Section 4: Executive Summary Cluster 53 Plan
In 1991, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, called for a nine-year period of renewal of faith and spirit, culminating in the celebration of the year 2000, the Great Jubilee. As part of the renewal process, each parish in the Archdiocese was called upon to conduct a self-study to identify its strengths and limitations and then to develop recommendations for implementation in its long-range parish plan. Once the parish self-studies were completed, the parishes in adjacent geographical areas participated in a regional self-study with other parishes in the same Vicariate. The purpose of this study was to develop a collaborative five-year plan for all the parishes within Cluster 53.
Cluster 53 is located in Chester County and is bounded by Clusters 52, 54, 72, 71 and 61. It contains three territorial parishes, two of which have parochial schools, and a personal parish for people of Italian descent. The four parishes which comprise the Cluster are located within a fifteen-minute drive of each other which will facilitate the sharing of resources for the attainment of the goals which were developed in this plan. All four parishes are experiencing either positive growth or steady membership, particularly among families with school aged children. As a result, several of the goals identified by the Cluster pertain to addressing the needs of this segment of the Cluster parishioners. Both parochial schools ( St. Monica's and St. Norbert's ) are near capacity. The Baptism/Funeral ratio for the Cluster has been at or above 1.5 since 1992.
With the exception of the limited availability of classroom space, the physical plants of all
four parishes are in reasonably good condition and are adequate to support the current level of parish activities
that are conducted in them. No major construction activities are anticipated to be needed within the Cluster unless
it is decided to construct another parish school.
The financial condition of the parishes is good. All are able to pay their bills in a timely manner and have a
relatively affluent membership. Tithing is being conducted on a trial basis at one of the parishes and all have
been able to increase their collection revenues over the past two years.
The Cluster currently has five priests assigned, three diocesan priests and 2 religious. This level of staffing is a driving influence for the goal for vocations in the Cluster.
During the planning process, the Committee realized that the goals which each parish had developed in its own Pastoral Plan were similar in nature and focus. This made the Cluster Planning process more collaborative in that it was relatively easy to reach consensus on the goals and objectives developed in this Plan. It also provides a foundation for the future sharing of resources and ideas for the attainment of parish goals through the Cluster. This will be a new experience for most parishioners in the Cluster as there has not been a great deal of sharing or interaction between the parishes up to now, with the exception of a shared Youth Ministry between two of the parishes.
Based on the discussions held during the Cluster Planning process, the following areas have been
selected for the establishment of Cluster goals:
· Religious Vocations
· Spiritual Renewal
· Youth Ministry
Religious Education
Goals, objectives and timelines have been established in each of these areas and are contained
in the body of this plan.