hether he said it or not, the quote is attributed to St. Augustine: "If you are in a boat when a storm comes up and you're taking on water, row for shore as if all depends on you, but pray as if it all depends on God." That's a pithy summary of our belief that all is in God's loving, providential, omnipotent hands, a merciful Father Who will always care for us, but Who also wants us to use all our strength, all our talent, all our wits, energy and gifts to cooperate with His plan for our lives.

That's sure evident in this blessed Church of southeastern Wisconsin. In my first year as Archbishop of Milwaukee, I find myself in deep admiration of the rich faith of our 700,000 Catholic people, who indeed pray with trust that all depends on the Lord. This prayer reaches its summit every Sunday at the Eucharist. It is nurtured by God's Word in the Bible, by the good example and mutual support of one another in families, homes, neighborhoods, parishes, and groups of friends. This prayer takes place before our Lord's real presence in the Eucharist, or at meals or before bed, and is in union with Mary, the angels and saints. It flows from a faith we cherish and want to pass on to our children in the same effective, tender, warm way it was handed on to us. Indeed, this Archdiocese prays and worships as if all depends on God - because we trust that it does.

I also deeply appreciate how you all "row for shore as if it all depends on you," as I daily marvel at your generosity, your sacrifice, your apostolic endeavors and ministries. In our priests, consecrated women and men religious, our deacons, parish directors, pastoral associates, parish leaders, and volunteers, and in countless parish programs, archdiocesan services, agencies, and organizations, schools and hospitals, homes, and care centers, charitable outreach and pastoral initiatives, God's people work hard to further the teaching, mission, and salvation of Jesus in southeastern Wisconsin.

Thank you for "praying hard" and "rowing hard!"

I would now like to consider with you a task which will demand a lot of both praying and rowing: pastoral planning. Remember when Jesus used the parable of the farmer and the seed? The farmer works hard in clearing the field, pulling the weeds, preparing the soil, plowing the earth, and planting the seed … and then trusts patiently that, in God's good time and under His care, the harvest will come. That's an earthy paradigm of what I mean by pastoral planning: we have to prepare, plow, clear, and plant for the future, and then trust that the Lord of the harvest will bring it to fruition.

The Lord is inviting us to work together to assess needs, trends, and movements in our community, and to steward carefully the use of our priests, ministers, buildings, resources, parishes and schools, so that we can continue to be faithful to the mandate Jesus gave us to continue His saving mission in and through His Church.

The great Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked that the Church is like a river. He explained that part of a river never changes, is always the same; for instance, it has water, it has banks. But, part of the river is always changing: the water flows, the current moves, the banks can shift. Well, Archbishop Sheen concludes, part of the Church never changes: The Deposit of Faith, the assurances of Jesus, the sacraments, the mandate to teach, serve, and sanctify; but part of the Church - namely, the how and where all this is done - is always in flux.

So, you and I have to plan for the future, to make sure that the river of God's love and mercy continues to flow in the most effective way possible. Jesus is the same "yesterday, today, and tomorrow"; but His church is always adapting to make sure it preaches about Him with as much vigor, joy, and effectiveness as possible.

 In many ways the image that comes to mind is that of the vine and the branches. In John's Gospel, Jesus clearly tells us: "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). For each of us, it is a reminder that Jesus is the center of our lives, and our ministry then branches out from that relationship. Jesus, as the vine, is entwined throughout our Archdiocese - in our parishes, our schools, our hospitals, colleges and universities, in our seminary, and in our outreach ministries. As planners, we realize that to sustain a vibrant, healthy growth, we must sometimes do some pruning. That pruning makes for a stronger vine and even stronger growth.

Let's face it, we've got some tough decisions to make in the years ahead: our people are "on the move" and populations are shifting; wonderful neighborhoods that twenty-five years ago were teaming with large, young families, are now quiet and empty, while outlying areas cannot build churches big enough or fast enough; older parishes with extensive facilities struggle to keep them in repair as their numbers shrink, while other parishes cannot find room for meetings, education, and ministry; the number of priests goes down, so we have to be creative and careful in their assignment so that all can benefit from their essential ministry; and the sluggish economy and the demands on our resources make it imperative that we take stewardship of our finances, properties, and buildings very seriously.

In practice, this means we must plan; we must consider building new parishes and schools, expanding and strengthening the ones we have, merging and consolidating others, and, as difficult as it might be, even closing some. I want to be honest with you: at times, I am tempted to run from all of this, to avoid it, to deny that we need any planning, or that we need to ask realistic questions and come to a clear direction with consequent tough decisions about the future. I'm tempted to say, "Forget about all this planning for the future. Let's just keep things as they are and let nature take its course." That is tempting; that is comfortable. That's also irresponsible, lazy, destructive, and dumb.
You will see this passage often as we in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee unite in planning for the future of our Church. As Wisconsinites we know that in order for a vine to grow and flourish, its branches must be pruned periodically. Such pruning sprouts new growth, bringing forth renewed beauty and energy. That is why this passage guides our planning efforts.

If we read St. John's next sentence, we find Christ's promise: "He who lives in Me and I in him will produce abundantly, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Throughout our 160-year history, Christ-centered planning has led the way in the growing, pruning and changing of parish life throughout the 10 counties of southeastern Wisconsin. In these pages you will see clearly that not only is such planning not new; it has been and continues to be vital to the growth and vibrancy of parish life.

As we pray and work and plan together, let us not forget who guides our way, for truly, "I am the vine and you are the branches."