1. Excerpts from Initial Exercise: Future Parish Footprint
October 22, 2011
Excerpts from Initial Exercise: Future Parish Footprint
Presented to the Finance Council
January 24, 2019
Presented to the Council of Priests
February 21, 2019

2. National Sacramental Trends – 1990-2015
U.S. Sacramental 25 Year Trends (000’s)
Catholic marriages are down 55% since 1990
1 in 5 children baptized do not receive 1st communion
2 in 5 children baptized are not confirmed
85% of children confirmed stop practicing their faith by age 21

3. The $5B Problem
The current models of diocesan and parish life cannot be sustained when the number of Church goers in their 50’s and 60’s decline by 8.3 million people and the resources decline by almost $5 billion.

4. Beliefs: Local Weekly Mass Goers
Archdiocese of
Philadelphia
US/Canada
Average
"Jesus died and rose from the dead for my salvation"
79%
80%
"the Eucharist really is the body and blood of Jesus Christ"
72%
73%
“Scripture is the word of God"
69%
70%
“In Jesus’ moral teachings for my life as taught by the Church”
56%
60%
“the Church is critical to my relationship with God"
49%
53%
“in the teaching authority of the Church"
45%
50%
The above responses are representative of 11,904 parishioners from 41 parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia between who strongly agree with these statements compared to the total respondent set of 101,000 parishioners from 400 parishes in 22 dioceses.

5. # of Priests Relative to Parishes (2013)

6. 2-Fold Approach: Parish Exercise
Current Mass Attendance and Seating Capacity
Best singular proxy for long term sustainability of parish community
Projected on a deanery by deanery basis
Viability Index
6 Criteria Areas: 3 Pastoral Areas, 3 Temporal Areas
Each parish can earn 0-3 points per criteria area
Total Potential Points: 18
Parishes w/10 points or more = Viable
Parishes w/9 points or less = Not Viable

7. #1: Mass Attendance by Deanery
Number of
Weekend Masses
Needed to Meet
CURRENT Capacity
2017
October
Deanery
Mass Count
Average
Seating
Capacity of
Deanery Churches 4
Weekend Masses
per parish

8. Viability Ratings <500 = 1 point 500-800 = 2 points
October Mass Count
<500 = point
= 2 points
>800 = 3 points
Average # of Marriages over 3 Years
<11 = 1
11-20 = 2
>20 = 3
Average Baptism to Funeral Ratio over Prior Three Years
<1 = 1
= 2
1.25+ = 3
Contributing Households as a % of Registered Households
<30% = 1
30%-50%= 2
>50% = 3
Offertory & Other Parish Collections
$250k-$500k = 1
$500k-$750k = 2
$750k+ = 3
Offertory as a % of Operating Income
<65% = 1
65%-75% = 2
75%-100% = 3

9. Suggested Next Steps (Next 3 years)
Internally model potential scenarios of collaboration as a starting point for parish consultation in the future
Assess Priest Capacity/Readiness on an individual and collective basis to ascertain projection of future pastors and training/development needs that can begin now
Implement more dramatic parish consolidation in ad-hoc situations now to avoid reworking in the future
Update facility assessments throughout Archdiocese
Assess and ready chancery operations to be able to support change management and envisioned footprint
Facilitate opportunities for parish ministry collaboration now in order to build greater comfort with future state possibilities
Identify and train local volunteers who could serve as parish-based facilitators in the future.
Invest in education/formation at the parish level about the purpose of a parish/evangelization