St. Joseph Catholic Church

Transcription

1 St. Joseph Catholic Church Pastoral Planning Listening Sessions are scheduled for: Thursday, April 19 at 7:00-8:30 PM Friday, April 20 at 2:00-3:30 PM Sunday, April 22 at 3:00-4:30 PM

2 St. Joseph, like every community and institution within the Catholic Church, shares in the mission of Jesus Christ. We all strive to announce the good news of salvation and to invite all people into God s kingdom through the salvation Jesus offers. Yet, even though we all share in Jesus mission we each do it in our unique way. This becomes quite evident when you consider how a local parish carries out Jesus' mission in a totally different way than a Catholic university or hospital. It also becomes apparent to us when we are visiting relatives or on vacation in distant lands. Upon arrival at the church for Mass we begin to notice differences from our own parish. Perhaps it is the style or age of the church building. It might be the music or lack thereof. It might feel more welcoming or, perhaps, not at all welcoming. If we are far enough away from home the congregation might be speaking in a language which we do not understand. Yet, we know that we are all united in Jesus and the mission his Father gave him. We know that our parish and theirs are striving to be the Body of Christ in our particular time and place. Because each of our locations is unique, so the specific way we each participate in Jesus mission is unique. In our travels we also discover there are some Catholic parishes, schools, universities, hospitals, and dioceses that seem to be doing a better job than others at being actively engaged with Jesus in his gospel mission. It becomes quite apparent to us that they know their role in Jesus mission and have a clear plan on how they are doing it. If you spend some time talking with the pastor, staff, and members of the parish you discover they can very easily tell you why their parish exists, what they want their parish to look like in future, and how they expect each other to act as members of their parish. Ask a few more questions and they start to tell you exactly what they are doing, and not doing, that is leading you to be impressed with their parish. The pastor, staff, and members of that parish did not just wake up one morning and know how God wanted them to participate in Jesus mission. They Now we want to hear from the people of St. Joseph. took time together in prayer, research, reflection, and discernment to discover how Jesus was looking for them to build God s kingdom at that moment in their particular parish. They did Parish Pastoral Planning. A little over a year ago I shared with the members of St. Joseph that our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) and I, in keeping with the responsibilities given to us in our Parish Council s By-Laws and the Diocese of Lansing, had begun a pastoral planning process for our parish. Since that time we have prayerfully been working on our parish s mission, vision, and core values. Along the way we have shared the proposed Mission and Vision Statements with our parish members looking for their thoughts and suggestions. With the addition of our parish member s feedback we tweaked the Mission and Vision Statements and went on to discern our Core Values. Together these three components form our parish s Governing Ideas. Now we want to hear from the people of St. Joseph. Good parish pastoral planning involves everyone. We therefore invite the members of our parish to join us for one of our parish pastoral planning Listening Sessions to help us discern God s will for our parish. At the mid-april Listening Sessions we will be looking to our parish members to let us know what they see as the strengths and missed opportunities of our proposed Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Core Values. We have prepared this publication in order to assist our parish members in participating in our parish planning process. In its pages you will find information regarding what parish planning is, who participates in it and what their roles are in the process, the elements of a pastoral plan, a history of what we have done thus far, a look at what is yet to come, and our proposed Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Core Values. We look forward to the members of our parish joining us in discerning God s will for our parish and putting a pastoral plan in place will guide us into the future as effective disciples of Jesus Christ. 2

3 Elements of Pastoral Planning CONSIDER THE CURRENT REALITY COMMITMENT TO ACTION Gather & Focus Identify Concerns, Issues, & Opportunities Goals Strategies Action Plans GOVERNING IDEAS KEEPING IT VIABLE Mission Vision Core Values Performance Indicators Ongoing Evaluation Parish pastoral planning is a process in which the members of a parish pray and reflect together on their active participation in the Body of Christ in their particular time and place. From their prayer and reflection they develop and put into action a pastoral plan consistent with God s will that enables them to share in the mission of Jesus in their community. Once the pastoral plan has been developed and put into action all the parish s ministries, prayer, activities, behavior, decisions, events, and deliberations are guided by the pastoral plan. That which leads a parish to develop a pastoral plan is the common knowledge that knowing what one wants and having a plan by which to get it greatly increases the likelihood of success. Successful companies and businesses have well thought out business plans. Sports teams with a history of winning have coaches that teach skills and make decisions that are guided by a developed plan for winning. Examinations of failed endeavors often reveal a group of people or individuals who did not have a plan let alone know where they wanted to go. That which makes the plan of a parish distinct from that of a business or sports team is that it derives its plan from God and that which God wants it to be doing. That is why we call it pastoral planning. It is a plan that only makes sense in light of the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. It is the plan of a community that united with Jesus Christ shares his mission of salvation for all humankind as given to him by God. Successfully discerning God s will in our lives and the life of our parish involves faith, a relationship with God, an openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and using the gifts and talents God has given to everyone involved. Some important things for a parish to remember as it seeks to effectively develop such a pastoral plan include; prayer, human reflection, collaboration, action, the parish s particular situation, and that pastoral planning is a process. Prayer is not enough. God created humans with many skills and talents including the ability to learn and reason. Pastoral planning includes using these human talents and skills we have learned in our life and business experiences. With them we are able to gather data, develop our pastoral plan, implement it, and sustain it through evaluation and constant regulation. 3

