Over the past few weeks, our bulletin reflections have focused on a simple but important question: why do we do what we do? We have reflected on the fact that the Church does not exist for herself. The Church exists to evangelize. That is our why. When we remember that, the many things we do as a parish begin to make more sense: our liturgies, our school, faith formation, outreach, councils, staff, volunteers, finances, and even the difficult work of organization and planning. All of these are meant to serve the mission Christ has entrusted to the Church. This week, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, I would like to take that reflection one step further. If our why is evangelization, then how should our parish be organized for mission?

Pentecost gives us a beautiful image. In the first reading from Acts, the disciples are “all in one place together.” They are gathered in unity. But when the Holy Spirit comes, He does not make them all sound the same. He sends them out speaking in different tongues, so that each person hears “in his native language” the mighty works of God. In the second reading, St. Paul says there are “different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit,” “different forms of service but the same Lord,” and one body with many parts. In the Gospel, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then He breathes the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

Pentecost is not chaos. It is not everyone doing whatever he or she wants. But neither is Pentecost lifeless uniformity. Pentecost is communion for mission: one Spirit, one Church, many gifts, many languages, many places. This is a helpful image for St. Michael Parish. We are one parish with six churches. One parish. Six churches. One mission. Many gifts.

As we consider how to organize ourselves for mission, it is important to acknowledge that a Catholic parish is not primarily a business. We do have business-like responsibilities. We have buildings, budgets, staff, insurance, maintenance, payroll, policies, schedules, and many practical concerns. These things matter, and we need to handle them responsibly. But the Church is not a company, and the pastor is not a CEO. The Church is the Body of Christ. The parish is more like a family: a spiritual household formed by Word, Sacrament, charity, and mission.

Still, every family needs order. Christ is the Head of the Church, and the Church is apostolic. Parish life needs real pastoral leadership, sacramental order, financial accountability, operational standards, clear communication, and shared direction. At the same time, too much centralization can make people passive. It can disconnect leadership from local experience. It can make parishioners feel as though mission belongs only to the office, the clergy, or the staff.

A healthy parish needs both unity and local life. We need to be united where unity matters, and local where mission happens. Over the past year, we have been exploring this with the Pastoral Council and our Parish Leadership Teams. Some things should be shared parish-wide: our mission, sacramental life, preaching, faith formation standards, finances, communications, staff support, and pastoral priorities. These help us remain one parish, not six separate parishes moving in different directions.

Other things need to grow locally: hospitality at each church, care for parishioners, outreach in each community, volunteer teams, works of mercy, invitations to fallen-away Catholics, and the practical knowledge that comes from loving a particular place and its people. Mission happens when someone notices who is missing, welcomes a newcomer, visits the sick, invites a neighbor, or responds to a need close at hand. Some things also need to connect both levels: our pastoral council, finance council, clergy, staff, parish leadership teams, and regular communication across our six churches. We have begun this work, and I expect we will continue to deepen it in the year ahead.

The Holy Spirit does not erase local identity. He orders it toward communion. Pentecost did not produce scattered individuals. It produced one Church capable of speaking to many peoples. That is our challenge and our opportunity: not to be six unrelated communities, and not to become one central office trying to do everything, but to become one body alive in its many members. This Pentecost, let us ask the Holy Spirit to renew St. Michael Parish from the center and from the edges: in our priests and staff, in our councils and ministries, in our six churches, in our school, in our homes, and in every parishioner willing to say, “Lord, send me.” Come, Holy Spirit.