope holds less value to the majority of the population than their own personal observances. This leads people to become more independent from the Church’s teachings. In order for religion to be strong, faith must be cultural. People are not Catholic just because their parents are Catholics or because they were forced to go to church.

“They’re Catholic because we choose to be Catholic. So, we have to develop the kinds of families of faith that people want to choose. And choice and relationship are found as an ordinary experience of community. You don’t go to Church to kneel in the back as the priest goes up to the altar and whispers. We go to Church to be part of a community,” he said.

Sister Louise Alff, OSF, evangelization consultant for the diocesan Office of Renewal, led a talk on a new tool called“Make Every Person Count,” as a path to reconnect, support and re-engage members of the parish family. The outreach program involves volunteers making phone calls to parishioners to dialogue over pastoral questions.

“If you were to ask somebody what is one of the greatest hungers in the world today, what do you think they might say?” Sister Louise asked the 160 people in attendance. Replies included personal connection, love, and being accepted. All those needs need to be addressed in order for people to engage in the Church.

“Make Every Person Count” promotes the mission, reconnects people, supports people, reengages or introduces them to Church as a form of Radical Hospitality, which puts extreme effort and emphasis on making people feel welcome. If anything is to happen in the parishes, it has to be because the individuals are so passionate about what they believe that you need to share it with others. “Otherwise it becomes just a program, it becomes just a task, and you burn out very quickly,” Sister Louise explained.

Sister Louise went on to add that parishes must reach out to parishioners in multiple ways in order to make disciples.

Author Lorene Duquin, led a breakout session on “Forming Disciples.”

Also speaking on radical hospitality, Duquin said the best way to get people involved in parish life is by personal invitation. It should happen from peer to peer in the pews, not just from leadership. It begins with striking up a conversation and learning people’s names, then is followed by accompaniment and working together for the good of the parish.

A successful way to get people involved, Duquin said, is to use “one shots,” events that can happen once with very little commitment. This could be anything from raking leaves to cleaning pews to helping at a lawn fete.

“Provide the help they need to be successful,” Duquin said, adding that allowing people to use their God-given gifts and honed skills gives them a sense of meaning and purpose.

Other speakers include Joshua Danis, the head of Parish and Diocesan Partnerships for Hallow, Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., executive director of the Mark 5:19 Project in Minnesota, Father Peter Wojcik pastor of St. Clement Parish and Pastoral Strategy Leader for the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Father Mark Noonan, pastor of the ONE Catholic family in Orleans and Niagara Counties.

During a meeting held last evening, the Diocese of Buffalo announced that Holy Cross Parish, deemed to merge and close in final decisions reached in September, will remain open on Buffalo’s West Side.

The church at 345 Seventh St., Buffalo, originally scheduled to remain open during initial recommendations communicated in May 2024, was suggested to close following a review meeting with its Family of Parishes representatives last summer. This counterproposal was challenged and upon further review led to the change in status.

“Following a thorough review, acknowledging the diverse communities and needs that Holy Cross ministers to including the Rwandan, African and Hispanic communities on Buffalo’s West Side, Holy Cross will remain open,” explained Father Bryan Zielenieski, diocesan vicar for Renewal and Development. “The church deemed essential for ministry and mission has been placed on a watch list to help the parish deal with the financial stability that is needed. The watch list is designed to help parishioners and community members recognize their direct involvement in making the parish successful for the future.”

As already planned, Family of Parishes’ Families 21 and 23 will merge to form a new family that includes Blessed Trinity, St. Martin de Porres, SS. Columba-Brigid, Our Lady of Hope and Holy Cross churches all in Buffalo.

As the Diocese of Buffalo continues with the Road to Renewal process, the following Families of Parishes have been realigned. 

• Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bowmansville moved from Family #9 to Family #15. Effective Oct. 15.
• Immaculate Heart of Mary, Darien Center moved from Family #13 to Family #14. Effective Oct. 15.
• SS. Joachim & Anne, Attica moved from Family #13 to Family #14. Effective Oct. 15.
• St. John Neumann, Strykersville moved from Family #13 to Family #14.   Effective Oct. 15.
• St. John the Baptist, Alden moved from Family #13 to Family #9. Effective Oct. 15.
• St. Maximilian Kolbe, Corfu moved from Family #13 to Family #12. Effective Oct. 15.

