HOME

PASTORAL
STEWARDSHIP
COUNCIL

MARRIAGES

LINKS

PARISHIONER
UPDATE FORM
(PDF FORMAT - 15 KB)

CONTACT US

SITE INDEX

Bishop William Wiegand had assigned the Tri-Parish Committee with the duty of developing a plan as to how to "collaborate" in the county's three parishes. A proposal was drafted, and parishioner feedback sessions in the six Amador County Catholic churches were held in late 2004 and early 2005. You can download and read the proposal here. (PDF DOCUMENT, 301 KB)

In April 2005, the committee finished its report and submitted it to the Bishop. The following is a summary of that report:

Last October Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, William K. Weigand, requested that the Tri Parish Committee of the Catholic community of Amador County assist the diocese in preparing to meet the needs of our parishioners in the coming decades. The Catholic community in Amador County and the Diocese of Sacramento face many challenges and our parishes must have a plan to join together in a collaborative approach to both plan for and to administer the needs of our growing communities while being faced with the decrease in the number of clergy.

Bishop Weigand requested that the committee research and report on three topics and a brief synopsis of our report is as follows:

1. A current demographic study of the three Amador County Parishes.

Our county consists of 593 square miles of mostly steep or hilly oak studded land and long established small cities and towns connected by two lane highways and county roads. Our county sits largely between 1,000 and 7,000 feet elevations. The total population of Amador County was estimated in 2004 to be 38,000, more than 4,000 of which are residents of Mule Creek Prison. The county's principal source of wealth is agriculture. Mule Creek State Prison and the Jackson Rancheria Casino are the largest employers.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census our population differs demographically from the State of California in several areas. We tend to be older. Californians below the age of 18 are 27.3% of the state population compared to only 20.6% in Amador County. In our county 18% of our population is 65 or over, compared to 10.6% in the entire state. Seventy-Five percent of Amador County residents own homes to just under sixty percent of the state.

Using updated population figures for 2004 (38,000 Amador County residents) and deducting the 5,000 residents of the prison and youth authority, we reach a figure of 33,000. In October of last year, 1,400 attended weekend Mass in one of our three parishes or 4.25% of the county's population. There are 6,357 possible housing units projected in Amador County in the next ten years and if there are 2.39 residents per household, Amador County's historic per household number, that means 765 additional attendees at Mass each weekend. If we use the higher metropolitan percentage numbers in projecting attendance, that number could almost double.

2. Development of a tri-parish "Pastoral Plan" using available demographic, CARA study and related data.

We have been informed by the staff of Bishop Weigand that we should proceed on the assumption that there will be only two, not three priests in our three parishes in future years. We are faced with a growing population and a decrease in the number of priests.

The pastoral plan must include, in addition to the fundamentals of mass and the sacraments, the administration of our parish ministries, clubs, committees, programs and other organizations. A detailed study is necessary to see which programs can be combined and which are best left administered in each local parish. The goal is not to eliminate a single service but to make sure that our pastoral resources are in a position to best serve our existing parishioners and those who will comprise our Amador Catholic Community in the future. The quality of our services cannot be allowed to deteriorate as we experience a change in the number of priests in our county.

3. Identify one or more possible sites for the construction of a facility that will meet the needs of the Catholics in Amador County, to be known as the Amador County Catholic Center.

We have been greatly aided by our Site Search Sub-Committee that has spent many hours dedicated to site searches that will be of the size and location to serve the combined needs of all present and future members of our church. They have taken the needs of parishioners from all parts of our county into consideration. This is a formidable task. It will be difficult to find a location that is convenient to all of the Catholics in Amador County. Ease of travel is extremely important and, at present, there are few properties on the market that meet our needs.

The Search Sub-Committee has been asked to look primarily in the Sutter Hill area near the intersection of Ridge Road and Highway 49 as this is the center of the largest projected growth for Amador County. Other sites have not been ruled out and the sub-committee is also exploring possible locations in Jackson, Ione and Sutter Creek.

In Conclusion

The Tri Parish Committee report is now on its way to the Diocese of Sacramento. The committee was not asked to provide recommendations as to the future. We were asked for specific information and we provided that information to the best of our ability.

In meeting with you, the members of the Catholic Community of Amador County, your passionate response to our mission, your ideas and your fears were impossible to ignore. In our report we voiced your opinions, both positive and negative. The decision will be made by our Diocese and this committee appreciates your input and support.

All Tri Parish Committee members and each parish office has a copy of the report. We thank you for input and we will keep you informed of our progress and any decisions that are made.