Dcn. Michael and Annette Burmeister present a special Catholic Community of Eight in Racine T-shirt to Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob. Annette designed the “spiritwear” to promote trust in God and unity among the eight parishes now collaborating. (Photo by Visionem Dei Photography)
When parishes collaborate, Catholic communities of Christ’s faithful are being asked to fundamentally alter their way of life.
In Racine, the parishes of Sacred Heart, St. Edward, St. John Nepomuk, St. Joseph, St. Lucy, St. Patrick, St. Richard and St. Sebastian have joined forces as the Catholic Community of Eight in Racine, with one pastor and three associate pastors overseeing all of them.
Naturally, combining eight families has its challenges. Dcn. Dan Burmeister and his wife, Annette, of St. Edward Parish, explained that many in the greater community have experienced anxiety over the decision to make the parishes more unified.
“They don’t know where it will lead, but they all want to be together in the Church. They know the Lord will help us through it,” Annette said. “We will take what comes and see what happens.”
Witnessing the growing pains from bringing the communities together, Annette wanted to find a way to unite parishioners. She recalled a T-shirt she purchased from an online shop. It said, “Pray, wait, trust — God has a plan.”
She wanted to create a similar shirt for the Catholic Community of Eight and began praying about it.
“The idea didn’t go away; I brought it up to our pastor, Fr. Juan Camacho. He had a look in his eyes that told me he liked it and encouraged me to try it,” she recalled.
“I wanted to share a message and put in hope since this is the Jubilee Year of Hope. I also wanted the people from all the parishes to realize that we are on a journey and not sure where it ends.”
Annette designed the T-shirt, available in eight colors, featuring the Catholic Community of Eight in Racine logo on the front. Centered on the back are the words “Pray, Hope, Trust — God has a plan.” Above the words is a cross.
Annette began taking orders during Lent with the plan to deliver by Easter. She had anticipated selling 50 shirts and was overwhelmed by the sale of 300. A visiting priest purchased a shirt, as did the parish deacons, leaders and parishioners. The support and enthusiasm for these T-shirts were overwhelmingly positive.
“The T-shirt initiative was part of a communication effort to share hope with people,” said Fr. Camacho, the pastor of all eight parishes.
The Catholic Community of Eight covers the city of Racine and Sturtevant and membership among the parishes are: Sacred Heart, 1,104 parishioners; St. Edward, 596; St. John Nepomuk, 206; St. Joseph, 1,397; St. Lucy, 3,117; St. Richard, 1,026; St. Patrick, 5,765; and St. Sebastian, 556.
According to Fr. Camacho, the full collaboration formally began last July, and the eight parishes comprise the second-largest Catholic community in the archdiocese with 13,767 members
“As we began the process, there were concerns and anxieties about the future. This was a new thing for everyone in the city. Since day one, we have worked hard to build a greater community beyond each parish’s boundaries. We are building the Catholic community in Racine as a whole. We want our parishioners to feel part of a large community and simultaneously keep their local parish culture,” Fr. Camacho said. “We have created many events and activities to unite the community.”
Fr. Camacho said he encourages people to pray, trust and hope that God has a plan for all of them in the Community of Eight. In addition to the T-shirts, he said they have a comprehensive approach to communication and connecting with parishioners that includes many mediums, including his weekly live 6 p.m. Saturday on Facebook to share information and answer questions.
Additionally, Fr. Camacho said they are working diligently to create a culture of discipleship. They began a program in January titled “Our Journey to Heaven,” which consists of building a community with all eight parishes, collaborating, making disciples and sharing the Good News with friends, family and acquaintances.
“We are working hard with our planning team to create a great vision for our community,” said Fr. Camacho. “We are shaping the plan for our future.”
And that future may include more Community of Eight shirts.
“We might do this again; if we do, Fr. Juan is pushing for polo shirts,” Annette laughed. “Proceeds from the sales of the shirts will go to our get-togethers at our parishes. We have wonderful celebrations like Mardi Gras, bingo and more.”
