Letter from Bishop Earl Boyea to Sacred Heart, St. Agnes, St. John Vianney and St. Luke Parishes, Flint

June 6, 2008

Dear Fathers, Pastoral Coordinators, Pastoral Manager, and Faithful of St. Agnes, St. Luke, Sacred Heart, and St. John Vianney in Flint,

With a view to strengthening the Catholic presence and mission around the diocese of Lansing, my predecessor began an intensive study of parishes and schools through the Office of Pastoral Planning.  This process included listening sessions connected with the VOICES process, the self-study through the PEI/SEI, parish assemblies and regional meetings with parish representatives leading to recommendations for the future. The Diocesan Coordinating Commission: Planning Tomorrow’s Churches engaged in broad consultation and deliberation in order to make their recommendations to me.  Moreover, Faith magazine, and the diocesan website, communicated the progress of the Coordinating Commission over the past three years.

The pastoral recommendation from your parishes has a particular urgency due to a number of factors, e.g., declining parish membership, increasing financial strain, which, if not responded to, would create further hardship for the parishes involved and the mission of the Church.

For these reasons, the Diocesan Coordinating Commission finalized their recommendation on May 22, 2008.  I have reviewed the following recommendations and accept them for implementation:

• A new Catholic Community be established for the north end of Flint;
• The parish will be established through the merger of four communities.  The worship site will be Saint John Vianney. The worship sites of Saint Agnes, Saint Luke and Sacred Heart will be closed.

With regard to Father DuKette School, a Diocesan School, I accepted the following recommendation for implementation:

• The children of DuKette School will be invited to attend Saint John Vianney School. The diocese will help the children currently enrolled in K-7 (2007-2008) continue their Catholic Education with some diocesan subsidy while they remain in any parish grade school. DuKette School will be closed.

Each of the parishes offers specific ministries that are vital to the Catholic presence on the north end of Flint.  I have accepted the following recommendation for implementation:

• The following ministries will continue and be strengthened: North End Soup Kitchen (currently located at the Sacred Heart site), North End Women’s (NEW) Life Center (currently located at the Saint Luke site) and outreach ministries (Cornerstone Ministry) currently located at the Saint Agnes site.

The leadership of the parishes affected will set a closing date of their choosing anytime but not later than August 1, 2008.  I myself will preside at the closing Masses. The Office of Pastoral Planning will work with all pastoral leadership to implement these recommendations.

The new parish configuration for the north end of Flint holds great promise for a strengthened and renewed Catholic presence. In spite of the dramatic changes that have occurred in Flint over the past 40 years, it is imperative that we now join forces for the mission of the Church to proclaim Jesus Christ.

Be assured of my prayers for you during this time of transition to a renewed and revitalized presence of the Church in the north end of Flint.

Sincerely yours in Christ,


† Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing