As you are well aware, things are always shifting for parishes. Let’s look at our recent history. St. Benedict, St. Gregory, and Madonna parishes were clustered a few years ago with Blessed Sacrament parish. Then a merger happened and the newly created parish of St. Moses the Black became the cluster partner of Blessed Sacrament. Finally, Our Lady of the Rosary parish became a “temporary” cluster partner with St. Moses and Blessed Sacrament. Then there was a pastor change. This latter shift and the fact that we have been clustered for three years worried some folks that Our Lady of the Rosary’s clustering would not be temporary. I share with you some exciting news which I shared at O.L. Rosary’s Parish Council this past Thursday: Beginning in July of this year, Our Lady of the Rosary will have its own pastor, Fr. Daniel Jones, and there will be two additional priests in residence: Fr. Ryan Adams and Fr. Marco Djonovic.
This group of men is forming something which has never been done in our Archdiocese. They are forming an “Oratory”. There are presently oratories in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Fr. Jones sent me a definition of an Oratory:
“The Detroit Oratory is a family of priests and brothers gathered in Jesus Christ, striving to live in mutual charity and prayer according to the spirit of St. Philip Neri. We seek to serve the mission of Christ in the Archdiocese of Detroit in three main ways:
- Evangelization and proclamation of the word of God, especially to the young, while forming them in discipleship and leadership in Church and society.
- The cultivation of the spiritual life through prayer, sacramental service, spiritual direction, beautiful liturgy, and sacred art and music.
- Service to the poor, sick, and needy, principally in poor neighborhoods.”
This is joyful news for all! It will allow all three clustered parishes to be more focused in our ministries, it allows O.L. Rosary to have a full time pastor, and it will allow Fr. Patrick and me to give more time to the other two parishes. Please pray for a smooth transition. I will keep you informed as this exciting process moves along.
God Bless,
Fr. J.J.