Many of you have a lot of questions about the transition St. Thomas is facing right now. The Pastoral Council has framed questions many of you have and we wanted to give you answers today:
Thomas the Apostle is not in danger of closing.
The La Salettes are leaving the parish due to the crisis in vocations affecting Catholics everywhere, both in religious orders and dioceses around the world.
The Archdiocese did not force anyone out, nor are they to be feared for any other reason. The archbishop has the best interests of all the parishes in Atlanta at heart and is actively working to provide us with a solution that will best serve our needs going forward as a gospel church along with all other Catholics in Atlanta.
The assignment of deacons will not change at St. Thomas, unless we are blessed to add more deacons from among members of our parish.
A departure celebration for Fr. Brian is being planned but we do not have any details yet.
Change is inevitable and when led by the Holy Spirit, leads to growth and depth of all followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will continue to lead and that’s what we need to pray for. You may see changes and better structure, but those changes will help the parish and make it better.
Neither priests nor members of individual parishes are in a position to tell the Archbishop what to do in his planning for our parish. The bishop responsible for priest personnel is carefully and prayerfully making his plans for us.
Masses, ministries and religious education will all continue at St. Thomas. The main message we want to give you all is to keep doing what you are doing and moving forward. Remember, this is not our church, it is His church and He is leading us.