END OF THE YEAR SUMMARY Pastoral Priority #3: Christian Discipleship

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1 END OF THE YEAR SUMMARY Pastoral Priority #3: Christian Discipleship Sacred Heart Church Boise 1. What are/were our action(s) Focused on the areas of Evangelization and Discipleship at our annual Ministry Leaders Retreat. Patrick McCormick videos from Convocation shown and ministry leaders asked to comment on what the parish was doing well in these areas and where we could improve our ministry efforts. Improve personal invitations to parish events: social, faith formation, retreats, etc. We will invite parishioners to come to the monthly Bench Supper as guests, to sit and have dinner with the other guests. In area of Faith Formation, want to return to a Treasure Valley wide Adult Education Lecture Series or Faith Formation offering. Will explore opportunities to collaborate with other parishes. In area of Social Justice, want to explore expanding the Dialogue on Immigration format into other areas. Work with Catholic Charities to schedule an event in the spring. Collaborate with other parishes in training facilitators and presenting a Dialogue event. Possible topics: The Government & the Common Good, Budget & Taxes, Health Care, etc. Evangelization Held Parish Ministry Leaders Retreat in which leaders were encouraged to commit their respective ministries to the three areas of discipleship. Continue to reach out to homebound and those in nursing homes. Ministers conduct Communion services weekly at the Life Care Center; school children write letters to the homebound; pastor takes students with him to visit the care centers twice a month. Those sick whose names are listed in the Prayers of the Faithful are contacted and referred as needed to various ministries for help/support. Each month all listed in the Prayers of the Faithful are contacted and information shared with the parish team for follow up. The names of those we ve been asked to pray for each week are listed in the bulletin. A new ministry has been created for outreach to the homebound. A plan for formation of ministers, guidelines for visitations, and information on resources are being developed for this newly organized ministry. Continue to work with Catholic Charities, Office on Cultural Ministries, and community groups to provide outreach and services to immigrants. Our facilities are available for community meetings on these efforts. Immigrant families are becoming more involved in community. 1

2 Transportation to/from Mass for a large number of Burmese refugees available. Mass in KisSwahili offered monthly. The KCs have inducted a number of African immigrants into the organization. Newcomers are welcomed at each Mass with a gift. New parishioners contacted and receive a welcome basket and a note from the Pastor. Families with small children are welcomed with Pew Cards that encourage parent to relax when they bring small children to Mass and that invite all parishioners to offer assistance and support when needed. In welcoming new families at Mass, parish gives children slap bracelets as their parents receive coffee mugs. Picture and story books are available in a basket at the back of the church for children to use during Mass. Parish Evangelization Retreat team continues to help other parishes in conducting Evangelization Retreats. Parish reaches out to other parishes in bringing the Called & Gifted Workshop and the discernment process. We include the school in the prayers of the faithful, homilies and articles for bulletins and newsletters. School parents addresses included in the Parish distribution list so that they receive regular information about parish events and parishioners receive information about school events. Ongoing work with school to increase enrollment and foster discipleship. Faith Formation Collaboration with other parishes made classes/workshops available to our parishioners that were not offered in our own parish. The vocabulary we use within the parish continues to help us grow in understanding and awareness of discipleship, mentoring, apostleship, calling, mission, discernment, apprenticeship, baptismal call, vocation, etc. Ongoing adult faith formation opportunities include Bible Studies, Church History classes, retreats (Evangelization, Living with Christ, Parish Social Ministry, etc.) small faith communities, book study groups, video presentations (Catholicism), workshops (Surprising Sacrament of Marriage, Called & Gifted, etc.), and discernment groups. Youth ministry and children s religious education have focused on discipleship throughout the year. Education around the new Roman Missal accomplished through bulletins, homilies, workshops, pew cards, youth ministry and children s religious education classes. Social Justice Working with other parishes to plan a Dialogue on Budget, Taxes & the Common Good. We co sponsored an educational event at Holy Apostles called Health Care Reform: What it is and what it Isn t to help educate parishioners on national health care legislation and to help them in their decision making on health care. We are working with Catholic Charities to prepare for a regional conference on parish social ministry.. Ecumenical and interfaith dialogue/service continues through monthly Bench Pastors Lunch and through the service/efforts of St. Vincent de Paul s advocacy group Voices for the Poor. 2

