In a letter dated December 10, 1999 sent to Reverend Monsignor James T. McDonough, Regional Vicar for Chester County, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, accepted the Cluster Pastoral Plan for Cluster 53, and commended the pastors and all who served on the Cluster Pastoral Planning Committee.

The four parishes of Cluster 53 are:

Our Lady of the Assumption
St. Isaac Jogues
St. Monica
St. Norbert

Cluster 53's plan centers on these objectives:

1) Promote religious vocations. This will be accomplished by establishing a Cluster Vocation Subcommittee to educate, to increase awareness and to develop events around religious vocations. This will also be accomplished by calling for weekly prayer for religious vocations within the Cluster parishes.

2) Promote spiritual renewal. This will be accomplished by instituting an annual Cluster retreat and by sponsoring a major Cluster event annually that is focused on renewal. This will also be accomplished by developing several Cluster activities/liturgies throughout the year.

3) Develop an integrated ministry to address the needs of youth from sixth through twelfth grade. This will be accomplished by forming a Cluster Youth Ministry Subcommittee and by sponsoring specific Cluster-wide programs and activities to meet the needs of the target group.

4) Strengthen religious education through collaboration and the sharing of resources within the Cluster. This will be accomplished by establishing a committee to identify the Cluster needs for adult, early elementary and youth religious education and to identify the resources available to meet those needs. This will also be accomplished by examining the need within the Cluster for additional elementary classroom space. Both parochial schools in Cluster 53, St. Monica's and St. Norbert's, are near capacity.

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Editor's Note: Attached please find a background sheet explaining Cluster Pastoral Planning, as well as a summary of the Cluster 53 plan. Media inquiries should be directed to Rev. Msgr. James T. McDonough at 610-995-9450.

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John Miller
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215-587-3747