Pastoral Vitality

April 25, 2023 by Pastoral Vitality

A reflection by Leisa Anslinger, primary presenter at May 11 Grateful Disciples Orientation

Let’s be clear, there is no magic bullet, no one-size-fits-all program that will change your Family of Parishes overnight. There are proven practices, however. The six guiding principles of Beacons of Light point to the crucial areas that must be addressed if we are to bring about the sort of life that we seek in our parishes for the future. Among the principles is stewardship, a way of living as disciples that has the potential to transform people’s lives and the life of the parish.

First, let’s name what stewardship is and is not:

Stewardship is not just a fancy way to convince your people to give more money to their parish. While financial giving is part of stewardship, it is not the whole of what stewardship is about.
Likewise, stewardship isn’t completely captured in the phrase “time, talent, and treasure,” although those things are important in helping people become better stewards.
Stewardship is a way of life. In fact, it is deeply spiritual. Stewardship helps people see God’s grace in their many blessings and gifts, grow in gratitude for them, and give them back in grateful response.

We bring this up now because there is an upcoming opportunity for you and your people to learn more about stewardship and the potential impact for your Family of Parishes. Here are some steps you can consider:

Come to the Grateful Disciples orientation on May 11. We know pastors are busy, especially this time of year and want to assure you there will be other opportunities to experience the day in the autumn. The orientation not only explores the key themes of stewardship as a spiritual way of life; participants will also walk through the steps most often used to effectively establish stewardship in the Family. There is no cost for the orientation. Registration is necessary by end of day Friday, May 5 to ensure materials and lunch for all. Register here.

Identify a stewardship champion for your Family if you are ready to do so and ask that person to attend the Grateful Disciples orientation. Some pastors have said they do not feel they know enough about stewardship to name one person as their champion. This is totally understandable. Having a champion will help you delegate some of the leadership when you are ready. Like many leadership roles in your Family, the champion might change over time as you become more familiar with your staff and parishioner leaders. Know more about discerning your stewardship champion.

Send a few staff or parishioner leaders to the Grateful Disciples orientation, especially if you’re not yet ready to name a champion or if you already have stewardship core teams in your Family. Register here by end of day Friday, May 5.

April 18, 2023 by Pastoral Vitality

Dear friends in Christ,

As we celebrate the hope and promise of the resurrection in this Easter season, let us also consider our responsibility as leaders to bring new life to our Families of Parishes. I know this first year of implementation of Beacons of Light has at times been marked by stress and great challenge. I hear from many pastors and leaders, too, that much is being put into place and being accomplished as Families focus on the guiding principles and milestones of Phase 1 of Beacons…there is good work being done and so much that is positive beginning to happen thanks to your concerted efforts.

With this in mind, let us look forward to how much more we can accomplish in the coming months! In doing so I offer a few reminders:

Please remember that the five phases of Beacons of Light are not timed with the calendar. Phase 1 may be complete by June 30, but you may not have met all the Phase 1 milestones by that date. The only calendar date in effect is the goal of canonical unification of the parishes in your Family of Parishes by July 1, 2027. I would liken our process to that of a marathon, not a sprint and that is important to keep in mind. Especially in this first year of Beacons, it is essential for you to take your time. Get to know and talk with your people, especially the leaders in your councils, commissions, and ministries; dream together; take stock of all that is in place in your parishes and consider what you have upon which to build. Remember that Phase 1 is focused on leadership because with the best people in each role, the Family will be poised to become the mission-focused community of faith it is called to be.

Many of you are likely working on your first Annual Planning Report. This report is an opportunity for your Family Leadership Team and others who are responsible for aspects of the pastoral life in your Family to look back at the year that is passing and then forward to the one to come. We’re all familiar with the quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” The plan you and other leaders in your Family are developing for the coming year will be the framework for envisioning and creating new life together. The Annual Planning Report, signed by your pastor, is due June 30 and will be reviewed by your archdiocesan dean before being presented to Archbishop Schnurr.

These are very important times in which we live and minister together. A healthy and life-giving future in Jesus Christ lies ahead for our Families of Parishes if we remain diligent and focused in our efforts, if we remain close to the Lord and if we make great strides in listening and appreciating the hopes and dreams of our people. Keep up the truly good work that is going on and remember that whatever help you need we are close by. Please reach out, to me, to Jeremy Helmes or any member of our Center for Parish Vitality staff should you have need.

May the Lord continue to bless you with the joy and new life of the resurrection!

Fr. Jan K. Schmidt

Director, Pastoral Vitality

September 14, 2022 by Pastoral Vitality

Now that the priests have returned from the Presbyteral Convocation, it’s time for all parish leaders to make the most of this opportunity to lead forward in Beacons of Light!

Below, you’ll find some resources to unpack the experience of the convocation.

DIVINE RENOVATION

Become familiar with the key concepts of Divine Renovation. Read the book and talk about it with other parish leaders or check out this video. Set aside time at meetings to discuss what you are learning.

Continue exploring the ideas: the Maintenance to Mission Reading Guide gives you everything you need to continue exploring the key principles around parish renewal which Father James Mallon covered in his talks. The guide highlights key themes and takeaways from each chapter, gives out the link to a summary video and sketches out discussion questions to guide either personal reflection or small group discussions so you can draw others into the conversation.

