When you plan a journey, you have to decide where you are going and also how you will get there. It helps to create a roadmap. If you don’t, you could spend a long time and a lot of energy getting nowhere in particular.
“It is in the local churches that the specific features of a detailed pastoral plan can be identified — goals and methods, formation and enrichment of the people involved, the search for the necessary resources — which will enable the proclamation of Christ to reach people, mold communities, and have a deep and incisive influence in bringing Gospel values to bear in society and culture. I therefore earnestly exhort the Pastors of the particular Churches, with the help of all sectors of God’s People, confidently to plan the stages of the journey ahead, harmonizing the choices of each diocesan community with those of neighboring Churches and of the universal Church.”
Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, #29 (2001)
The Faith in Our Future process is designed to help all of us work together to identify the specific features of a plan to meet the challenges ahead. As you respond to the preliminary recommendations, try to be as specific and concrete as you can. Think about where you want us to be in the future. Pick a few specific things that you want to be able to say about the parishes in your area 3 to 5 years from now, that are not true today. What methods, structures, and resources will enable us to move toward our destination?
There seems to be some misunderstanding about the preliminary recommendations and what you are being asked to do at this point. What does it mean that these recommendations are preliminary? Just as your Cohort suggestions were your initial “best thinking” based on the information you had, the preliminary recommendations are the initial “best thinking” of the Planning Commission based on the suggestions and information you provided and the goals at hand. These are not the final recommendations of the Planning Commission; nor are they the Bishop’s final decisions. Your response by October 1 will contribute another layer of understanding and will help the Planning Commission to shape their final recommendations. Even if you completely agree with the preliminary recommendations as they stand, please do not rely on them or act on them because until the Bishop makes his decision, anything can change. This conversation is a long way from over.
Chances are you may have serious concerns about some of the preliminary recommendations or disagree with them entirely. Hopefully, you can discuss them calmly and try to understand the rationale provided. If there are new ideas to address the same issues that would have your support, please put forward other proposals in your response. Now is the time to explain your concerns, to provide information and alternatives, and to share your rationale. Please be sure to include your thoughts about the schools, hospitals, campus and prison ministries in your response. What would you like to see happen?
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.
1. How will we determine what new staffing may be needed in parishes with the recommended models?
Clergy personnel issues are not the responsibility of the core teams or the Diocesan Planning Commission. Once Bishop O’Connell has reviewed the Final Recommendations, engaged in appropriate consultation, and made his final decisions, he and the Episcopal Council will deal with appropriate priest personnel issues in early 2017. Suggestions about parish staff positions have been made in the recommendations. Further development of these positions will happen during the Implementation Phase.
2. What is the meaning of an additional worship site?
When two or more parishes merge to form a new parish community (Model 3:Merged Parishes), at least one Church building is designated for use by the new parish. In some cases, more than one church building is needed because of distance or the size of the church relative to the size of the congregation. In this case, a second church or “additional worship site” will remain open for weekend liturgies and occasional weddings and funerals. The use of all the buildings should be periodically evaluated.
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