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CLUSTER
7 4
PASTORAL PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
UPDATE
April 2003
Communiqué No. 8
______________________
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Rev. Msgr. John C. Marine,
Vicar for Montgomery County
Chairman
Holy Martyrs, Oreland
Rev. Michael J. Ryan
Denise McKelvie
Mort O'Shea
Presentation BVM, Cheltenham
Rev. William S. Harrison
Bill Duncan
Margie Stein
St. Genevieve, Flourtown
Rev. Robert J. Carroll
Rev. Mr. Joseph Manson
Elizabeth Gavula
St. James, Elkins Park
Rev. Raymond J. Himsworth
Brian Boyle
Barbara Schmidt
St. Joseph, Cheltenham
Rev. William S. Harrison
Rose Theresa Gonzalez
Alex Knab
Seven Dolors, Wyndmoor
Rev. Robert J. Carroll
Bernard McLafferty, Esq.
David Rush
_______________________
Parishioners with questions regarding Cluster 74 Pastoral Planning are invited to
contact their parish representatives listed above. Information may also be found on the Archdiocesan website at:
www.archphila.org/cluster/c74/.
CLUSTER
74
Parishes
Pastor, Location and Phone
Holy Martyrs
Rev. Michael Ryan
Ulmer Ave & Allison Road
Oreland, Pa. 19075
215-836-2828
Presentation B.V.M.
Rev. William Harrison
100 Old Soldiers Road
Cheltenham, Pa. 19012
215-379-1364/1599
St. Genevieve
Rev. Robert Carroll
1237 Bethlehem Pike
Flourtown, Pa. 19031
215-836-2828
St. James
Rev. Raymond Himsworth
8320 Brookside Road
Elkins Park, Pa. 19027
215-635-6210
St. Joseph
Rev. William Harrison
Boncouer & Waters Road
Cheltenham, Pa. 19012
215-635-5533
Seven Dolors
Rev. Robert Carroll
1200 E. Willow Grove Ave
Wyndmoor, Pa. 19038
215-233-2552/2553
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
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Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua approved the Cluster 74 Pastoral Plan in 1998 and the work of implementing the plan
is on going. The Cluster 74 Pastoral Plan Implementation Committee was formed in January 1999 and consists of two
representatives from each of the Cluster parishes, plus each of the pastors of the Cluster parishes.
The committee is charged with the responsibility of implementing the Cluster Plan and meets regularly to track
the achievement of plan goals and to give direction and/or assistance to subcommittees carrying out the Cluster
Plan goals. Periodic updates will be presented to parishioners regarding the ongoing work of implementing the Cluster
Plan. Please keep these goals in your prayers.
The committee is always interested in your opinions and any ideas you may have regarding any aspect of the Cluster
74 Pastoral Plan. Please submit them to a Cluster 74 Parish Committee Member.
The following are focus questions prepared for the committee in order to guide us in a self-assessment process,
and a summary of the committee's answers.
1. What action(s) has (have) been taken to carry out the Cluster Pastoral Plan?
Goal 1 - Strengthen religious educational opportunities on all levels
Objective 1 - Educational needs of post confirmation youth
a) A Cluster Subcommittee on Post-Confirmation Religious Education was formed that met for 13 months studying the
needs of our cluster youth.
b) A decision was made to hire a Cluster Facilitator/Coordinator for all youth ministry in place in the
cluster parishes.
Objective 2 - Educational needs of adults
a) A Cluster Subcommittee for Adult Religious Education was formed, currently chaired by Sister Mary Agnes Ryan,
I.H.M. Sister Ryan has developed a comprehensive plan for in-servicing interested adults in the Springfield and
Cheltenham parishes using Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us.
b) Presentation B.V.M. parish hosted a very informative evening on the topic of the Sacred Liturgy.
c) Holy Martyrs parish held a Saturday mini-workshop for all lectors, cantors, choir members, musicians, and anyone
interested in these ministries, for training in better celebrating the Sacred Liturgy.
Goal 2 - Make our worship vibrant and exciting
a) A Cluster Liturgy Training Subcommittee has been formed.
b) Cluster wide opportunities for prayer and adoration have been distributed on various occasions in parish bulletins.
Goal 3 - Formulate ways to effectively utilize the five priests that are projected for the cluster
Presentation BVM and St. Joseph parishes have been twinned, (which means they share the same pastor). Also, St.
Genevieve and Seven Dolors parishes have been twinned. The two-year evaluations of the twinned parishes were accomplished
and the following recommendations were made:
a) Presentation BVM and St. Joseph parishes will continue to be two parishes with one Pastor. Ongoing evaluation
of this arrangement will take place.
b) Seven Dolors parish is scheduled to be suppressed (closed) and the church would become an alternate worship
site of St. Genevieve parish.
Goal 4 - Evangelize both active and inactive Catholics by developing a joyful and supportive community that
fosters deeper spirituality
a) The Archdiocese has made available the program Disciples in Mission Evangelization to foster
Scripture reading and faith sharing among the laity. This program has since been replaced by a new Archdiocesan
developed program called Community of Disciples, in which many of the cluster parishes are participating.
b) The Cluster Evangelization Coordinator, Doris Duncheski, is the liaison between the cluster pastors and the
Archdiocese in regards to Evangelization efforts. She will determine individual parish efforts and update us on
opportunities, activities and all available resources.
1. What action(s) still need(s) to be taken to meet the goal(s) of the Cluster Pastoral Plan?
Cluster subcommittees have been formed to study and propose solutions for meeting each of the Cluster Pastoral
Plan goals. Actions and activities are in place to accomplish the goals. However, since all of the goals are on-going,
there is no such thing as a "completed goal", but all of the goals could be considered met in so far
as that efforts are in place to satisfy every goal's stated needs.
2. To what degree has the vision of the Cluster Pastoral Plan been implemented?
Something has been implemented successfully for each of the plan's goals. The Cluster subcommittees have done
a great deal of work on studying, evaluating, recommending and implementing their respective goal responsibilities.
3. Were any new needs discovered or new actions taken during the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral
Plan? If so, identify them.
Some areas where new actions would be warranted are:
a) Exploring some of the Catholic Grade Schools issues, including enrollment.
b) Educating the parishioners on the continuing decline in the number of available priests.
c) Promoting the Archdiocesan Permanent Diaconate program.
4. What obstacles, if any, have stood in the way of the implementation of the Cluster Pastoral Plan?
a) The difficulty in finding qualified dedicated volunteers to serve on the various cluster subcommittees.
b) The lack of strong participation by the cluster parishioners in providing the subcommittees with feedback on
their individual needs and desires.
c) The geography of Cluster 74 with its widely spaced parishes has been a continuous problem in trying to organize
cluster-wide events.
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