ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Informal Evaluation by the Cluster Implementation Committee

During the Spring, 2003, the Cluster Implementation Committee conducted an informal evaluation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan in consultation with the Parish Pastoral councils. The purpose of this informal evaluation was to determine the current status of the cluster plan. They considered the following questions:

1. What action(s) has (have) been taken to carry out the Cluster Pastoral Plan?

2. What action(s) still need(s) to be taken to meet the goal(s) of the Cluster Pastoral Plan?

3. To what degree has the vision of the Cluster Pastoral Plan been implemented?

4. Were any new needs discovered or new actions taken during the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan?

5. What obstacles, if any, stood in the way of the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan?

The committee found the following actions have been taken:

Establish pastoral programs providing for training of lay leadership with emphasis on youth.

1. A program, presented by the Office for Youth and Young Adults, was hosted at Queen of the Universe on liturgical leadership and participation.

2. Parishes have intensified their youth programs to attract the youth to parish life.

Establish pastoral programs providing for continuing education of adults.

3. Information has been shared about adult enrichment in each parish.

4. Program was held at St. Frances Cabrini on Theological and Ethical Issues Around Decisions at the End of Life with assistance from St. Mary's Medical Center.

Establish pastoral programs providing for fostering a deeper spirituality of leaders, parish staff and parishioners.

5. There have been two cluster workshops: "Who Ministers to the Ministers" at St. Mark, Bristol and "Vibrant Worship: Empowering the Community" at Queen of the Universe, Levittown.

Actions that still need to be taken include:

Need to reestablish role of pastor and distribution of clergy.
Need of a pro-active plan for Catholic schools in the cluster.
Coordinate parish efforts for youth activities and continuing education as a cluster.
Still difficult to educate the parishioners in understanding and valuing the entire concept of "cluster". Many parishioners are happy with their own parishes and do not see the need to go somewhere else for spiritual nourishment. The idea of "parish" is so strong, that the idea of"cluster" is irrelevant.

Obstacles, that have stood in the way of the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan are:

• Lack of time, lack of common goals, too many issues to work on, too many Diocesan agendas.
• Cluster Plan of old no longer relevant to today's needs. Some attempts were made to shift to more practicable issues (e.g., crises in Catholic education, more equitable salaries for teachers and staff) but no further action was taken.
• Want of conviction on the part of pastors. (The cluster has four parishes with new pastors since the original plan was written.) and frequent changes among lay representatives.
• Probable feeling of being at a loss or fear of discovering real issues within individual parishes or in the broader Church.
• Expectation of short-term success and a reluctance to recognize long-term commitments.
• Questionable measurements of success imported from the professional world: what are the criteria of "success" in matters of spiritual conversion?
  
  

Status of the Plan

In light of the information collected, the Cluster Implementation Committee in consultation with Parish Pastoral Councils recommended to the Regional Vicar that the status of the plan be:

To hold - implementation is complete, new data does not require a new cluster plan at this time.