Father Thomas M. Mahoney has been appointed the additional responsibility as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bowmansville, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Father Mahoney is pastor of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #15.

Father Arthur E. Mattulke has been appointed the additional responsibility as senior parochial vicar of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bowmansville, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Father Mattulke is senior parochial vicar of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #15.

Father Walter J. Szczesny has been appointed the additional responsibility as senior parochial vicar of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bowmansville, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Father Szczesny is senior parochial vicar of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #15.

Father F. Patrick Melfi has been appointed the additional responsibility as pastor of SS. Joachim & Anne, Attica; St. John Neumann, Strykersville; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Darien Center, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Father Melfi is pastor of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #14.

Father John J. Arogyasami has been appointed the additional responsibility as senior parochial vicar of St. Michael, Warsaw; Mary Immaculate, East Bethany; and St. Isidore, Perry, effective Oct. 15. His residence remains St. John Neumann, Strykersville. With this appointment, Father Arogyasami is senior parochial vicar of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #14.

Father George Devanapalle has been appointed parochial vicar of newly aligned Family #14 (St. Michael, Warsaw; Mary Immaculate, East Bethany; St. Isidore, Perry; SS. Joachim & Anne, Attica; St. John Neumann, Strykersville; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Darien Center), effective Oct. 15. His residence remains SS. Joachim & Anne, Attica.

Father Jozef Dudzik has been appointed senior parochial vicar of newly aligned Family #12 & newly aligned Family #14 (St. Brigid, Bergen; Resurrection, Batavia; Ascension, Batavia; Our Lady of Mercy, LeRoy; St. Padre Pio, Oakfield; St. Maximilian Kolbe, Corfu; St. Michael, Warsaw; Mary Immaculate, East Bethany; St. Isidore, Perry; SS. Joachim & Anne, Attica; St. John Neumann, Strykersville; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Darien Center), effective Oct. 15. He will reside at Ascension, Batavia. 

Msgr. Richard W. Siepka has been appointed the additional responsibility as priest-in-solidum of St. John the Baptist, Alden, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Msgr. Siepka is priest-in-solidum of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #9.

Father Bartholomew W. Lipiec has been appointed the additional responsibility as priest-in-solidum of St. John the Baptist, Alden, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Father Lipiec is priest-in-solidum of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #9.

Father Lukasz Kopala has been appointed the additional responsibility as priest-in-solidum of St. John the Baptist, Alden, effective Oct. 15. With this appointment, Father Kopala is priest-in-solidum of all the parishes of the newly aligned Family #9.

Father Louis S. Klein has been appointed parish administrator of Family #8 (St. Josaphat, Queen of Martyrs, Resurrection & Our Lady Help of Christians, all in Cheektowaga), effective Oct. 15 and concluding on Nov. 1, when Father Todd Remick’s assignment as pastor commences.

Father Todd M. Remick has been appointed pastor of Family #8 (St. Josaphat, Queen of Martyrs, Resurrection and Our Lady Help of Christians, all in Cheektowaga), effective Nov. 1. He will reside at Our Lady Help of Christians, Cheektowaga.

Father Dennis J.J. Mancuso has been appointed full-time vicar forane of the Southern Tier East Vicariate and the Southern Tier West Vicariate, effective Nov. 1. His residence remains St. Philomena, Franklinville.

Father Peter N. Bassey has been appointed Parochial Vicar of newly aligned Family #15 (Our Lady of Peace, Clarence; St. Teresa of Avila, Akron; Nativity of the BVM, Williamsville; St. Mary, Swormville; and Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bowmansville), effective Nov. 1. He will reside at St. Mary, Swormville.

Father Charles E. Johnson has been appointed Parish Administrator of Family #25 (Holy Name of Mary, Ellicottville; St. Philomena, Franklinville; & Our Lady of Peace, Salamanca), effective Nov. 1. His residence remains St. Philomena, Franklinville.

Father Marcin Porada has been appointed Parochial Vicar of Family #4 (St. Patrick, Randolph; Our Lady of Loreto, Falconer; St. James, Jamestown; Sacred Heart, Lakewood; and Holy Apostles, Jamestown), effective Nov. 1. He will reside at St. Patrick, Randolph.

Buffalo, N.Y., May 28, 2024 – The Diocese of Buffalo today has announced that following a comprehensive and collaborative planning process directed by its Road to Renewal division, a plan was presented to Family of Parishes priests to merge approximately 34 percent of the diocese’s 160 parishes.

