There were approximately 1100
surveys returned as of this past weekend. In addition there were
a number of surveys completed on line. That is a good representa¬tion
of the worshipping community. Bear in mind, of course, that a
large majority of our 5,000 families are not in attendance on
a given Sunday and it would be difficult to elicit responses from
them by other means such as the internet or a mailing. Few people
respond to such solicitations. The data we have collected, however,
will provide valuable information about the level of engage¬ment
of active parishioners and reveal to us our strengths and areas
for improvement. In turn it will assist in engaging non-active
members.
Below are listed the next steps to be taken in this endeavor:
»A two-day seminar will be
conducted in December by the Gallup Organization where the pastor
and a small committee will receive the results of the survey and
begin to develop an action plan that will enable the parish to
engage more people in the life of the parish.
»The results of the survey will be presented to the parishioners
after Masses on a weekend in late January.
»A 12 member "Visioning Team" will be appointed
to examine the priorities that surfaced from the Listening Sessions
and the Gallup Survey, consider different approaches to address
these priorities, and then recommend specific strategies in the
spring.
» During Lent the entire parish will be asked to reflect
upon and pray about the direction the parish should take in the
next 5 years. This process will include a Lenten Mission as well
as small group gatherings
.
» After Easter we will formulate a 4-year pastoral plan
based on the recommendations of the Visioning Team.
The life of the parish goes on,
of course, during these planning months, but we do hope to gain
a more accurate assessment of where we stand now as a parish in
terms of engaging our members and where we need to go.
CLOSING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
Next Sunday, November 23, at the
12 Noon Mass we will mark the official end of our 60th Anniversary
Year. I encourage all our parish¬ioners to attend this liturgy
which coincides with the Feast of Christ the King. Following the
Concelebrated Mass we will have refreshments in the parish center.
