“Clustering” is such a dry word, one that fails to convey the hope, the work, the anxiety and the frustration that are inherent in any kind of parish restructuring. Since last year Fr. Mark Soehner’s life as a pastor has revolved around the concept of clustering, promoted as a practical way to deal with the shortage of priests.

Last summer he accepted the stewardship of two downtown parishes near St. Aloysius in Detroit, where he has been stationed since 1995. “Archdiocesan priests have been stepping up to the plate and taking extra duties,” says Mark, who figured that his comparatively youthful age (47) made him a good candidate. But his supervisors in the province, as well as close friend Fr. Mel Brady, expressed reservations. “They were concerned about my time,” Mark says. As part of a preliminary investigation, he requested a financial audit by the archdiocese of the parishes in question, St. Dominic’s and St. Patrick’s. Things seemed manageable according to an internal report, so Mark agreed to help. The prospects were exciting: St. Patrick’s was a small parish with a large outreach center that provided legal and medical assistance for the senior community. With its proximity to Wayne State University, “St. Dominic’s would be the place we would launch an incredible campus ministry.”

Before he left, the pastor at St. Dominic’s mentioned, “There are a few bills.” Once Mark got there, “We realized we’d been given an empty bag.” There was huge undisclosed debt at the parish, debt that was growing steadily. Unchecked, it would have amounted to $100,000 by October. Gas and electric bills from previous years sat unpaid. “Right away, I started notifying people at all levels,” including bishops, Mark says. Unfortunately, “They weren’t on top of it.”

Things at St. Patrick’s were not quite as dire—church attendance was dwindling while the senior center was thriving—but “they were hanging on financially by a thread.” Mark was forced to confront the question, “How do you run three parishes?” What he didn’t anticipate was Mel’s death last April 14. Before he died Mel had warned, “I’m not gonna be able to go through our dream of clustering.” Throughout the stress-filled autumn, Mark says, “I needed his shoulder.”

He solved the management issue by hiring a parish administrator. Dick Marcy, previously an executive with American Motors in Japan, signed on to manage the employees and the day-to-day business of all three parishes. “He is just excellent,” Mark says. “What makes him a great administrator is his ability to connect with the people in our parishes where they are and bring this wealth of business ideas,” moving communities beyond a bake-sale fund-raising mentality and into the 21st century world of corporate donations.

But the crisis at St. Dominic’s was not so easily solved. Mark floated some drastic ideas for creative financing, including the sale of the school building, “but it was not enough to get us over the hump.” In a meeting in October with Cardinal Adam Maida, Mark said, “I think we’re going to have to close St. Dominic’s.” With no funds available from the archdiocese, there was no other way out. When he took his case to the Presbyteral Council, they voted for closing. By the time the final liturgy was celebrated on Nov. 12, Mark heard that parishioners were calling him “Father Hatchet.”

But that liturgy did not spell the end of ministry at St. Dominic’s. “One of the things Cardinal Maida is interested in is keeping a presence of the Church in the city. He asked if I would take on St. Dominic’s outreach center,” a mile from St. Al’s. Mark agreed. The center, staffed mostly by volunteers (with two paid employees), is an outpost of food, clothing and referral help for the 50% of people in the neighborhood who live below the poverty line.

St. Patrick’s had a different set of problems. While church attendance declined to about 80 active members, “The church morphed and developed an incredible outreach center with 30 employees.” There’s also, unfortunately, “a history of being at odds with the Church” because “they fear Church control.”

But in the midst of the tough transitional work, “There is a lot of hope about the future here,” Mark says. St. Dominic’s outreach center has created an oversight and fundraising board that includes a member of Detroit’s city council. St. Patrick’s is planning an evangelization effort at new apartment housing near the church. In an area where frostbite and amputation are serious issues for the homeless, St. Al’s now offers foot-washing and foot care one day a month under a nurse’s supervision.

There are 44 parishes within a five-mile radius of St. Dominic’s, and most of them face similar issues. In Mark’s opinion, “If the Church is to survive in the city, it’s going to have to change and be very lay-driven. It may even morph to the point where we need to find creative ways to do sacramental ministry,” such as having one church host bible studies during the week while another handles Mass on Sunday. Mark is convinced that “lay ministry has to be in place for the pastor to do pastoring. People need to be responsible.”

Despite the tension and the time drain, “The exciting thing for me is that I get to be in the middle of that change,” he says. No doubt about it, “It’s an incredible challenge. And in the end, all will be well for all of us.”

