Dear Parishioners and Friends,  

It is with great joy that I announce beginning on January 1, 2018, I will have the privilege to serve as Pastor of not one, but TWO dynamic parishes.  On this date, Saint Andrew Parish of Delavan and Saint Patrick Parish of Elkhorn will cluster with me as Pastor of both parishes.  While this will be a lot of work, I am blessed to have Associate Pastor Father Jose Zapata, Deacon Phil Kilkenny, and two religious sisters from Ecuador to serve alongside me.  I can assure you that this is an incredible opportunity for us to build on the strengths of two vibrant parishes and fulfill Jesus’ commission in even greater and more efficient ways, without losing the unique identity of either parish.   Let me be clear; this is NOT a merger.  Both parishes will maintain their own identity.  Saint Andrew parishioners need not worry about being absorbed by Saint Patrick, or vice versa.  Saint Patrick Parish does not need to worry about losing me to Saint Andrew.   It is a priority to me as your Pastor to be present for all of you as much as humanly possible.  However, logistically it is impossible for me to be at both parishes at the same time.  In order to maximize my presence at both parishes it will therefore be necessary to make a slight adjustment to the Mass schedule.  Effective January 1, 2018, the new Mass schedule will be as follows:  

  Father Jose will serve the entire Spanish speaking community and preside over both Spanish Masses on Sundays.  I will be present at both Masses to greet and support parishioners as often as I am able. I will celebrate all English Masses at both parishes.  Please, remember that exceptions will come up but it is my intent to be present to all.   No pastor can effectively run a parish (or cluster of parishes in this case) on his own.  With fewer priests, the need for more spiritual guidance in an increasingly complicated and faster paced world, and many other contributing factors, a pastor cannot do it alone.  Every pastor needs a strong leadership team who are committed to helping bring more people to Christ and His Church.  To accomplish this, I am committed to working more closely with the staff and Parish Councils of both parishes.   An example of this shared leadership is the leadership retreat that all staff members and Parish Council members from both Saint Andrew and Saint Patrick were invited to attend on August 18 and 19.  Over 20 individuals attended, and it was a wonderful time to come together to pray and set goals for our future.  Collectively we decided that although we have many important responsibilities to attend to, enhancing the Sunday experience was the goal that could support everything else that we do.  With this goal in mind and with God by our side, I know that working together and capitalizing on our individual and collective strengths, we will continue to grow and maximize the potential of both parishes.  Please, join me in prayer as I continue to pray for all us at Saint Andrew and Saint Patrick parishes.

Peace, Fr. Oriol