TranslateCore Team Update #26
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May 19, 2016
Hope does not Disappoint
“We even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” — Romans 5: 3-5
This weekend the passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans speaks to us in the midst of our present experience. Planning for the future of our diocese is hard work. It takes a lot of time and effort. It takes a willingness to persevere, even in the midst of discouragement, cynicism and conflict. Yet we press on through every affliction, believing that “hope does not disappoint.”
Pope Francis gives us similar encouragement. “Let us never give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day. Do not give in to pessimism and discouragement. We have the firm certainty that the Holy Spirit gives the Church with His mighty breath, the courage to persevere and also to seek new methods of evangelization, to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth” (March 15, 2013).
Lord, in this week following Pentecost, we rejoice in the ways your Holy Spirit is at work in us: drawing us together, generating excitement, and inspiring new possibilities. We pray that you will continue to enkindle in us the fire of your love, and in your mercy, use our efforts to renew the face of the earth!
Dear Core Team Members:
Please note this important date, Friday May 20th; the date by which cohort core teams should submit their draft cohort evaluations and draft cohort suggestions with rationale to their Reid Group consultant. Your county consultant (Tom Reid for Burlington and Ocean counties, Cleo Molina for Mercer County and John Reid for Monmouth County) will give you feedback on possible ways to strengthen your cohort suggestion for your consideration.
Your final cohort suggestion and cohort evaluation is to be sent to [email protected]no later than Wednesday June 1, 2016.
You will need to:
- Complete the checklist on the first page of the suggestion form;
- Identify the model or models you suggest together with a description of what the model or models and ministries will look like for the parishes in the cohort;
- Articulate a rationale for the suggestions that reflects your best thinking as a cohort and connects your suggestion with the Faith in Our Future goals and criteria.
Once again, to better assist you with completing the “Cohort Evaluation and Draft Cohort Suggestion” forms to be submitted on the 20th of May we have attached the forms in editable PDF format. Click on the attachment tab to download the forms.
http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Cohort-Suggestion-Form.pdf
If you cannot reach a consensus (“I can live with it”) on the suggestion or suggestions within a cohort, it is OK to send in one suggestion with Plan A and Plan B options – as long as there are rationales identified for each option.
Other things to consider:
- Please do not put signatures on the draft cohort suggestion you send to your Reid Group consultant. They are only required on the final version to be sent by June 1 to Sherrie Sporek,[email protected].
- Please keep in mind that the cohort suggestions are just that: suggestions. These are not decisions; the final decisions are made by Bishop O’Connell after receiving final recommendations from the Planning Commission and consulting with other appropriate bodies.
- Profiles of the Diocesan Planning Commission members can be found in the last Monitor and on the diocesan website at www.dioceseoftrenton.org.
- It is very important that you continue to update your fellow parishioners on a regular basis about the work of your cohort. You will find sample bulletin announcements in your Planning Guide on p. 50.
Thank you once again for contributing your time and energy to this important project.
FAQ—Frequently Asked Questions about Faith in Our Future:
Q. When will the cohorts receive feedback to the cohort suggestions from the Diocesan Planning Commission?
A. The Commission meets on Retreat from June 14-16 to review all 25 cohort evaluations and suggestions along with the parish evaluation and data verification forms. It is expected that the Preliminary Recommendations with rationales will be sent to all cohort core team members the week of June 27th.
Q. What should we do as a parish core team if one of our members either moves out of the area or for health or other reasons cannot continue to serve on our core team?
A. As you know, parish core teams are a pastor plus four. Therefore, should a vacancy occur, pastors are asked to appoint a replacement by the beginning of July when the “Conversation and Response” steps begin for the Faith in Our Future project.
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.
FAITH IN OUR FUTURE STAFF & COUNTY CONSULTANTS
Diocesan Office Staff
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
The Reid Group Consultants
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