The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our Faith.  Jesus explicitly teaches us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven... and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)  The Holy Mass reveals how much Jesus loves us, giving His life for us. Our Eucharistic “Thanksgiving” is receiving Jesus, Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity.  We long for His Presence, healing mercy and forgiveness, our very life and life eternal. 

The practice of having a Prayer Service instead of Mass (otherwise known as SCAP-Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest) is meant for urgent situations such as when a priest has unexpectedly fallen ill.  Prayer services can’t replace the most holy Sacrament of the Mass. Archbishop Zinkula directed us to stop this practice as we were the only cluster within the archdiocese that routinely scheduled prayer services in lieu of weekend Mass.  

It is important that as Catholics we attend Mass each weekend.  Fortunately, we live in an area where it is not too far to drive for Mass.  Presently, our Mass schedule is:
            Saturday      4:00 PM at St. Mary, Manchester
            Sunday        7:30 AM at St. Mary, Manchester  & Live Streamed for the ill/homebound 
                                 9:30 AM at rotating locations-Immaculate Conception, St. John, & St. Patrick
Text reminders of Mass locations are sent out regularly.  You can sign up by texting BTCLUSTER to 563-562-2463. 
Ideally you would attend Mass at your own parish or at another parish in the Cluster.  If that is not possible on a given weekend, you are urged to attend Mass at one of the other parishes that are within a 30 minute radius of our Cluster.   

Within the Archdiocese of Dubuque there are currently 30 parishes (18%) that are not able to have Mass each weekend.  There was just the ordination of one priest and in 2025 there will be (God willing!) the ordination of another priest; meanwhile there are eight priests eligible for retirement.  Sadly, two pastors who were assigned to nine parishes died due to illness while in active ministry during 23-24.  Instead of focusing on maintaining the previous quantity of Masses, we must focus on encouraging people to attend the Masses we are able to offer, and to make sure those Masses are quality liturgical experiences.

Yes.  It’s easy if you use your parish envelope, indicating your wishes clearly. An even better option is to use automatic deposit that can be setup by visiting our BTC office, 119 W. Fayette St. Manchester or go online to BlessedTrinityCluster.org.  Giving via automatic deposit is safe and convenient. 

Parish life has many aspects including sacramental, faith formation, service to others, and also building community.  People enjoy coffee & donuts after Masses, and other such activities, as it draws people together. Each parish Pastoral Council, along with the joint Cluster Council, will need to continue to be intentional about maintaining traditions, activities, and opportunities for building relationships and community.

Yes, effective July 1, 2024, the new Blessed Trinity Cluster will be St. Mary Manchester, St. John Delhi, St. Patrick Ryan and Immaculate Conception Masonville. St. John Delhi has been linked to our Cluster for ten years. It has increased in parishioners, Religious Education students, and parish income.  Delaware County is a very beautiful and safe place to live and raise a family and is a growing community. Currently St. John is only one of two locations in the archdiocese where there is a separate parish linked with a Cluster. This possibility of clustering has been discussed for many years and now is the time to joyfully welcome them into the Cluster family and for them to be represented on our Cluster Council.  

• Our Cluster Constitution has been updated so that two leaders from each parish are on the Cluster Council.  
• Each of the four parishes still maintain their own Pastoral Councils, Finance Councils, bank accounts, civil corporations, and canonical (Church law) status.  
• St. Mary’s Schools is still subsidized by that parish, and parishes which have other students attending St. Mary School will continue to pay per pupil support. 
• Faith Formation programming will continue to take place at all four parishes with increased collaboration for a unified program. 
• Human Resource, payroll, and other financial tasks will be completed exclusively in the Cluster Office to ensure best practices and compliance with archdiocesan, State, and Federal regulations.  
• A satellite office at Delhi will be utilized for some parish administrative/programming activities.  
• The Cluster subsidy formula will be reviewed annually to assure expenses are being distributed equitably.  
   

Our cluster subsidy formula covers the required Archdiocesan priest compensation (priest salary, health insurance, room/board, retirement, mileage, etc.).  Staff business management, bookkeeping & recording, employee payroll benefits & taxes, are united to ensure archdiocesan (ie: Safe Environment and background checks), State, & Federal requirements are met.  Faith Formation, Ignite Youth Ministry, Parish Nurse, Health Ministry, Liturgy, Missions/Sister Parish, technology, website, bulletin, office expenses are also shared by all parishes in the Cluster. 

Below is the estimated Cluster budget for 24-25.  The subsidy formula is based 25% of all shared Cluster costs and 75% of the parish envelope holders who donate $75 or more.  Thus, each year the formula is adjusted to take into account changes in parish registration/tithing.   The cluster budget is only an estimate and any remaining funds are returned to the parishes each year.

Please note that education in the faith is very valued by the archdiocese, and thus any expenses a parish incurs related to Faith Formation, Ignite Youth Ministry, Catholic School Subsidy (St. Mary), or Catholic School Per Pupil Support (SP, SJ, IC) are exempt from TAXA, thus resulting in considerable savings from this annual assessment.  This applies whether a parish pays for expenses directly or through a Cluster assessment.  

Estimated draft for the Cluster Subsidy 2024-2025
(includes all shared expenses (25%), weighted by # of parishioners (75%) over $75)
 

The Holy Spirit has given a variety of ministries and gifts to this Cluster. We recognize our unity of faith and love, and accept our common responsibility for the mission of Christ.  We need to continue to be open to what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do and to be equally open to the change/adaptation that might require.  Collaboration is key as we strive to be stronger together.  God is never outdone in His generosity! 

Continued prayer and formation in the faith is also key for us as adults.  Our Cluster provides the online Formed.org platform and you can sign up through BlessedTrinityCluster.org or call the Cluster Office 563-927-4710.  Additionally in this year of the National Eucharistic Revival, many resources on the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith are available at Eucharisticrevival.org.