Parish Update

PATRIMONY OF OUR PARISH

What is Happening to the Sacred Items in our Former Church Buildings?

What is Patrimony?

The Church's Patrimony are those items and artifacts that have been brought into existence through the gifts and sacrifices of the faithful for the devotional life of the people, the celebration of the Sacraments, and for the greater glory of God. These items include, but are not limited to, stained glass windows, altars, pulpits, vestments, chalices, statuary, icons, Stations of the Cross, etc.Given the sacred nature of these temporal goods, the Church has a vested interest, governed by Canon Law, in the respectful handling, preservation, and protection of these objects.

What is the Office of the Patrimony?
The role of the diocesan Office of the Patrimony office is to inventory, catalog, photograph, properly document, and store patrimonial items that are accessioned into the Diocesan warehouse. The office assists pastors and administrators of the Diocese in the transfer of liturgical patrimony from one juridic person to another, offers consultation in regards to creatively utilizing the patrimony of the parishes in the event of a merger, and aids in the development of a faith community's historical appreciation and awareness.It is important to understand that these objects, belonging to God, and in the custody of the Church, bear a great weight upon the faithful, who's relationship to God has been fostered through and by these works of human hands.

What is Happening with Sacred Items at CDS?

According to the norms of Canon Law and the Office of the Patrimony as explained above, Fr. Conway and staff members have begun the work of cataloguing the sacred items within the former church buildings of Christ the Divine Shepherd. As mentioned before, this is a mighty task that is going to take several months. The team is following a process outlined by the Office of the Patrimony, in accordance with Canon law, to determine the disposition and/or relocation of all sacred items.  Fr. Conway and the team are in the process of determining the following:

1. Sacred items that will be placed in one of our two worship sites

2. Sacred items to be placed in diocesan storage

3. Sacred items that will be donated to other Catholic entities

4. Sacred items that must be properly disposed of according to Canon Law

To maintain the dignity of each sacred item and make sure that nothing is overlooked, the sacred items will be catalogued one building at a time. The process will begin at North American Martyrs. Regular updates will be provided as the process progresses.

Finally, please note that given the sheer number of sacred items from the former church buildings, it is impossible for us to relocate all items to one of our two worship sites.  However, please know that there will be sacred items from each of the four former church buildings that will be relocated to our current church buildings. In this way, we will preserve and promote both the history and devotion from all our former churches.