“A steward is one to whom the owner of a household turns over responsibility for caring for the property, managing affairs, making resources yield as much as possible, and sharing the resources with others. The position involves trust and accountability.” – Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, USCCB, 1992
The third goal of the Faith in Our Future process is to improve our stewardship of personnel, finances, facilities and other parish and diocesan resources. We have a responsibility to cultivate these resources and make them productive. We must allocate them, not according to personal preference, but so that they “yield as much as possible.” Here are a few questions to ponder:
As your cohort core team’s work moves from the cohort evaluations into drafting your cohort suggestions, some of you have indicated finding it difficult to start a conversation on the model, or models, and ministries to suggest as we look to the future. This is especially true in cohorts where the parishes have significant differences in circumstances. One way to begin a discussion is to do a simple analysis of the pros and cons of each of the six models as they may apply to your cohort in light of the Faith in Our Future goals and criteria (Section I, pages 2 and 8-12 in the Planning Guide). Approaching the discussion in this way will help you to quickly clarify which model, or combination of models, and ministries might be considered for discussion and make the most sense in your cohort’s particular situation.
Here are some others things to consider as you move forward with your work:
Q. Who is on the Diocesan Planning Commission? Why were they chosen?
A. Bishop O’Connell appointed ordained and lay persons from all four counties of the Diocese to serve on the Diocesan Planning Commission. They were chosen because of their knowledge of the Diocese, their professional expertise and their willingness to serve. Profiles of each commissioner will appear in the upcoming April “Faith in Our Future” monthly update.
The commission members are: Mr. Robert Abatemarco, Rev. Guillherme Andrino, SVD, Ms. Nanci Bachman, Mrs. Cynthia Craft, Rev. Harold Cullen, Sr. Joanne Dress, DC, Mr. Robert Dunne III, Mrs. Stephanie Engelstad, Ms. Deborah Galluci, Mrs. Dottie Guerrasio, Rev. Daniel Kirk, Deacon Thomas Kolon, Rev. K. Michael Lambeth, Msgr. Richard LaVerghetta, Mrs. Sandra Lopez, Rev. Gerard Lynch, OssT., Mrs. Jen Perry , Rev. Rene Pulgarin, Mr. Edward and Mrs. Barbara Smith, and Mr. Jack Trainor.
Q. When will implementation of the Bishop’s decisions begin?
A. Implementation of the Bishop’s decisions regarding the 25 cohorts will begin July 1, 2017. Training sessions to prepare for a successful implementation process will be held between January and May 2017.
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.
Msgr. Leonard Troiano, [email protected], 1-609-403-7159
Sherrie Sporek, [email protected], 1-609-403-7193
FAX: 1-609-406-7413
MAILING ADDRESS:
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