October 15, 2020
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
On October 15, 2018, our parish grouping – Butler Area Catholic Parishes – was established with the hope that our five parishes would build relationships with each other, share resources, join together certain ministries, and work toward the official merger and creation of a new parish. 

I am very grateful for the many ways you have dedicated yourselves to this important work.

When we initiated the journey together, none of us could have imagined the ways in which the
COVID-19 pandemic would affect every aspect of our lives. These times are certainly challenging for all of us. We have learned to adapt to different ways of doing just about everything – including communal worship of God and serving you in our various ministries.

As we enter this final phase toward completing the merger process in July 2021, our time will be marked by two significant activities:  

1. Submitting recommendations for our new parish name.
2. Participating in a Virtual Parish Assembly  (Information regarding the Virtual Parish Assembly will be  provided in a later communication).
 
During the past two years, we have come together in ways that were planned and worked out quite well – like our 2019 parish picnic; and other ways quite unplanned – like livestreaming Masses with no one in the pews during the pandemic!  

Now we have the opportunity to reinvigorate and excitedly spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the faithful of the Butler area as we continue to pull together and pool our gifts and talents for the Greater Glory of God! 
 

 Summary of the Process for Naming the New Parish

A parish is a geographic territory composed of people.
A church is a sacred building designated for the gathering of people to worship God.

All five of our church buildings will come under the umbrella of the yet-to-be-named parish,
but will retain their consecrated names – St. Andrew, St. Conrad, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Paul, and St. Peter.

To submit a name for the new parish, you will need to send us:
1. The name.
2. Your rationale for proposing the name. Please consider the broader context of the name, and how it will be a strong, vibrant indicator of who the parish is now and who this faith community desires to become in the future.
3. The name of the person submitting the suggestion (your name).
 
You may submit your suggestions electronically by clicking on this Survey Monkey link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Gr443SubmitPreliminaryName 

Submitting the suggestion electronically helps cut down on the amount of staff time needed to compile a list of all of the suggestions. You may also fill out a paper form (click here for a PDF of the form) and mail it to Ms. Cindy Micco, 125 Buttercup Road, Butler, PA 16001. 

The deadline for submitting name suggestions is November 6.

Once we compile a list of all of the names and rationale submitted, our advisory councils will assist in reviewing and discerning the submissions according to criteria provided by the diocese. This criteria is listed on our Survey Monkey link. After the councils and clergy team complete the review, 20 names will be submitted to Bishop Zubik for his initial consideration.

He will review, discern and respond to us with a list of fewer than 20 names as he takes into consideration other names throughout the diocese and the name’s applicability to Butler. You will have one more opportunity to offer your feedback on the list that the bishop returns to us at a Virtual Parish Assembly, which will be held in early 2021. The councils and clergy will review that feedback as they discern a final list of 5 names to send to the bishop.

The final decision on a name rests with Bishop Zubik.

A timeline for the merger process is available by clicking on our Timeline for Merger page.

Please help us to stay in touch with you throughout the remainder of the merger process by providing your most up-to-date information via our Stay Connected page.

If you do not have Internet access and would like to be kept informed of the merger process, please do so via our bulletin or by calling Communications Director Cindy Cusic Micco in our Meridian office (724-482-2690 ext. 225).

Thank you for your participation.
 
Sincerely, 
Rev. Kevin C. Fazio
Administrator
Butler Area Catholic Parishes