Core Team Update #32

Go Beyond

It is difficult to imagine the Catholic Church being organized differently in our area. Yet for more than 100 years, the configuration of parishes and ministries in the diocese has continually been reshaped to meet the demands of proclaiming the Gospel in changing circumstances.

“A new evangelization is synonymous with mission, requiring the capacity to set out anew, go beyond boundaries and broaden horizons. The new evangelization is the opposite of self-sufficiency, a withdrawal into oneself, a status quo mentality and an idea that pastoral programs are simply to proceed as they did in the past. Today a ‘business as usual’ attitude can no longer be the case. Some local Churches, already engaged in renewal, reconfirm the fact that now is the time for the Church to call upon every Christian community to evaluate their pastoral practice on the basis of the missionary character of their program and activities.”

— Synod of Bishops, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith, Lineamenta, #10 (2012)

As your Cohort discusses the preliminary recommendations, you are asked to set aside ‘business as usual’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ in order to take a fresh look at what parish configurations and ministries will best serve the mission.  Do your pastoral practices, programs and activities have a missionary character?  Are they getting the results for which you hope?

Dear Core Team Members:

The importance of clear and consistent communication, both within the cohort discussions and in the outreach to the wider parish communities is essential during Steps 4 and 5 of the Faith in Our Futureprocess.  The July monthly update on Faith in Our Future, which has been distributed to parishes and is posted on the diocesan web site, is a good communication and information tool.  As part of your communication with your fellow parishioners, you may want to refer them to the monthly update and encourage them to read it.

To assist in your ongoing conversation,  you were sent the general parish statistics and financial information that parishes in your cohort reported for 2015.  Please add this updated information to the data you already have and take it into consideration as your make your response to the preliminary recommendations.

Here are some reminders that can be of help as you move forward:

• Please adapt the format of the sample meeting agendas to suit your particular needs in preparing future agendas. Parish facilitators have been assigned to each cohort.  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.

• In your conversations following the Preliminary Recommendations, please keep in mind the goals and criteria of Faith in Our Future and the six models you can consider in your Cohort Response. These include:  Collaborative Parishes; Linked Parishes; Merged Parishes; In Solidum Team; Parish Life Director; Personal Parishes.  Descriptions can be found on pages 15-17 in Section I of the Planning Guide.  Multiple models can be applied in pursuit of the goals.  For example, a Merged parish and a parish with a Parish Life Director can be Collaborative Parish partners.

• In addition to responding to the model recommendations, each cohort is also asked to respond with their “best thinking” to the further recommendations. If cohorts have questions about the Preliminary Recommendations, please contact the appropriate Reid Group consultant who will help provide the needed answers.

• Cohort Chairs and Secretaries have also been sent customized Cohort Response forms for your cohort that includes the Preliminary Recommendations from the Diocesan Planning Commission and the rationale. Draft Cohort Response forms are due to the various Reid Group consultants by September 20th, while the final Cohort Response forms are due to the Sherrie Sporek atsspore@dioceseoftrenton.org by October 1st.

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.

FAQ—Frequently Asked Questions about Faith in Our Future

1. Why are we being encouraged to convene parish town hall meetings since the cohort teams are responsible for providing the official Cohort Response?

The 8^th step in the Faith in Our Future process is implementation of Bishop O’Connell’s decisions. For implementation to be as successful as possible in strengthening and enlivening parish life throughout the Diocese of Trenton, parishioners need to be involved and be able to share their hopes and concerns.

 2. If none of the pastors in our cohort are nearing retirement, why is it necessary for us to consider linkages and mergers, In Solidum teams and Parish Life Directors among the options?

 Just because a resident pastor may be assigned to your parish now, it does not mean that will continue to be the case. Pastors serve a six year term which can be extended an additional six years at the discretion of the Bishop.  The Bishop can ask a pastor to take a new assignment at any time if a serious pastoral need exists somewhere else in the diocese.  Bishop O’Connell  must assign priests to see to the needs of the nearly 800,000 Catholics across the diocese.  It means that the recommendations should not depend on the service of specific individual priests, but on the mission and ministry of the parish and what will strengthen its ability to evangelize.

Please let us know what questions you have about your work and the whole Faith in Our Future planning process and we will answer them in future updates.  

FAITH IN OUR FUTURE STAFF & COUNTY CONSULTANTS

Diocesan Office Staff

Msgr. Leonard Troiano, ltroiano@dioceseoftrenton.org 1-609-403-7159

Sherrie Sporek, sspore@dioceseoftrenton.org, 1-609-403-7193

FAX: 1-609-406-7413

MAILING ADDRESS: 

Faith in Our Future, Diocese of Trenton

701 Lawrenceville Road

Trenton, NJ 08648

The Reid Group Consultants

Burlington & Ocean Counties Consultant

Tom Reid, TReid@TheReidGroup.biz, 1-206-947-2990

Monmouth County Consultant

John Reid, JReid@TheReidGroup.biz, 1-206-947-1055

Mercer County & Bi-Lingual Consultant

Cleo Molina, CMolina@TheReidGroup.biz, 1-206-383-2536