Synodal sessions ‘help support and strengthen’ three Tell City Deanery parishes
Benedictine Father Luke Waugh poses with Tim Davis, a member of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Perry County, in the parish center of St. Augustine Parish in Leopold after a synodal listening and dialogue session with members of those two parishes and Holy Cross Parish in St. Croix on April 24. (Submitted photos by Leslie Lynch)
By Leslie Lynch
LEOPOLD—“I didn’t know you were Catholic!”
When members of three rural parishes in the
Tell City Deanery met for their first synodal listening session on Nov. 29, 2023, few realized how many of their neighbors and co-workers belonged to a neighboring parish. These discoveries immediately expanded people’s sense of faith community and, with it, possibilities unattainable by individual parishes.
In July 2023, St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Perry County, St. Augustine Parish in Leopold and Holy Cross Parish in St. Croix were assigned two priests: Father Brian Esarey and Benedictine Father Luke Waugh.
Separately, the parishes had explored ways to establish ministries and re-engage parishioners who have not returned since COVID shutdowns, with little success.
When the three parishes were assigned two priests, Father Luke turned to the idea of bringing the faith communities together under one umbrella of a pastoral team in the hope of accomplishing together what each parish could not accomplish alone.
‘Listening to what we want’
Using Pope Francis’ model of synodal listening and dialogue, members of the faith communities have gathered three times since last November.
The goal of the first session was to meet and to listen.
“Even though there was some anxiety, people from all three parishes came—and discovered that their neighbors and co-workers were Catholic, just members of the next parish over,” said Father Luke. “Students discovered classmates who are Catholic, and Catholic teachers learned of students who also share the faith.”
Tim Davis, a member of St. Isidore Parish, said, “These meetings have generated a lot of energy. I like that the clergy are listening to what we want as a faith community, what we want to [do] to strengthen each other’s faith journey.”
The second session, held on Feb. 21, distilled parishioners’ concerns into three main areas: development of faith and fellowship for youths, women’s Bible studies and outreach to those who have not returned to Mass since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leadership consisting of a representative from each parish was established to head each of the three shared ministries. An additional Mass was added on Wednesdays at St. Augustine to coincide with faith formation and the youth group.
‘What you say sticks with them’
Forty youths participated in each of the first two meetings of the new tri-parish Catholic Youth Club (CYC) for grades 7-12, which is facilitated by Hannah Steen, a member of Holy Cross Parish.
The CYC meets monthly for a meal with youth-led prayer. Meeting topics are chosen by sophomore through senior student members.
“At the first meeting, kids wrote down questions they have about the Catholic faith, and at subsequent meetings a young adult and Father Luke take time to answer them,” said Steen. “So, each meeting incorporates a little ‘faith nugget’ formed around specific Catholic topics or questions they wanted to learn more about.”
Her husband John, also of Holy Cross, added, “A big part of what makes this [ministry] successful is having leaders in the next stage of life. What you say sticks with them.”
The group also plans to do three to four community service projects per year as a club activity.
Listening leads to new ministries
The spirit of inter-parish cooperation and support was further exemplified by members of the Father Timothy Sweeney Knights of Columbus Council #17069 at St. Isidore who hosted a recent CYC cookout attended by some 30 youths.
“We’ve also joined forces with members of Bishop Chartrand Knights of Columbus Council [#1172] of Tell City to reach out to young men in rural areas to strengthen their faith journeys, especially those between 18 and 27 years of age,” said Davis, a member of the Knights of Columbus council at St. Isidore.
Similarly, the joint women’s Bible studies have been met with enthusiasm, with meetings rotating among the three parishes.
“We had great attendance at the [Lenten] Bible studies with around 30 women participating,” said Darlene Hubert, a member of St. Augustine Parish. “It was just so nice to be around so many Christian women.”
Members of all three parishes began combing their membership lists to initiate outreach to those who have not returned since COVID. Two new ministries resulted: a homebound ministry at each parish and a shared social ministry for seniors.
It quickly became evident from the parishes’ research that some elderly parishioners did not return due to diminishing health or abilities. In response, each parish initiated its own homebound outreach, with attention to visits, both social and from extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, and to discerning and providing for the needs of those served.
The shared outreach ministry of the parishes is a new Seniors Group, which meets monthly.
Hubert said she and her husband Sam have enjoyed the group’s social outings, which usually involve “lunch and then touring different places of interest,” she said.
So far, the group has toured local sites like Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, a geode grotto in Jasper (in the Evansville, Ind., Diocese) and the Christ on the Ohio statue in Troy, among other sites, with hopes of adding full-day trips in the future.
‘One of the easiest ways forward’
The third synodal listening and dialogue session took place at St. Augustine on April 24.
In response to the overwhelming priority of youths and young adults established through the prior synodal listening sessions, Cassie Schutzer, director of the Young Adult Initiative at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, was invited to present “The Whole-Parish Mindset,” a program focused on engaging and evangelizing young adults in the faith.
“Young people are not looking for programs,” she said. “They are looking for relationships. We can offer to be with them during their moments of transition, struggle and celebration through the eyes of faith.”
Schutzer reminded those gathered of the post-resurrection Scripture story regarding two disciples’ encounter with Christ on the road to Emmaus.
“The disciples were walking the wrong way—away from Jerusalem, away from their faith community—but Jesus found them and walked the wrong way with them,” she said. “By accompanying them, he brought about their conversion.
“Our challenge is to create space for meaningful encounters, to be open to change, and to be witnesses and mentors. A sense of shared mission and willingness to go outside the walls of the parish are essential.”
Schutzer’s presentation applied equally to the synodal listening and dialogue process of St. Augustine, St. Isidore and Holy Cross parishes.
“I was surprised at how well this [process] went once we got it started,” said Father Luke, adding that synodal listening and dialogue “is probably one of the easiest ways forward in situations like this.
“At the heart of it, synodality is a process … that identifies common ministries that help support and strengthen each individual parish.”
(Leslie Lynch is a freelance writer for The Criterion and a member of St. Mary Parish in Lanesville.) †
