On July 1, 2024, the 136 parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle became 60 parish families, with eight stand-alone parishes. Each parish family is led by a pastor or pastoral coordinator, and many have a parochial vicar assisting. Together, over the next three years, each parish family will work to form one new canonical parish, while creatively re-envisioning how they will serve their community.
For SVDP Leadership:
Questions? Ask your District Council president or consult the Archdiocesan instructions to
Provide guidance for your Conferences as appropriate locally.
Example of possible guidance: District Council of the Columbia River Advisory, Fall 2024
Letter from our SVDP Archdiocesan Council President Nov 2023 Partners in the Gospel
Attend your Council meetings. Partners in the Gospel will be an active topic of discussion!
You may want to review the Archdiocesan instructions to parishes (such as "Handbook for Parishes"). New guidance appears every few months.
Frequently asked questions:
Q: We have more than one Conference in our parish family now. Must we merge the Conferences into one?
A: Not necessarily. That decision is ultimately made by the local Vincentians, not the Archdiocese.
Ideally this decision develops from a consensus between parish leadership and SVDP leadership on the best path forward.
Q: When do we need to decide?
A: It's ok to wait until the final structure of the new canonical parish is clear. That may not be until 2027.
Q: What if we do intend to merge Conferences or otherwise change how our Conferences are organized?
A: Please consult with your District Council early! It may be necessary to change SVDP records at several levels (up to and including International) and it may also be necessary to change your legal structure as well. Your District Council can provide a list of steps.
Pray! You might pray the Partners in the Gospel prayers at your meetings occasionally: scroll to bottom of this page.