“The Diocese of Buffalo is facing multiple challenges including a significant priest shortage, declining Mass attendance, aging congregations and ongoing financial pressures brought about by our Chapter 11 filing,” explained Bishop Michael W. Fisher. “This plan resulted from the lessons learned as we brought parishes together in the parish family model and determined rather quickly that scaling back the number of parishes would best allow us to use our limited resources to help reenergize a spiritual renewal in the diocese.”

“These difficult changes associated with our renewal allow limited resources to be directed to the greatest needs in our community,” Bishop Fisher added, “The work of the Holy Spirit within our diocese and the support of the Western New York community has been an incredible blessing.”

The actual number of parishes merged will not be determined until clergy and parish leadership have an opportunity to review recommendations that will be proposed. They may either agree with the recommendations, or present an option for an alternative parish (or parishes) within their family for merger. Those determinations will be made between August 15 and September 1, 2024.

“To make the recommendations that will be presented to pastors, we examined parish demographics, sacramental participation, and financial support,” explained Rev. Bryan Zielenieski, Vicar for Renewal and Development, who leads the Road to Renewal effort. “We also looked at the variations of our urban, suburban and rural parishes because factors like poverty rates, availability of transportation, proximity and limited resources impact overall parish long-term vitality.”

The Road to Renewal in the diocese employs a collaborative model that saw the current 160 parishes grouped into 36 Families of Parishes which were announced in December 2021. An initial group of six Families of Parishes soon thereafter began the pilot phase. When the Road to Renewal process began, Renewal staff contacted dioceses throughout the country and 67 percent of dioceses responding were implementing, or had implemented, a collaborative model in their diocese.

Soon, pastors will be provided with detailed materials to lead consultations within their Family of Parishes. Once the parishes to be merged are identified and approved, the process to begin merging those identified parishes is expected to begin this fall.

The Renewal in the Church has been happening since the time of Jesus Christ.

Father Bryan Zielenieski, diocesan vicar for Renewal and Development, reminded guests of that fact during the March 22 Renewal Conference, titled Jesus Christ’s Mission is the Same. Our Reality is Different.

“We are not in the Renewal simply as a program, a phase of time in this diocese. The Renewal is something that happens continually,” he said. “This is not something that will go away. We need to adapt our mission to the realities the world challenges us with so that we can continue to move that diocesan mission forward.”

The conference, held at Hilbert College in Hamburg, offered tools and guidance for parish pillar members.

Keynote speaker Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., put a focus on evangelization on the first of her two talks.

As homework she asked everyone to read the Book of Esther to understand the quote, “For such a time as this.”

“We were all called to this time,” she explained. “We may be deeply unhappy and even wounded by our history, but God knew what was going to happen and is giving us the grace to bring good out of evil, and to carry forward the call to share the Gospel with all nations and all counties in Western New York in this time, in this place. He will give us everything we need.”

Windley-Daoust, the director of Missionary Discipleship for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, saw her diocese file bankruptcy shortly after taking the job. She thought it was the best time to focus on evangelization as the community needed good news, and it doesn’t cost anything.

“Sharing the Good News is so much more of a mental shift than it is a financial shift,” she said.

The Good News, she said, is that the Great Commission from Matthew 28 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – is a command from God.

“The Lord never gives us a command without giving us the grace to follow through on the command. He doesn’t set the bar so high that we can’t reach it. He gives us the grace when he gives us a command, but we do need to step into it and say, ‘Yes, Lord.’”

Evangelization, she said, should be looked at as the ministry of Christ the Healer. Following the story of the possessed man in Mark 5, we should use the power of witness to bring others to Christ. “Go to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you,” she said.

In her second talk, Windley-Daoust advised against what she called the “soggy noodle syndrome,” throwing things against a wall to see what sticks. A better path is to pray and make a plan.

She offered four models for evangelization and said by using any three, a parish will cover everybody. Parishes should start one program at a time, but keep them all going at the same time.

“We want to create full spectrum evangelization. We want to address the full discipleship path from the time people are born to the time that they die,” she said.

The four models presented were:

1. Radical Hospitality meets First Proclamation. Radical hospitality is hospitality to the stranger. It has more to do with recognizing dignity than being friendly. It’s really good for reaching out to people who have little association with the faith.

