Parishioners in south-central Wisconsin should expect to see changes as the Diocese of Madison will undergo extensive adjustments brought on by the “Into the Deep” initiative to improve the diocese.

“In this current strategic realignment of our resources throughout the Diocese of Madison, I am asking all of our priests to take a new assignment, and the majority of them to physically move,” Madison Bishop Donald Hying said in a Wednesday release. https://madisoncatholicherald.org/into-the-deep/

Hying wrote the diocese to keep members abreast of the new “Into the Deep” priest assignments. The diocese described the initiative as a strategic planning program for the entire diocese that involves all parishes. Hying introduced the plan in May, and it has been developed in the interim.

“While the extent of this change is significant, I am convinced that it will greatly benefit both our priests and our people in the long run,” Hying said. “As our 102 parishes eventually merge into 30, our priests will be able to work together in teams instead of in isolation.”

This multiyear project will strive to restructure diverse resources, including physical, financial, human, and priestly resources. 

The ultimate purpose of the program is to change Catholic institutions' focus from "maintenance" to "mission," allowing for a successful spread of Jesus Christ's life-changing message in an increasingly secular culture, the diocese said. It hopes to achieve this by collaborating in new ways and achieving six objectives, following Jesus, reclaiming Sunday, evangelizing others, engaging youth, equipping leaders, and serving neighbors. 

"In many ways, ‘Into the Deep’ will help us to return to a more traditional function of parishes and parish priesthood,” Hying wrote. "Our people will benefit from the pastoral service of a team of priests, a unified and stronger staff, and greater resources to help our parishes flourish and do the work of the Gospel more effectively.” 

Father Tait Schroeder has returned to the Diocese of Madison after serving in Rome for almost five years with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (previously known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). 

He will be taking charge of “Into the Deep” implementation, according to the Diocese of Madison Catholic Herald. Additionally, Schroeder will support the new priest groupings when they are put into place.