The number of priests available to lead our parish communities in the future is certainly one of the most important concerns in our planning. However, by itself, having more priests will not make our parishes stronger or more vital. Regular mass attendance, sacramental celebrations, giving and involvement among parishioners have all been decreasing. Religious indifference is increasing.
Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that:
An encounter with Christ is the only antidote to the religious indifference of our time. How will we enable more people to encounter Christ in our actions and in our ministry? How will we focus our resources to this end? Be sure to include any alternatives that the Cohort suggests in your response.
Steps 4 and 5 of the Faith in Our Future process are extremely important in the shaping of the Final Recommendations that will be sent to Bishop O’Connell in late October. The Preliminary Recommendations that the cohorts are discussing from now through September are truly preliminary and will likely be adjusted by the Planning Commission when they meet in mid- October, based on the Cohort Responses and the Commission’s own best thinking in light of the Faith in Our Future goals and criteria.
Clear and consistent communication, both within the cohort discussions and in the outreach to the wider parish communities, is vital during this process. Cohorts are encouraged to make use of the facilitators assigned to assist them. These skilled and experienced men and women are available as needed to facilitate cohort core team meetings, parish town hall meetings, etc. at no cost to the parishes.
The following reminders may be of help to you as you continue you discussions:
Please let us know what questions you have about your work and the whole Faith in Our Futureplanning process and we will answer them in future updates. Thank you once again for contributing your time and energy to this important project.
Q.) Our cohort agrees with the Preliminary Recommendations we received from the Diocesan Planning Commission and will say so in our Cohort Response. Since we are in agreement, should we start implementing the recommended changes (Mass schedules, worship sites, etc.) now or do we have to wait until the Bishop’s decisions are announced?
A.) You should not implement any changes based on the Preliminary Recommendations because these could change. We still have a ways to go in the Faith in Our Future process and it is important not to short-change the conversations that are a necessary part of Steps 4 and 5.
Q.) If our cohort has questions about the Preliminary Recommendations for models and ministries or about the rationale we were given, who should we call?
A.) If you have any questions that you need answered during the Conversation and Response phase ofFaith in Our Future, please contact Tom Reid if you are in Burlington or Ocean Counties, Cleo Molina if you are in Mercer County or John Reid if you are in Monmouth County.
Msgr. Leonard Troiano, [email protected], 1-609-403-7159
Sherrie Sporek, [email protected], 1-609-403-7193
FAX: 1-609-406-7413
Faith in Our Future, Diocese of Trenton
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08648
Burlington & Ocean Counties Consultant
Tom Reid, [email protected], 1-206-947-2990
Monmouth County Consultant
John Reid, [email protected], 1-206-947-1055
Mercer County & Bi-Lingual Consultant
Cleo Molina, [email protected], 1-206-383-2536