2. Small Group Spiritual Multiplication Model. This offers a safe space for people to talk about Jesus. Windley-Daoust points to college Bible studies to people with little knowledge of Catholic faith. Then ask if they want to learn more. One possible drawback is that groups tend to become good friends and then close themselves off to inviting more people to join.

3. Signs and Wonder. Windley-Daoust encouraged her listeners to share moments where the Lord has given them signs of hope. It breaks down the idea that God is distant.

“The Christian God is actually a God of signs and wonders,” she explained. “It’s an opportunity for witness. It’s an opportunity for sharing.”

4. Strategic Planning. “You’re doing it right now,” Windley-Daoust said. “You’re taking some time to think about the mission of the Church, and the mission of the parish, and the mission of the family of parishes, and how to put that back in the center of things.”

“When we use three of the four models we are going to create a new parish culture.

We need to take steps to build a culture that is friendly to evangelization, expects evangelization, and is really working to foster discipleship all along the lifespan,” Windley-Daoust said.

The conference also held breakout sessions for pillar members.

As a member of the Inreach/Outreach pillar of the Eastside Family of Parishes, Francis Boeck, wanted to learn more about the Renewal.

“This is an important time in our diocese and I want to learn to be a better member of my pillar in order to build a stronger parish and a stronger family and ultimately a stronger diocese,” he said. “It’s been really interesting so far. It’s good to hear from people both in the diocese and outside the diocese. You can get a sense of what other dioceses have been through. We’re not alone in this situation and see some light at the end of the tunnel. And there’s ideas and tools we can use to get to the next step.”

As a twentysomething, Boeck was possibly the youngest person attending the conference. What keeps him involved?

“The goal at the end of life is to get to heaven, and you have to build the Kingdom of God. I don’t think there’s any age restriction to that. I knew coming in I’d probably be the youngest, just because of the time frame aspect of it, but I’m used to it by now. I think you should do it no matter what age you are, to get involved.”

The keynote speech is available on the Renewal Resource page.

The Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord family saw something shocking when they united its Faith Formation programs. Attendance increased 25 percent across the board.

Five of the six parishes in the family, also known as Family #9, offer faith formation programs. As the family formed, they streamlined their registration process. Interested families can access a Google form and see what programs are available in the Lancaster/Cheektowaga/Depew area.

“They can look at the schedule and all the different programs and different types of classes offered, and then click the site where they want to register their kids,” explained Becky Hoag, faith formation director at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Lancaster, adding it has worked out “really beautifully.”

Fifteen families from St. Mary’s are taking classes at different parishes because it fits their schedule better. Members of other parishes are registering at St. Mary’s for the same reason.

The parishes use the same program, Loyola Press’s “Finding God, so people can move from one parish to another seamlessly.

“It’s pretty cool,” Hoag said.

St. Mary’s offers faith formation for students in kindergarten through 10th grade in many different models, including Traditional, Collaborative, Parent led, Hybrid, Family Sessions, Edge, Home Study, and God’s Family.

Each parish will use what best meets the needs of the families in their parish.

“Combining six parishes, it was a challenge because we all do our own thing. The way we deliver classes is specifically different in all of them. That’s why we have so many options. We’re looking at that over the year and see what else we can streamline,” Hoag said.

Ideally, the parents come to class for family sessions together with their kids, then continue to teach the faith at home. Some parents don’t feel qualified, so they prefer to drop their kids off.

For Sacraments they use Dynamic Catholic’s “Blessed” program. The kids learn some of the material from the Blessed book in class, then finish the work at home with their parents.

“I find that in those sacramental years, the parents learn a lot from their children with these programs and really enjoy it,” Hoag said.

Getting parents involved and having catechesis take place in the home is key to really understanding the material.

“That’s our job, to support and encourage the primary catechists to their kids,” Hoag said.

St. Mary’s has 114 families meeting once a month seven times a year. December’s Advent themed session saw 95 families show up.

“Our parish center was full. It was stunning to walk into a parish center and see 20 round tables of eight chairs each practically full,” she said. “It was amazing.”

Sessions last 90 minutes, with icebreaker and themes that come from Loyola Press. They include a 30-minute service project. Hoag said that’s why many people come.

“They love that. They’re working closely with their children on serving the needs of others.”