Spark the conversation around mission: the “What is God saying to the Church?” video features a conversation between Bishop Robert Barron, Father James Mallon and Nicky Gumble about the centrality of the call to mission today while the “Serving Mission” videos explore the July 2020 letter from the Congregation for Clergy on the call for every parish to be a missionary outpost. You can use them to spark conversations with your wider parish on the call to mission and what that might look like in your context

Help to get going: Kickstart is Divine Renovation’s 6 session group coaching program to help you explore the three keys to parish renewal and how to get started in applying them in your context.

Alpha in a Catholic Context: Fr. Mallon discussed Alpha as “front porch” evangelization tool that is part of a comprehensive discipleship process for your parish. Learn more about Alpha in a Catholic Context.

If you are interested in discerning Alpha and your discipleship process please contact the Center for the New Evangelization.

CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Check out the great presentations given by Dan Cellucci, Executive Director of CLI.

CLI Presbyteral Convocation 2022 Sept

File size: 4.54 MB

Created: 10-03-2022

Updated: 10-03-2022

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Disciple Maker Index

Learn more about the Disciple Maker Index, an exciting opportunity for parish leaders to learn more about their parishioners, coming to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in early 2023!

Take steps to intentionally grow as a leader. Use the resources on the Center for Parish Vitality Leadership page as a start.

Liaisons: leverage your Beacons Liaison as a leadership coach to assist you in forming your Pathway and Family Leadership teams and/or as a sounding board. Pastors: if you don’t already have a liaison serving your Family, it’s not too late; contact Deacon Mike Lippman, Director of Pastoral Planning.

If your parish leaders have not yet completed the Parish Inventories, now is a great time to do so. This exercise will help you identify areas of strength for each parish in your Family and will be used to consider plans for growth for the future.

Schedule time ASAP to talk with the priests of your parish about what they heard and experienced at the convocation. What were their key takeaways? How do their highlights amplify or enhance what you have previously discussed or considered? What ideas or opportunities for growth come to mind for your Family of Parishes so that you may more fully move from maintenance to mission?

News! If you’re not already, subscribe to Vitality, the news email of the Center for Parish Vitality to stay up to date on the latest info for parish leaders and Beacons of Light!

FIND MORE ON THE PATHWAY!

July 12, 2022 by Pastoral Vitality

LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE PASTORAL PLANNING PATHWAY AT ONE TIME MAY CAUSE ANXIETY!

IF YOU CAN DO THESE FIVE THINGS BY SEPT 1, 2022, YOU'LL BE IN GOOD SHAPE!

Log in to the Pastoral Planning Pathway and designate one staff member to help other staff gain access. Begin to explore.

Determine which staff members should have access and provide that list online or have your staff designee submit. (You’ll need accurate email addresses for each.)

Meet your Beacons liaison and talk together about how to best get started down the Pathway. Look at the six milestones for Phase 1 and think about how these might best be achieved in the next 6-12 months.

Form a Pathway Team to get pastoral planning started and help steer Phase 1, until a Family Leadership Team and Family Pastoral Council are firmly in place.

Pray regularly with your staff, your pastoral council(s), fellow clergy, and parishioners for the success of Beacons of Light in your Family of Parishes.

SAMPLE TIMELINE FOR PHASE 1

While each Family will progress down the Pastoral Planning Pathway at their own pace, this is a recommended timeline for the completion of the Milestones in Phase 1. Each pastor and his liaison should work with their Pathway Team and other Family leaders to craft a timeline appropriate for that Family, using this as a template.

June 2, 2022 by Pastoral Vitality

As Families of Parishes begin the journey of pastoral planning in our Beacons of Light process, the Department of Pastoral Vitality announces the launch of the Center for Parish Vitality. The Center will support and serve pastors and parish leaders in pastoral planning, strategic planning, worship & sacraments, parish leadership formation, all to foster health and growth, building vital and vibrant faith communities.

As Leisa Anslinger retires in the summer of 2022, having served as the first director of parish vitality, Jeremy Helmes will assume the direction of the new Center for Parish Vitality. In the coming months, additional staff will be hired for the Center to provide quality support to parish leaders during Phase 1 of the planning process.

Mission

The Center for Parish Vitality fosters parish health and growth by coordinating the efforts of the Pastoral Center to build vital parishes.

Who We Serve

The Center for Parish Vitality serves parish leaders: pastors, parochial vicars, deacons, lay staff, and parishioner leaders

What We Do

Parish Vitality, including pastoral planning
Strategic Planning
Worship & Sacraments
Leadership Formation

Please pray for the success of the new Center for Parish Vitality, but especially for a vibrant and healthy future for our 57 Families of Parishes!

Interested in working in the Center for Parish Vitality?

Applications are being accepted for new staff until June 24.

Director, Office for Pastoral Planning

Director, Office for Divine Worship & Sacraments

May 17, 2022 by Pastoral Vitality

If you recently participated in a Missio Day or the Beacons Roundtable on May 17, you got a chance to see a new resource developed for you: the Process for Evangelization and Discipleship (PED) diagram.

This diagram illustrates two processes: the process of evangelization and catechesis, and the process of growing as a disciple.

We’ll be sharing more as Phase 1 of the Pathway gets underway this summer, but we hope you’ll check out these initial ideas.

Let us know what you think!