Informal Evaluation by the Cluster Implementation Committee
Cluster 63
| St. Alice Parish St. Cyril Parish St. Louis Parish |
Blessed Virgin Mary Parish St. Laurence Parish St. Philomena 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:
Much attention and effort was expended on goal #3 with long-range planning for the Catholic elementary schools in the cluster. Action was also taken on presentation of information on annulments, on penance services, the consideration of web sites, and on the flow of information among the parishes.
Much of the plan, as written, was not really considered. Some of the members resisted the objectives under the goals, e.g. youth ministry.
Actions that still need to be taken
include:
Youth ministry, especially on the local level still needs to get off the ground. Some of the parishes are too small to provide the desired youth ministry and thus the interest at the cluster level.
Some of the parishes in the cluster would like to see efforts at sharing of pre-Cana and pre-Jordan programs.
There is an interest on investigating appropriate CCD efforts among at least some of the parishes in the cluster.
New needs discovered were the need for the Parish Nurse Program and an on-going study of the configuration of the Catholic elementary schools and special education program (St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments).
Another new need is to respond to the ministry for Hispanic persons and providing social services to migrants.
Obstacles, that have stood in the way of the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan are:
It is difficult to promote an awareness of the cluster beyond the Parish Pastoral Council members.
Cultural and demographic changes in the cluster challenge staff development especially regarding children.
One of the difficulties in implementation is the graying of the population and the energy level needed to carry out plans.
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 current plan has been overtaken by events. New information indicates that a new cluster plan actions are needed.