Building Stronger Parish Partnerships for Mission:

Take the Way of the Gospel

The Archdiocese of Melbourne has initiated a strategic process called “Take the Way of the Gospel” which is evaluating how to best structure the Church in Melbourne to ensure the vitality of parishes and mission into the future. Given that a number of parishes have small congregations and therefore limited capacity, especially those closer to the CBD, the Archdiocese is considering which parishes can partner together in order to consolidate resources and develop stronger community life and mission. 

There are a number of factors that have contributed to our current situation, including a reducing number of priests, a decline in Mass attendance, and various societal changes. 

What does this mean for parishioners of St Benedict’s and St Scholastica’s?

Our newly formed Parish Partnership Subcommittee is in the process of developing a model and strategy that will help guide our two parishes into partnership. In reality, this transition will take some months to clarify and then embed into the life of our community. 

The goal is for both parishes to retain their own identity, but work together under one vision and mission, for the benefit of all parishioners. Pastoral care and the sacraments will continue to be a priority at both parishes, but with an added emphasis on equipping our people to grow as disciples of Jesus, and to live out the mission Christ has entrusted to us, both as individuals and as a parish. 

This partnership means that we will continue to support local ministries and interest groups, but if feasible, also open these up to parishioners from both communities. All parishioners will be very welcome to attend any Mass, formation course, or other ministry event which is offered at either St Benedict’s or St Scholastica’s. Our physical spaces and other resources, such as our staff, will be shared to benefit us all.

Our Parish Partnership will mean that we effectively operate as one mission, with two worshipping communities. 

What will this new structure look like?

One of the benefits of partnership is that we can consolidate the excellent resources and experience which already exists across our two parishes. Moving forward we will operate with one team of priests, led by Fr Dan Serratore as Parish Priest, along with Assistant Priests, Fr Antony Santhiyagu and Fr Cameron Smith. Whilst all priests will contribute to the life of St Scholastica’s in various ways, Fr Antony will be the primary priest celebrating Masses and providing pastoral care, and his office will be located within the parish offices at St Scholastica’s. 

In his capacity as Parish Priest, Fr Dan will be working closely with Fr Antony and members of the St Scholastica’s community, and will be in regular communication to the parish. He will also be present as Masses on a semi-regular basis. 

Because MGL priests live in community, there will be no priest residing in the Presbytery at St Scholastica’s, however the presbytery will be used regularly for a variety of ministry purposes. Our priests will also stay there from time to time for short retreats.

Our partnership will also mean that we will work under one leadership team and one staff team, all contributing to the same mission and strategy, for the benefit of all our parishioners. The practical details of how these changes take place will be worked out in time, however we trust that by consolidating resources we will increase our capacity to foster vital community life across both parishes. 

Will this affect Masses and other sacraments?

One of our priorities is ensuring that parishioners have regular access to sacraments and pastoral care. Over time we will discern how this can best be structured, taking into account the various demands of our mission on our priests. This may include some changes to times or locations, however we will ensure that between our two churches there will always be recourse to the sacraments. At this stage it appears that such changes will be minimal. 

What about finances, property, etc?

A Parish Partnership is not a Parish Merger. This means that the assets and boundaries of each parish remain in place without change. Your stewardship contribution will continue to be allocated towards the Parish in which you have nominated. Each parish will maintain running their own set of accounts. 

There are no plans to sell any land in either parish, and it is very unlikely that this be the case in the near or proximate future. 

Down the track there may be a possibility that both parishes merge, but that is not a consideration at present. Should a merger become a plausible option in the future, we will discuss it more at that point. 

Parish Partnership Subcommittee

Fr Dan and Fr Antony have developed a Subcommittee made up of representatives from both parishes, who will help to guide our transition into partnership. This committee will be particularly mindful of honouring and protecting the distinctive character, qualities and needs of both parishes. Committee members are: 

St Scholastica's: Gerard Devaraj, Charlie Mellican, Rosa Coniglio

St Benedict’s: Vanessa & Preshan Bibile, Ewa Chlipala

Priests: Fr Dan Serratore and Fr Antony Santhiyagu

We welcome your feedback!

If you have a particular question, idea or concern about our Parish Partnership, or the process towards this new reality, we welcome you to share it. You can do this either by talking to a member on the Parish Partnership Subcommittee, or by submitting it via writing. At Masses next week there will be forms and a box where you can submit your feedback, or you can submit your feedback in the form at the bottom of this page. Please note that we will not be able to individually respond to each item of feedback, but your comments will all be seriously considered by Fr Dan, Fr Antony and the Partnership Subcommittee. If you would like a response to your feedback, please indicate it on the form. 

Next Steps

In the coming weeks, Fr Dan and Antony will continue meeting with the various ministry leaders and stakeholders at St Scholastica’s.

Our first step is to get our fundamentals to a high and consistent standard across both parishes - this includes liturgy, welcome, hospitality, community life, communication, and administration. As we settle into this process towards partnership, you may notice some small changes as we start developing the areas which need some attention.

As part of this effort, Fr Dan and Antony will start to gather and work alongside small groups of active parishioners, who will help to guide and implement these new developments.