Informal Evaluation by the Cluster Implementation Committee
Cluster 54
| St. Ann Parish Holy Trinity Parish St. Joseph Parish, Spring City |
St. Mary of the Assumption Parish Sacred Heart Parish |
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:
- Share and Merge Resources
The Committee coordinated the development of a Cluster Calendar. The Committee shared ideas on a regular basis.
- Youth Activities
The Committee discussed the possibility of hiring a Youth Minister. The Committee recognized, however, the difficulty in having one youth minister serve more than one parish. Funds were not available to hire a Youth Minister.
- Increase Mass Attendance
The Committee developed a Cluster Calendar to advise area people of the Mass schedule and other events in each of the five cluster parishes. The Committee realized that the responsibility for increasing Mass attendance rests with each parish and each pastor.
- Family Life
Information about Family Liturgy and respect life issues was placed on the St. Ann website.
- Four Pastors for the Five Parishes comprising Cluster 54
Holy Trinity Parish and Sacred Heart Parish have been twinned with one pastor appointed to serve as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish as well as Sacred Heart Parish.
A great deal of its time in Cluster meetings was spent in discussion on the future structure of the cluster as it reviewed the concerns of the twinned parishes.
Actions that still need to be taken include:
During the Cluster Implementation Process the Holy Family School board consisting of the pastors of the Cluster Parishes with Father Newns serving as Chair of the Board, grew more active and met more regularly and more often. The School Principal, the Business Manager, and the Regional Vicar participated in these meetings. In another year or two the present Holy Family School building may not be large enough to provide for anticipated growth in enrollment. The Implementation Committee has identified the needs of Holy Family School as an issue to be addressed by the Cluster.
The Committee became aware of the growing number of Hispanic people in the region and the need to provide a Mass in Spanish in one of the Cluster parishes and continue to address this issue.
The Committee recognized, also, a need for Parish Social Ministry within the cluster parishes that will help parishioners help one another. Sister Patricia Kelly, M.S.B.T., continues to provide guidance in this process.
No obstacles in the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan were identified.
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 develop or expand the Cluster Plan - the goals have been addressed but new information indicates that some new cluster plan actions will be needed.