The day he turned 90 was full of surprises for Fr. Alphonse “Shorty” Hoff. On Jan. 7, “I had Mass that morning,” says the ever-cheerful Alphonse. “After Mass (at St. Clement’s in St. Bernard) everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday.’ I thanked them and announced, ‘Today I’m four-score and ten.’ ” His two sisters and brother, invited for Mass that evening, arrived early to surprise him. During Mass, “They mentioned in the intercessions it was my birthday,” and he was once again serenaded with the birthday song. “It was the eve of Epiphany, and (Bro.) Norbert asked me to say the house blessing. Then we had a little get-together before evening meal,” with cards and presents afterwards. “I requested angel food cake.” So how’s he doing at 90? “I still feel pretty good,” he says. “As long as I can move around I’m fine.” A big-time sports fan, Alphonse is famously loyal to the Cincinnati Reds, the team he has supported since 1930. Although his golfing days are behind him—he took up the game at age 9—“I never lost the swing,” he says proudly. As a parish priest Alphonse spent years mentoring kids in sports, talking them through countless after-school games of volleyball, basketball and golf. “We gave them all awards at the end of the season for coming. There was no ‘most valuable player.’ Everyone was valuable.” In terms of importance, he says, “God is first. Sports are second.” His advice for longevity: “Try to keep active and doing something. You have to live each day as it comes. If you look on the bright side of everything, you’d be surprised how helpful it can be.”

Fr. Bernie Schneider had birthday news of his own to share in his Christmas letter from Japan. “A congenial custom was begun this year of all the friars in the ‘Tokyo Block’ going in turn one Sunday evening to one of the four friaries in Tokyo,” he wrote. “In October the gathering was here at the seminary, and the Superior and community went all out to celebrate my 88th birthday. The 88th is a special birthday in Japan known as BEIJU. The character for BEI (meaning ‘rice,’ also used to designate ‘America’) is made up of two parts, each meaning 8, combined with a central part meaning 10; so 8 times 10 plus 8. The other character JU means ‘Congratulations!’ A coincidence that my classmate (and roommate at Oldenburg) Fr. Alphonse Hoff, a baseball statistics buff, would appreciate is that the Chicago White Sox won their previous (first?) World Series the month after I came along, and won their next (second?) precisely 88 years later on Oct. 26.” Bernie noted that 88 is also the number of keys on a piano. “Certainly I have been blessed with more light keys than dark ones. It was the grandest birthday party of my life, thanks to the friars of the houses here and of Tokyo, including Fr. Provincial, and to all of you who sent greetings.”

Fr. Curt Lanzrath drew high praise from student Patrick Hebert, who was interviewed for the fall issue of The Spirit in Aggieland, the newsletter of St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M. “For about a year now, I have talked to Father Curt Lanzrath on a weekly basis,” Patrick said. “It has been inspiring to see how much he lives to serve God and others. He has always been there for me and has helped me through many trials. I will be sad when it’s time to move on to a new parish, but will take what I’ve learned here wherever I go.”

Immaculate Conception Parish in Alamogordo was the subject of a nice write-up in the December issue of Aqua Viva, the newspaper of the Diocese of Las Cruces. Asked to describe the personality of the parish, Pastor Bryant Hausfeld called it a “happy, celebrating community” he greatly enjoys serving. Outside his parish work, Bryant has been busy showing and selling his photographs. In a recent e-mail he wrote: “I have an exhibit at the first National Bank Lobby in Alamogordo, which I am very proud of. I am going to display them in the Library of New Mexico State University in May.” So far he’s focusing on outdoor subjects such as landscapes and hot-air balloons. “This started out as a hobby, but now I am using the proceeds for my ‘Inmate/Exmate Ministry.’ I help kids in prison and coming out of prison. Haven't made much money, but it is really exciting looking at a finished, framed picture and saying: ‘It's finished and it is really good looking.’ You hardly ever get to that point in working with people!”

Bro. Philip Hira, the Pakistani friar who visited SJB Province several years ago, shared some big news recently via e-mail. “I have been serving the Church and society in various capacities as Parish Administrator, Youth Director, Justice and Peace Director for Hyderabad Diocese for the last 27 years,” he wrote. “After a long period of discernment I have decided to leave Pakistan and join the Franciscan Friars in New York province U.S.A. (Immaculate Conception). It is a painful step to leave my family, friends, friars, familiar surroundings and country but I feel for my self growth I have to accept this change in my life. I have enjoyed my 31 years as a Franciscan friar and 27 years of serving the poor, marginalized and oppressed people in Hyderabad Diocese. I am thankful to God and people for the countless blessings I have received from them.” Philip hands over the Justice and Peace office on Jan. 30; he leaves Pakistan on March 8. He will be living at St. Anthony Friary in Catskill, N.Y.

At the October meeting of the English-Speaking Conference of Friars Minor, the American provincial ministers appointed Robert Brady, OFM, of St. Barbara Province, to serve as national spiritual assistant for the term Jan. 1, 2006 – Dec. 31, 2008. Bob is a native of San Francisco, was stationed in Rome during John Vaughn's generalate, and has served as provincial and regional assistant for a number of years. He succeeds SJB’s Loren Connell, who is completing his second three-year term as national assistant. Earlier in the year the American provincial spiritual assistants discussed the upcoming vacancy and offered names of qualified candidates. Bob is the first national assistant of the order from a province other than Holy Name, Sacred Heart, or St. John the Baptist. He is also the first lay friar of the order to serve as national assistant. The other three national assistants are Lester Bach, OFM Cap., Bart Karwacki, OFM Conv., and Kevin Queally, TOR.