Dear Friends,
At our last parish meeting I announced that our parish would retain its status as a parish and would not become a mission of another parish. The concern of many was that the parish would be closed. Let me reiterate, Immaculate Conception Parish will not be closed no matter what the financial situation happens to be. This is happening because at this moment in the life of the parish, IC cannot afford to have its own priest. It doesn’t mean that it can’t change in the future, but to prevent further debt that the parish would not be able to recover from, this is a necessary move.
What happens next is that the pastor of St. John’s in Clinton will be also the pastor at IC, Fr. Jim Mazzone. His associate, Fr. Julio Granados, will also be the associate here at IC. They will live at St. John’s but will also minister here. Deacon Bill and I met with them last Monday. While there are still many variables to be figured out, they are fully committed to serving the people at IC in every way possible.
I asked Fr. Mazzone to check his calendar for a time to come and meet with the parishioners, and he is more than willing to do so. I will let you know when that time is.
It is important for all of us to realize that we live our faith especially in moments of crisis like this. We are put to the test of our faith when we realize there is no other way to deal with life and its challenges. This is one such time. I’m sorry to have been the one to deliver such news to you. This was not part of the plan as I understood it, but God has challenged his people over the millennia and we have, with God’s grace, we will rise to the occasions.
Peace,
Fr. Michael