They’ve written letters to the elderly, made Thanksgiving placemats for the residents of Symphony Manor and retired sisters at Villa Maria. In February they made sandwiches for St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy.

Hoag isn’t sure how to account for the increase in attendance. She attributes it to the young families coming back to church.

St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Cheektowaga has been using Matthew Kelly’s “Dynamic Catholic” for its confirmation students. The series uses videos and open discussions, and there’s an opportunity for self-reflection on how Christ is working in each students’ life.

“Kids that are in high school, the last thing they’re thinking about is how they find God in their lives,” explained Sharon Pikul, faith formation director at St. Philip’s. “What this program helps them to understand is becoming the best version of themselves requires that they follow the gifts and the talents that God has given them. In doing that, they give back to God. That’s real hard for a 14 year old to make a connection to because they’re more interested in what sport  they are in, what dance class they are going to, where their friends are hanging, what social media has to say. So, Dynamic Catholic for me is one of those programs that helps kids see there is another dimension to being a teen in today’s society. There’s your spiritual side.”

Pikul sees a few reasons why the number of attendees has been on the rise.

“Some of it is people being more relaxed and coming back after Covid, so they reconnected with us. Some of them are brand new people who have moved into the neighborhood, so those are new bodies coming in. And we also have a lot of folks who have recommitted their faith and are bringing their kids back for religion classes even though they have skipped a few years in between. So, those folks have also come back,” she said.

People traveling on the Road to Renewal might want to set their GPS to the Dunkirk/Fredonia area, as Family #3 has something worth checking out.

“The Lord’s Vineyard,” as they call themselves, consists of six parishes and eight churches in Northern Chautauqua County. The name plays off the many vineyards in the area and John 15:5 from Scripture.

“We wanted to go off the theme of ‘I am the vine. You are the branches,’” explained Father Robert J. Owczarzak, pastor of the family.

The organizational process has been going well for the family. Just nine months after Father Owczarzak became pastor, the family has a draft of their Family Action Plan which lays out the goals for the next three years. This plan is a compilation of the work of all six pillar groups and is made with the input of clergy and lay people.

“We centralized an office (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Dunkirk). So, we took all of our employees from our local office, and those who wanted to stay on, stayed on. A couple of them retired. We brought them all together and we’re working as a community,” Father Owczarczak explained.

They also created a single family bulletin and a family website (www.thelordsvineyard3.com) with input from all the six parishes. They’re now starting to have join Masses together.
“We had a Thanksgiving Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton where people from every single parish came together and brought food for the poor. We bought loaves of bread for everyone and blessed those for everyone to take home,” Father Owczarzak said.

Renee Sperry, who hails from Jamestown, helps the leadership team in the role of coach mentor. In this role, she helps to guide the pastors of the families. She mainly serves as a sounding board.

“Father Bob is very independent and he does very well,” Sperry said. They have met to tour the parishes and often bounce ideas off one another. “He has a good head on his shoulders.”

Sperry also seeks out tools to help deal with issues as they present themselves. One project was organizing the information on the six cemeteries the family now oversees. Once the family developed its Central Office to handle the administrative business, Sperry contacted the Diocesan Cemeteries office and asked what programs they used to keep their grounds in order. She then brought that information to Father Owczarczak, as well as Father Darryl Duffy, pastor of her parish in Family #4, and Father Todd Remick, the vicar forane of the Southern Tier West vicariate. Now the cemetery information is streamlined and graves are easier to find.

Sperry, who began working with the diocesan Renewal team during the pilot phase of the program, notes that each family has a different dynamic, but one common factor is the apprehension of both parishioners and staff when it comes to change.

“When it comes to change, it’s important that the pastors and the priests are on the same page. That’s what I try to express to the pastors,” she said. “Even if you disagree, you want to be positive when you go out there because it’s unsettling to people when there’s change in their lives.” 

Sperry adds that parish families should be well on their way in the process within six months, “but it’s going to take another year or two to really have it to where it’s settled.”

Father Owczarczak advises prayer during the difficult period of adjustment.

“It can be very defeating sometimes because I believe a lot of pastors are in a no-win situation. No matter what decision they’re going to make will make someone upset. So, you have to really offer it up in prayer and listen to your heart and listen to the Holy Spirit to give you the best advice, because there is no way of pleasing everybody. Everything you do should be through prayer and asking God to guide you for His will to be done, not ours.”