In the last few years we have heard about clusters, merging, linkages, and partnerships. I’m confused — what do all these terms mean?
We all understand the serious reality of the priest shortage and how it affects parishes. The Diocese of Madison has taken measures to keep all parishes open for worship and in doing so new terms are being used. Basically, all these words describe different levels of unity and sharing between parishes and are wonderful examples of Catholics working together to solve very difficult problems.
Cluster: multiple parishes in a geographical location. All parishes of the diocese have been formed into clusters.