Cluster 71 Executive Summary
Cluster 71 is composed of five ethnic and five territorial parishes from southeast Montgomery County: Mother of Divine Providence in King of Prussia, Sacred Heart in Swedesburg, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Mother of Sorrows and St. Augustine in Bridgeport, St. Gertrude in West Conshohocken, St. Mary, St. Matthew and SS. Cosmas and Damian in Conshohocken and St. Philip Neri in Lafayette Hill.
The plan was developed with evaluation of demographic and parish self-study data. Cluster strengths and limitations were examined. The Vicar of Montgomery County identified two critical issues needing to be addressed in the plan. Briefly, they are:
· The plan must make concrete recommendations for a reduction in priests in the cluster, from 12 priests to 8 priests.
· The plan must make some provision for youth ministry.
The cluster planning committee's preferred decision-making method was consensus. When consensus could not be reached, the committee adopted the voting method of decision-making, under the guidelines established by the group. In particular, Goal 1, concerning the reduction of priests, was decided largely by majority vote.
The goals and objectives for the plan are:
Goal 1: Plan for a smooth transition to a cluster with fewer priests.
Objective A: The eight priests assigned to Cluster 71 will be
allocated as follows, effective June 2001:
1. Mother of Divine Providence Parish will be served by one priest (a reduction of one priest).
2. St. Philip Neri will be served by one priest (a reduction of one priest).
3. St. Mary Parish will be twinned with St. Gertrude Parish. (By twinning it is meant that two parishes share one
pastor. Each parish remains separate and distinct.)
4. Our Mother of Sorrows Parish will be suppressed and its parish church will be an alternate worship site of St.
Augustine Parish. (By suppression, it is meant that the parish is closed and joined to another existing parish.
Its goods and debts are also transferred to the parish to which it is joined. In this instance, the church building
remains open for Masses and funerals.) The arrangement will be served by one priest.
5. Sacred Heart Parish will be served by one priest.
6. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish will be served by one priest.
7. St. Matthew Parish will be served by one priest.
8. SS Cosmas & Damian Parish will be served by one priest.
The special considerations for this objective are:
· The parishes in the cluster will provide assistance to the pastors of Mother of Divine Providence and St. Philip Neri Parishes.
· The pastor of the twinned St. Mary and St. Gertrude Parishes must be fluent in Polish.
· The assistance to
the pastors at Mother of Divine Providence and St. Philip Neri Parishes and the twinning of St. Gertrude and St.
Mary Parishes will be evaluated in two years.
· The parishioners of Our Mother of Sorrows will have some choice as to which parish they are able to join.
· Future plans for the Our Mother of Sorrows property should consider the needs and interests of the cluster as well as those of St. Augustine Parish, insofar as possible.
Objective B: Recognizing that the shortage of priests will not abate and
may even grow more severe, the Cluster Planning Committee recommends an on-going study of the demographics and
an on-going education of parishioners to the possibility that there will be even fewer priests five years from
now.
Goal 2: Promote development of lay leadership and stewardship.
Objective A: A committee will have two tasks:
1. To survey parishes for leadership, ministry, and stewardship development needs, then plan cluster-wide programs
to satisfy common needs.
2. To develop a Young Catholic Leaders Association for parishioners in their 20's and 30's, to foster a sense of
caring and stewardship.
Objective B: The Cluster will offer a yearly Information Night about the Permanent Diaconate.
Goal 3: Enrich the faith experience of youth.
Objective A: For this objective, the cluster will be divided
into two geographic areas: King of Prussia/Bridgeport/Swedesburg and Lafayette Hill/Conshohocken/West Conshohocken.
For each of three youth groups (Post-Confirmation, High School, Young Adults), a committee will plan a calendar
of cluster-wide events for their group and determine possible needs for youth ministers.
Goal 4: Recognize uniqueness of geography, history, and ethnicity.
Objective A: For this objective, the cluster will be divided
into two geographic areas: King of Prussia/Bridgeport/Swedesburg and Lafayette Hill/Conshohocken/West Conshohocken.
Pastors will meet quarterly to discuss liturgical, social, and ethnic cooperation and participation.
Goal 5: Develop and maintain a Web site for cluster and parish communications.
Objective A: Within three months after the acceptance of the
Cluster Plan, four representatives will plan and design the content of the Web site, then coordinate the effort
to develop and maintain the site.
Once approved by Cardinal Bevilacqua, the Cluster 71 Pastoral Plan will be carried out under the direction of an implementation committee. This committee will be made up of the pastor and one representative from each parish in the cluster and will ensure that the proposed objectives are put into operation. The implementation committee will hold it first meeting after the acceptance of the plan, but not before June 2000.