4 So how are we, the Catholic disciples of Jesus Christ living in Howell, Michigan in the early years of the 21 st century, called by God to live the gospel of Jesus? How are we called to grow in our Christian faith and invite others to come to share in the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ? That is what we are striving to discover together before God in prayer through our parish planning process. Then, together with Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit, we will put our pastoral plan into action. We encourage all the members of our parish to join us that we might be successful develop a parish pastoral plan that enables us to prayer and live together as members of the Body of Christ in our homes, our church, and our community. Although God s will is the source of a pastoral plan it is not something God suddenly gives to the pastor in a dream. Parish pastoral planning is a process that involves everyone in the parish. It includes a set of comprehensive activities that are designed to help the parish establish a direction consistent with its participation in the mission of Jesus, develop goals and strategies, and establish measurable outcomes. It takes time and it takes the participation of everyone. God intends each of us to use the various gifts and talents He has given to follow Him and build His kingdom. As we each have different gifts, talents, and character the manner in we live our life following Him is different for each of us. The same is true of a parish. Each parish is formed by a different group of people in a different location. This unique pool of gifts and talents used together shape the manner in which each parish fulfills its participation in the mission of Jesus. Respectful of God s presence in every parishioner and the gifts He has given to them the parish planning process requires that it is not done by the pastor and a few of the staff but by all the people of the parish. Collaborating together each member is encouraged to participate in the pastoral planning process respectful of the roles and gifts God has given him or her. Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us to know and do God s will just as he was doing his Father s will. It is by turning to God in prayer that we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit s guidance. By keeping prayer as a central part of the pastoral planning process we affirm that we are striving to follow God s plan and not ours. Being united in prayer influences the interactions of parish members in a positive manner. It helps the community to know God s will and provides the parish and its members God s grace in putting the plan into action. Focus information Identify Concerns, Issues & Opportunities Parish Input & Review Create Goals Create Strategies for Each Goal Gather Parish Input & Review Listening Sessions The Flow of Our Parish Pastoral Planning Process Create Action Plans for Each Strategy Parish Input & Review Mission Statement Vision Statement Core Values Reassess Overall Plan Every Five Years Evaluate Annually & Revise Implement Finalize Pastoral Plan with One Year Actions 4

5 Parish Pastoral Planning Involves All God s People Back Row: Fr. David Speicher, Richard Bauer, Craig Brewis and Richard LaMay Front Row: Jane Thierfeldt, Vince Ste. Marie, Debi Amato, Marie Hanvey, Annette Staley and Jerry Schmidt PASTOR PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL The Parish Pastoral Council The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is an important part of the parish s leadership. It is the PPC that has the primary responsibility of collaborating with a parish s pastor, staff, and commissions to develop, implement, assess, and maintain a parish s pastoral plan. Its members are parishioners who are committed to the mission they received from Jesus Christ at their baptism and to the good of the parish and its members. In addition to having the responsibility of discerning God s will for our parish and defining its mission, our PPC By-Laws also state it is a responsibility of the PPC to call the members of St. Joseph Parish to participate in our mission. That is another reason we look to everyone to join us in our parish pastoral planning process. Together we can do a much better job understanding God s will for our parish. Together we will grow in our relationship with God and enrich the faith life of our families and community. Our Roles in St. Joseph Parish s Pastoral Plan PARISHIONERS STAFF COMMISSIONS & MINISTRIES GOVERNING IDEAS Leadership Work with PPC Leadership Develops Governing Ideas Review Governing Ideas Offer Input Review Governing Ideas Offer Input Review Governing Ideas Offer Input CURRENT REALITY Leadership Work with PPC Leadership Gather Identify Concerns, Issues, & Opportunities Review Current Reality Offer Input Gather Review Current Reality Offer Input Gather Review Current Reality Offer Input COMMITMENT TO ACTION Leadership Work with PPC, Commissions, and Staff Leadership Identify Goals Review and Offer Input Regarding Strategies & Action Plans Review Commitment to Action Offer Input Help Identify Goals Develop Strategies & Actions Plans in Respective Ministry Areas Help Identify Goals Develop Strategies & Actions Plans in Respective Ministry Areas KEEPING IT VIABLE Leadership Work with PPC, Commissions, Staff, and Parishioners Leadership Support Commissions and Staff Ongoing Evaluation of Pastoral Plan Grow as Disciples of Christ Participate in the Ministry of the Parish Christian Stewardship Lead Respective Ministry Programs Faithful to Governing Ideas Facilitate Action Plans Assist Respective Ministry Programs Faithful to Governing Ideas Facilitate Action Plans 5

