SCRANTON - When Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera envisions the future of diocesan churches, he sees St. Patrick's Church in White Haven as a model.

The church has a priest, the Rev. Michael J. Kloton, who also oversees Immaculate Conception, a separate, independent parish 8 miles away in Freeland. When Father Kloton is serving Immaculate Conception, Sister Jane Gaughan,

I.H.M., fills the void at St. Patrick's."She's the on-site person people go to when they need some support, when they need some direction in their parish," Bishop Bambera said. "She is not going to celebrate Mass. That is the pastor's role. She is not going to celebrate the sacraments either, but she is on site there so that when Father Kloton is in Freeland, life and ministries happen in both places."Sister Gaughan, an Immaculate Heart of Mary sister, has served as pastoral minister at St. Patrick's for 17 years. The former parochial school English teacher likes to say she is "co-responsible" for the day-to-day operations, along with Father Kloton.Father Kloton is quick to correct her, saying she "is the star of the whole thing.""This is the future of where the church is going," he said.In response to a dwindling number of priests, whose services continue to be stretched thin, the diocese hopes to rely more on people like Sister Gaughan to oversee church ministries in the new position of parish life coordinator.In some churches, non-priests will be installed to lead church ministries and oversee day-to-day operations. Deacons, religious brothers and sisters and laypeople could be selected for the role after receiving proper training. They will be tasked with the nonsacramental work normally performed by a priest.Bishop Bambera installed the diocese's first parish life coordinator, Sister Mary Ann Cody, on July 11 during a Mass at Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish in Pittston.Sister Cody, an IHM sister like Sister Gaughan, had been pastoral associate at the church since 2007. She shared spiritual, financial and administrative duties with the Rev. Thomas Maloney, whose retirement created the opening for her new position.Over the past seven weeks, she has learned to embrace the fact that now the "buck stops here" in regards to those duties."It isn't like I go now to somebody else. I'm responsible for this parish," Sister Cody said. "I have to say, father nurtured us for this responsibility. He nurtured the parish community to accept responsibility for leadership."Upon taking the new role, Sister Cody left an apartment in West Pittston and moved into the church rectory to be more present.While she oversees and runs the church, the Rev. Jeffrey Walsh, the diocese's vicar of clergy, has become the church's sacramental minister, performing the duties only priests can.Sister Cody said the transition has been smooth because of the assistance of parishioners. She noted members of the church leadership wrote to the bishop, volunteering the parish be a "pilot program" for the parish life coordinator role."The people of the parish have been extremely receptive to this assignment by Bishop Bambera, and I think a part of this is because they were led to see the need beyond their own parish, but to see the need of the whole church of Scranton," Sister Cody said.The embrace of the new leadership role by parishioners follows years of change.Our Lady of the Eucharist is the product of a 2010 consolidation of two Pittston parishes, St. Mary Help of Christians and St. Mary's Assumption, and Blessed Sacrament in Hughestown.Although the merger was unpopular and the loss of the individual parish identities was difficult, parishioners resolved to make the best of it and have become over five years what is now a close-knit faith community, parish council member Mike Quinn said.