ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

CLUSTER 75 PASTORAL PLAN ONE PAGE SUMMARY

Montgomery County Vicariate

Rev. John C. Marine, Vicar

Ambler-Hatfield-Horsham-Lansdale-Maple Glen-North Wales-Upper Gwynedd

Approved by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, November 7, 1997

The Cluster Pastoral Plan includes the following goals:

1)Provide Adult Education Programs and Lay Ministries Training.

The proposed actions for this goal include the establishment of a Cluster

Education and Training Team. The duties of this team will include a determination of the educational and training needs which exist in the parishes of the cluster, and the development of recommendations for future programs. In addition, the Cluster Education and Training Team will coordinate programs which already exist within our parishes, and will work with the Archdiocese to sponsor educational and training programs within our geographic boundaries.

2)Promote Personal and Parish Growth in Spirituality.

A primary purpose of Cluster Pastoral Planning is to foster spiritual renewal among our parishioners. One objective for this goal is the design and establishment of retreat programs, which will be offered to parishioners currently active in some form of parish ministry, such as Eucharistic Ministers, Music Ministers or Lectors. In addition, the parishes within our cluster will work together to make Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament available on a daily basis at a site within the cluster, and to foster more frequent attendance at this devotion.

3)Encourage the Youth to Participate Actively in Their Faith and Their Parish, in Order to Find a More Personal Relationship With Jesus Christ.

In an effort to better meet the needs of youth within our area, those who coordinate Youth Ministry in each parish will meet to coordinate programs, dates, ideas and planning. Efforts will be made to invite high school parishioners into various parish ministries. Local training of Youth Ministry leaders will be sought from the Archdiocese. The expertise of other local ministries will be sought to learn how they attract and retain the active participation of their youth.

4)Raise the Consciousness of the Needs, Resources and Responsibilities of Our

People, in Light of the Church's Teachings on Peace, Social Justice and Ecumenism, So That Catholics Will Become More Actively Involved in the Larger Community.

Efforts in this area will center around educating our parishioners about the social teachings of the Church, and how our parishes are already involved in social outreach programs. A Cluster Outreach Committee will be formed to identify social needs, resources and opportunities within the geographic boundaries of the Cluster parishes. A workshop on Ecumenism will be offered, and all parishes will make efforts to participate actively in ecumenical activities in their area.

5)Assure an Appropriate Distribution of Clergy Among the Parishes and Institutions in the Cluster.

The first recommended action in this area is that the projected number of clergy available to these nine parishes should be re-examined by the Archdiocese, in light of the population growth in our area over the past two years. The Cluster Pastoral Planning Committee estimates that three additional clergy will be needed by the year 2000. Should no additional clergy be available to our cluster parishes, a plan is proposed to divide the pastoral care duties at North Penn Hospital among several parishes; and to reassign one of the current priests from St. Stanislaus Parish to Corpus Christi Parish. A re-examination of the role of resident priests is also recommended, as well as actions to explore ways of encouraging and supporting vocations to the priesthood. Finally, efforts will be made to explore ways to expand the role of qualified laypersons within our parishes, and to encourage the laity to participate in training programs.

6)Create an Evangelizing Atmosphere in All of the Parishes in the Cluster.

In an effort to welcome and encourage the return of non-active Catholics to full participation in the Catholic Church, each parish will commit to the establishment and training of a Parish Evangelization Team. Once this has been established at each parish, the nine parishes will combine their resources to develop and implement a marketing and advertising plan designed to reach the non-practicing Catholics.

The nine Catholic parishes of Cluster 75 in Eastern Montgomery County have collaborated on the development of a Cluster Pastoral Plan for the next five years. This plan includes objectives and actions designed to achieve six goals. These objectives and actions reflect avenues through which the parishes will work together to organize, enhance, and coordinate some of their ministerial activities. The planning process has taken place during monthly meetings conducted over the past year. Each parish has been represented on the Cluster 75 Pastoral Planning Committee by its pastor, and by two lay persons who have been members of its Parish Pastoral Council. Feedback from parishioners and Parish Pastoral Councils was obtained at several points during the Cluster Pastoral Planning process. Upon approval by the Cardinal, the Cluster 75 Pastoral Plan will be put into operation, under the direction of a Cluster Implementation Committee. TheImplementation Committee will consist of the pastor and one other representative of each of the nine parishes. The Implementation Committee will ensure that the recommended actions are put into operation, and it will also have the power to establish timelines and to amend the plan if necessary.