6 Now Your Parish Needs Your Participation Now we need to hear from you - the parishioners of St. Joseph. Our PPC has crafted the future direction of our parish through the Governing Ideas represented in the following proposed Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Core Values. Our next step of our parish pastoral planning process is our parish Listening Sessions. These Listening Sessions are an occasion for the people of St. Joseph Parish to share with us their insights regarding the proposed Governing Ideas and the future of our parish. It is important to us and the success of our planning process that we continue to hear from our members. We invite you to join us for one of the three Listening Sessions. At each Listening Session we will be asking you to please share with us the strengths and missed opportunities of each element of the Governing Ideas: Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Core Values. In order to help you prepare for the sessions you will find on the following pages each of the elements of the Governing Ideas and space to jot down your thoughts. If you are unable to attend one of the Listening Sessions we still would like to hear from you. In that case please consider writing down your thoughts and dropping them off at the parish office, putting them in the Sunday collection in an envelope, or ing them to us at pastoralplan@stjosephhowell.com Join Us for One of Our Listening Sessions Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 PM Friday, April 20 at 2:00 PM Sunday, April 22 at 3:00 PM (St. Joseph Parish Activity Center) Help Us Direct Our Parish s Future GOVERNING IDEAS Mission Why we exist. St. Joseph Parish Mission Statement Our purpose. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we the members of St. Joseph Catholic Community in Howell, MI strive to be living examples of our sacred traditions and teachings and are called to invite all people to join us in proclaiming the kingdom of God. We are committed to assist each other and the members of our local community to experience God s love and to grow in a deeper relationship with God. We strive to accomplish this through love and the good stewardship of God s gifts to us in our celebration of the Sacraments, worship, formation, prayer, and ministry to those in need. Strengths: Missed Opportunities: 6

7 St. Joseph Parish Vision Statement The good news of Jesus Christ is lived and proclaimed at St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Howell, Michigan. We offer praise to God, share in the life of Jesus Christ, and grow in our relationship with Him through liturgies and celebrations of the Sacraments that are vibrant, sacred, and faith filled. We follow Jesus command to love through parish ministries in which we collaboratively perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that strive to meet the needs of the community that God has entrusted to us. GOVERNING IDEAS Vision The picture of the future we hope to create. Makes our mission concrete. We grow in wisdom, knowledge, understanding and our ability to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ through engaging Catholic Christian formation programs for people of all ages and at all stages of their faith journey. We support the domestic church (homes) through prayer, parish ministries, events, and programs which nurture our homes as places to grow in faith, experience God s love and support, and learn how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. We invite all people to a relationship with Jesus Christ and a deeper faith in God through a spirit of evangelization present in all our parish prayer, ministry, programs, and events. We follow Jesus call to be good stewards of the kingdom of God through an appreciation of all God s gifts (time, talent, and treasure) and the wise use of those gifts in our parish and community. We enrich the lives of the members of our Howell community through participation in community events, groups, churches, discussions, and efforts that help build the kingdom of God. Strengths: Missed Opportunities: 7

8 St. Joseph Parish Core Values GOVERNING IDEAS Family Prayer Love/Charity Core Values Community Values we cherish. Life How we act as we Catholic strive to fulfill our Worship mission and vision. Christ-Centered Strengths: Missed Opportunities: 8