Pastoral Planning Process Will Involve Input From All Levels
 

The pastoral planning project that will determine the future configuration of parishes depends on the participation of many groups consisting of thousands of individuals from all 11 counties of the Diocese.

Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G., project director of Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese of Scranton, emphasized that the process depends on the awareness and involvement of clergy, religious and lay faithful at every level.

“Some people may have the misconception that the outcomes are already known and there is a plan sitting on a shelf in the Chancery building. This is simply not true – nothing has been determined and no decisions have been made. If ‘the plan’ was done, there would be no point in devoting the time and effort to a process that will take more than a year to conduct,” he said.

That process will involve a Diocesan Planning Commission composed of clergy, religious and lay representatives; Parish Core Teams consisting of the pastor and four parish leaders; Cluster Core Teams comprised of the Parish Core Teams in a given geographic area; the already established Pastoral and Finance Councils for each parish; facilitators who will help parishes with the process; parish staff and the parishioners. The Presbyteral Council and other diocesan advisory groups will also participate.

These groups will evaluate key factors including demographics of the parishes and the Diocese as a whole, the number of priests available for active service, and the status of parish ministries, programs, facilities and finances.

It will be the responsibility of the Parish Core Teams to insure that the necessary work is done in each parish and that communication and consultation involve the Parish Pastoral Council and Parish Finance Council, and all members of the parish.

Training sessions were recently conducted for the members of the Parish Core Teams, the Diocesan Planning Commission, and individuals who will serve as facilitators – they will be available upon request to help parishes with various tasks such as conducting parish assemblies and other key meetings at the parish and parish cluster level.

Representatives of The Reid Group conducted the sessions. The Diocese has engaged this company to facilitate the pastoral planning process because it has extensive national experience in planning within a wide variety of organizations at the diocesan, parish and school levels.

People who attended the training sessions received a comprehensive planning guide that provides details about the process and its various stages. They also had an opportunity to ask questions and offer comments.

“The great majority of the participants came with an open mind and a willingness to give the process a chance to work,” Monsignor Grimalia said.

Information on the pastoral planning project will continue to appear in The Catholic Light, on CTV: Catholic Television, on the diocesan website at www.dioceseofscranton.org, and through inserts that will be sent to all pastors for inclusion in their church bulletins.