Monthly Update | January 2016

This is the first installment of monthly updates on the Diocese’s new pastoral planning initiative.

Faith in Our Future, the parish and ministry planning process announced by Bishop David M. O’Connell in early December, is well underway in the Diocese of Trenton.

As the Bishop said, “Faith in Our Future is an effort to call upon the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Trenton to reflect upon the ways that we experience, live and express our Catholic faith together as the circumstances of the past and present give way to the new and changing realities that we face as a local Church. We have Faith in Our Future and, as every generation of Catholics before us, our faith must endure even when its expression may change.”

Faith in Our Future has the following goals:

1. Strengthen and enliven the parishes of the Diocese as well as diocesan-sponsored organizations and ministries.
2. Explore new models of leadership in parishes and ministries in institutional settings (schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, etc.) in order to address the challenges presented by the anticipated retirement of a large number of clergy and religious over the next ten years.
3. Improve our stewardship of personnel, finances and facilities and other parish and diocesan resources.
4. Establish collaborative relationships among the parishes and ministries of the Diocese that will build upon the Gospel to re/evangelize the local Church, especially those who live on the fringes of the Church, as well as those who do not yet know Christ.
5. Provide for pastoral ministry to Hispanic Catholics, the fastest growing segment of our diocesan population, within our parishes and organizations.

Every parish has a core team that will be guiding the process for the parish. In the coming months, parish core teams will be evaluating their parish life in light of these criteria:

1. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life (Vatican II: Lumen Gentium, 11). The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is, therefore, the center of parish life, and should be given the primary focus of the parish’s attention, energy and resources. Following appropriate preparation, the other sacraments should be celebrated with fitting dignity.
2. Every activity undertaken by the parish community is “suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than self-preservation.” (Evangelii Gaudium, # 27)
3. Beginning in the Catholic home and continuing with Catholic schools and/or religious education programs, life-long faith formation is undertaken with enthusiasm and the responsibility is shared by the whole parish community. Adult faith formation is a critical part of this endeavor.
4. The parish utilizes effective methods of communication, especially social media, to build community, to inform and motivate parishioners and to attract newcomers.
5. The parish reaches out with compassion to individuals and families with particular needs.
6. Under the leadership of the pastor and pastoral team, parishioners work to achieve a sense of unity within the parish, while appreciating the diversity of cultures, of experiences, and of worship preferences and styles.
7. Members of the parish identify/see themselves as disciples and practice stewardship; they express a sense of shared responsibility for mission and for the life of the parish and diocesan communities.
8. Parish priests, deacons, religious and lay staff serve the parish community’s needs and effectively lead it in mission.
9. Facilities are adequate and well-maintained.

 

Bishop O’Connell emphasized the importance of widespread participation in Faith in Our Future for the Diocese of Trenton:

“A bishop can dream dreams but without his people, that is all they will ever be. And, so, I invite every Catholic in the Diocese of Trenton to share the dream in ways that will make it a reality for our local Church. It will take time and the effort of the whole Diocese, like never before. It will take sacrifice and the commitment of the whole Diocese, like never before. It will take gratitude for what has been and is and the bold vision for what will be of the whole Diocese, like never before. And it will take prayer – everyone and all together in the Diocese – like never before.”

The Diocese recently published a special report entitled Building Our Future Together, which provided essential background on Faith in Our Future. To view or download a copy, go towww.dioceseoftrenton.org/buildingourfuturetogether/

If you have questions about Faith in Our Future, contact Msgr. Leonard F. Troiano, episcopal vicar for diocesan planning initiative at [email protected], 1-609-403-7159; or Sherrie Sporek, administrative assistant, at [email protected], 1-609-403-7193.