On July 1, 2018 Resurrection Parish will mark it’s 10th Anniversary as a parish. Obviously, I was not here when the merger of Holy Name Parish and St. Casimir Parish gave birth to Resurrection Parish, so I have only heard the stories of some of the challenges faced when the parish first started. There were the practical challenges -- consolidating the offices, staff changes, new Mass times, etc. More painful was the closing of both Holy Name and St. Casimir as separate parishes. Both parishes had proud histories. People had put their blood, sweat, and tears into building both parishes, and in making them communities of faith. I am convinced it was because of the strengths of both Holy Name and St. Casimir that Resurrection Parish has succeeded.
When Bishop O’Connell first told me that he was going to make me a pastor, he mentioned two parishes as possible places that he was going to send me, and a few days later a third parish was also put into the mix. None of them were Resurrection, so it was a bit of a surprise to me when he told me that he was sending me here. Later I found out why; I had been at two parishes which both had two worship sites -- one because of a merger, and the other due to the size of the parish. It was thought that my experience at being at these parishes would be helpful. Plus there was the fact that the parish was used to having religious order priests, and I had been in a religious order many years ago.
To be honest, this has been a very pleasant surprise for me, and in some sense those two past experiences were not as needed as thought. In other merged parishes, the merger seems to be more in name only. Parishioners still identify with the old parishes, and they do not integrate much. That is not the situation that I have found here in Resurrection. Parishioners seem to go back and forth between the two worship sites regularly based on schedule. While a few people will say “I’m from St. Casimir” or “I’m from Holy Name,” the vast majority say “I’m from Resurrection.” There has been a real embracing of the new parish identity, and a true sense of pitching in and working together. This is something which should be celebrated.
About a year ago, when I realized that the parish’s 10th anniversary was approaching, I started asking people what we should do to celebrate. I asked the deacons, the Pastoral Council, and the Finance Committee, as well as others. The idea of a parish pilgrimage was discussed, but we thought it would be too expense for many people, and we want to include as many as the parishioners as possible.
We have decided on a parish anniversary picnic. This year July 1st, the actual date of the merger, falls on a Sunday, so we are going to plan to have our picnic then. It will begin in the afternoon, probably around 2:30 PM, on the ground around the Parish Center (on in the Parish Center if it rains). The parish will provide the hamburgers, hot dogs, and soft drinks. We are going to ask parishioners whose last name begins with an “A” through “N” to bring a side dish to share (potato salad, baked beans, etc), and parishioners whose last name begins with an “O” through “Z” to bring a dessert to share.
All the details have not been settled, so if you have an idea, let me know. We want to have some games for kids of all ages. Maybe we will get the Boy Scouts to build a big bonfire in the evening which we can gather around to roast marshmallows and sing songs. I know some of our parishioners are in bands, so maybe we will ask them to play.
I want it to be a fun time for everyone. I want it to be a celebration of what all of you have accomplished in the last ten years. So mark your calendars!