We are embarking on a concerted process to renew the Church of Philadelphia over the next 20 years and invite everyone to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. Currently, 83% of baptized Catholics are not participating in the sacramental life of the Church. The mission of the Church has always been to announce the resurrection and foster closer relationships with Jesus. This initiative aims to support the growth of the Church of Philadelphia in a way that best meets the needs of the souls entrusted to its pastoral care.

After a year of conversations and discernment with you and as many others as possible, this plan is envisioned to roll out over the next 10 years. The Archdiocese encompasses the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia, and it will require tailored approaches to be successful across these diverse regions. We also want to allow sufficient time for people to learn more, discern their participation, and refine our efforts over time.

No. While parish life may change and some parishes may close over time, the goal of this program is growth. Each of our parishes faces the same challenge: the majority of Catholics in their parish do not attend Mass. This fact presents an opportunity for every parish to grow with vibrancy. The parish communities that are most willing to consider those who are not attending and to adjust their practices, schedules, and cultures accordingly will be best positioned to enter this new chapter in the life of our Church.

A missionary hub is an initiative planted in a local community, most likely within an existing parish setting. It will be singularly focused on missionary outreach for a region within a county. It will encompass various Catholic ministries and invite people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our current understanding of a parish footprint effectively ministers to the 17% who come to the church door. A missionary hub is designed to help our parish communities focus on the 83% who do not.

No. Missionary hubs are not intended to replace existing parishes. Rather, they are designed to enrich, supplement, and actively support parish life in the broadest possible way. They will serve as additional resources to help parishes grow by reaching out to those who have drifted away from the Church and supporting ministry in areas that traditional parish structures may not be able to sustain. Missionary hubs are meant to work alongside and in collaboration with existing parishes. They will create a network of evangelical activity across the Church of Philadelphia that fosters new opportunities for outreach, spiritual growth, and community engagement.

The goal is for communities to learn about the initiative, prayerfully discern their involvement, and express their desire and willingness to participate in the outlined expectations. Once interest in this feedback is gathered, the Archbishop and other leaders within our local Church will confer with parish leadership. Following the completion of that process, parishes will be selected to serve as missionary hubs over time.

Your parish will continue to serve the mission of the Church in your area. The hope is that stable and growing parishes will maintain their progress. Each parish is invited to participate in the activities of the missionary hub, as the hub will operate across parish lines.

Initially, we aim to see progress in establishing and staffing missionary hubs. The long-term results will be reflected in metrics such as Mass attendance, baptisms, confirmations, vocations, and the number of individuals involved in parish and diocesan ministries.

The missionary hubs will be primarily subsidized by private philanthropic funding secured over time and hopefully endowed for long-term sustainability.

Apostolic times refers to a way to understand the reality of our current landscape. Today’s Church is operating in an environment that is more closely related to the early church (aka the time of the apostles). Like the early Church, society is not always supportive of religion, and there are people who have no experience with or context about the value of religion.

When the Archbishop Pérez speaks of a pastoral change of heart, he is speaking about the lifelong mission of every follower of Jesus to constantly reflect on ways we need to orient our lives toward Jesus and His Great Commission. That journey involves prayer, study, and a constant examination of conscience about who we are and if we are truly sharing the compassionate love of Christ with each other to the best of our ability

A comprehensive campaign will invite private donors, foundations, and corporations from across the Archdiocese to support Archbishop Pérez’s innovative pastoral plan. Funds raised will be used to launch these initiatives and to build endowments to fund them for future generations. A thorough planning study involving a broad array of stakeholders representative of the demographic makeup of the Archdiocese will solidify the campaign’s final goal and guide our approach.

The current priorities for the planned campaign are as follows:

1. Establishing Missionary Hubs

2. Planting missionaries and development directors in Catholic schools without full-time staff in this role and support existing directors

3. Comprehensive support for priests across every stage of their vocation

4. Assisting parishes with needs identified at the local level.

For additional information on these priorities, please see our Planning Study Fact Sheet (Available in Spanish).

Archbishop Pérez has actively sought input and feedback from priests, deacons, consecrated religious, and laypersons across the Archdiocese to shape and strengthen these strategic priorities. In the coming weeks, parishioners will be invited to participate in this planning study, ensuring broad participation in shaping the future of the Catholic Church of Philadelphia. Additional details on how to share your feedback will be provided soon.

Parishes will receive a designated share, or percentage, of the campaign funds collected at their local parish, to be used in the areas of greatest local impact. Each pastor, together with his parish leadership, will determine how these funds will be best used—whether to strengthen parish ministries, support a capital improvement, or meet another important need.

Please note: campaign funds are separate and distinct from annual offertory and parish operating budgets. We ask that parishioners continue to support their local parishes as they typically do while prayerfully considering an extraordinary gift to the Archdiocesan campaign.