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| -Preparation for a
Review -Agenda -Current Church Documents |
The continuing process of pastoral planning in the
parishes
needs to
include
assessment of parish pastoral plans and actions taken to
implement
them.
These activities should be carried out at the parish level which
will prompt
ongoing renewal of parish communities, while recognizing,
educating
and
forming parish leaders. These efforts, as all efforts
within
the parish or
archdiocese, must be begun with intense prayer and be
fostered
by prayer
throughout. It is recommended that pastors and parish
pastoral
councils
participate in days of recollection and retreats as well.
It is recognized that the ongoing process of parish
pastoral
planning
and its
assessment be:
- consistent with and respectful of what the parishes have already accomplished;
- oriented toward action and recognize that accomplishing the parish mission is a work in progress;
- a simple and easy continuation of steps already introduced; and
- continually supported by appropriate training.
pastoral planning, the assessment should have two phases:
- An annual assessment of the specific objectives of the parish plan as contained in the attached document which was reviewed by the Regional Vicars and approved by Cardinal Bevilacqua; and,
- A periodic review (e.g., about every five years) of the overall goals of the parish pastoral plan (the details of such a periodic review currently are being formulated by the Subcommittee for Evaluation and Future Planning).
annual assessment tasks of the parish pastoral plan. The parish pastoral
council, chaired by the Pastor, is the pastoral planning body of the parish
and has a primary responsibility in assessing the actions by which the parish
pastoral plan is unfolding. It will be necessary to communicate the
assessment process and its results to the parishioners as well as to enlist
their observations during the process.
Each of the parishes in the Archdiocese may be at
different
levels of
preparedness and enthusiasm to effectively carry out continuing
pastoral
planning and assessment. All involved will need to
have a
deeper
understanding of the call to ongoing renewal. The Regional
Vicars
will be
resources to parishes as they undertake these tasks.
Additional
resources,
training and support are available from appropriate
Archdiocesan
offices
(e.g., Office for the Formation of Laity; Office for Research
and
Planning).
This present tool is limited to an annual assessment of
the
parish's
plan and
implementation of the plan. However, this does not
remove
the cluster
aspect of the process. The purpose of the cluster
association
is to assist the
individual parishes in achieving their pastoral goals
and objectives. When
reviewing the parish pastoral plan, each
parish
needs to recognize that the
cluster of parishes in which it is located
is a part of its environment.
Parishes need to take into
consideration
the recommendations of the cluster
plan to enhance strengths and
minimize
limitations in order to address the
challenges of the individual
parishes.
This document was prepared by the Ad Hoc Subcommittee
for
Evaluation
and Future Planning of the Steering Committee for Pastoral
Planning.
As
noted earlier, it was reviewed by the Regional Vicars and
approved
by
Cardinal Bevilacqua.
Rationale, Principles and Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils, p. 5).
Meaningful, realistic and measurable objectives to accomplish the plan
goals need to be clearly identified, and the specific actions required to
accomplish these objectives need to be undertaken each year. Without this
attention, the hard work of staff and parishioners involved in implementation
efforts may result in frustration and disappointment because the envisioned
results were either not realized or not recognized when they were realized.
Ongoing pastoral planning requires prayerful reflection, willingness to
participate in open discussion, and an openness to the Spirit on the part of
many willing and dedicated people. One part of this ongoing activity is for
the Parish Pastoral Council to assess on an annual basis the specific
objectives to accomplish the parish plan by considering what was called for
during the year in review, what was accomplished, and what needs to be
changed. The purpose of this document is to propose one way for Parish
Pastoral Councils to conduct this assessment. Consistent with the functions of the Parish Pastoral Council contained in
Rationale Principles and Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils, it is
recommended that the Parish Pastoral Council schedule one of its meetings
annually to review the Parish Pastoral Plan. This review could take place at
the first meeting after the summer break or whenever the council felt that
this meeting would be most productive. This meeting also presents an
opportunity for new members of the council to become familiar with the
parish mission statement and the pastoral plan.