3 The Social Justice Committee & Catholic Charities conducted a Parish Social Ministry Retreat. Participants discussed the blessings and challenges of outreach ministries, reviewed Catholic Social Teaching, developed a draft vision statement for the ministry and appointed a Core Team to further organize, coordinate and network outreach social ministries. We hope that through this ministry we will be able to create an organizational structure that will better network, coordinate, communicate, and serve the needs of our parish and our community. In the area of Evangelization, the response from those visited and ministered is positive. Those who have been contacted by phone feel more connected and cared for. We recognize that there is always more we can do in hospitality and evangelization and that we can t be content to rest on past successes. We do recognize that hospitality is contagious! Pew cards received very well by the parish with much positive feedback. Slap bracelets were a big success. We need to increase our school enrollment and continue to support the school. Efforts at connecting school and larger parish have helped us to grow and foster community. In the areas of Faith Formation, a common faith formation calendar used by all deanery parishes would be very helpful in collaborating, but might not be possible at this time given that some parishes are hesitant to open up their FF events to outside participants and some do not have the technical resources to use an internet calendar. The faith formation process continues to point out the need for more adult opportunities that fall between beginning classes, lectures or studies and advanced studies. People are hungry for studies that are directed, challenging, and relevant to their spiritual lives, but still responsive to individual needs. Parents are actively living discipleship in their commitment to religious education of their children. The transition to the new Missal was well received because of good preparation and communication given by the Pastor and parish team. It certainly demonstrated that good preparation is important. It is very important that speakers for such events be very well prepared, that there be good facilitation and adherence to event guidelines for questions and answers, and that we try as hard as we can to articulate clearly the purpose of the event. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Anthony s Mission Gooding, Wendell 1. What are/were our action(s)? Our vision is to offer anyone who is interested some way to enhance their faith journey. RCIC/RCIA was made available to all who wished to inquire into our faith and seek the Sacraments of Initiation. Religious Education for our children/youth continues as well as sacramental preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Each family was encouraged to participate more fully in Advent and Lent with the aid of the little blue & black books. Many families found these to be helpful. 3

4 In addition to the colored books, we offered the DVD s of Convocation (2011) for information as well as the better understanding of Christian Discipleship. With the new Roman Missal we purchased pew cards/had classes for our parishes on how to and when to use them. Continue to encourage and invite especially the youth/young adults and older parish members to expand their knowledge of their faith by being more involved. We found that there are many sources of information that takes just a few minutes to use that will be a great benefit to our faith journey (colored books). One of the things we learned is to not get hung up on the numbers. Our RCIA/Confirmation class in Wendell was great with 9 youth and 2 adults. We all learned and they will receive their Sacraments. In order to encourage more participation, we changed some of our class times/days and have encouraged social gatherings after Mass as well as other times. Language is still a big problem, and trying to find a time where we as a full community can come together is very difficult. In Wendell with the Portuguese Community, English is spoken more, and in the RCIA and Sacrament classes, there was little or no problem. Immaculate Conception Chapel Fairfield 1. What did we accomplish? Some weeks had a mid week Communion Service or Vespers followed by, in the fall, preparation for the Mass changes and in the spring, reading and discussion of Our One Great Act of Fidelity (on going), by Ronald Rolheiser. Due to difficulty heating the chapel we often either cancelled or had the meeting in a home with Vespers. These were advertised by e mail, word of mouth and at onset in the weekly paper. Before Christmas, we advertised Christmas Mass in Spanish as well as English. The Hispanic people I spoke to primarily go to Mass in one of the parishes. We are working on the training of more Lectors and eventually another Eucharistic Minister. We continue to have a potluck after our monthly Mass. This is inclusive, and all are welcome. 2. What did we learn? Our group, although small, is committed. We all try to practice and live our faith. 4

5 St. John s Cathedral Boise 1. What are/were our action(s) Saints Among Us Series: Developed a series aimed at highlighting and publicizing parishioners who are examples of living and preaching the Gospel well. Four times we published a bulletin insert highlighting those who are working hard to spread the Gospel, change the world or accomplish our social mission, to provide examples to others on how to live as disciples. RCIA Process: Revamping/revitalizing RCIA process to assure that it is an effective witness to our Catholic faith and provides example of how to live and preach the Gospel. Sought to improve (1) involvement of the parish in the RCIA process, (2) better formation for sponsors, (3) a longer mystagogia process, (4) witness talks by parishioners on how they live and preach the Gospel, (5) a mentoring process, and (6) improved small faith community development within the RCIA community. Evangelization and other Retreats: Want to develop ways to assure success of our Evangelization Retreat programs and actively explore other types of retreat opportunities. Catholicism Project: Planned sessions to invite Catholics and non Catholics to participate in a discussion about various aspects of the Catholic faith. Promote Called and Gifted Process in Parish Radio and other media: Enhance our efforts to spread the Gospel message by expanding our current radio broadcast in English to the Spanish speaking community. Missionary program: Expand our missionary efforts in the Spanish speaking community by wider advertising of parish programs/services in places frequented by Spanish speaking Catholics. Inspirational Movie Series: Begin showing faith related movies after the Spanish Mass. Inspirational Discipleship Speaker: Invite a nationally recognized inspirational speaker for our Spanish speaking community, Conduct Ministry Assessment to Determine Barriers to Involvement in Ministry, and Encourage Development of Disciples within each ministry. Small Faith Communities: Work to strengthen small faith communities. Scripture Study: Continue to strongly support scripture study among the faithful. Also want to provide adult formation on Church History. 5

6 Nurture a deeper love and understanding of the Mass and Eucharist: Promote discipleship among parishioners by nurturing a love and understanding for the Mass by sponsoring a Year of the Mass. Evangelization Programming: Develop ways to assure that our retreat programs offer opportunities for lifelong faith formation for parishioners. Catechist Formation: Develop ways to strengthen the formation of our children, youth and adult catechists. Organize a parish Chapter of the Secular Franciscans Live and Preach the Gospel: We highlighted the different types of work being done in the parish and will continue to highlight the gifts that many bring to our parish. Honored and thanked those who were featured for the work that they are doing to spread the Gospel. RCIA Process: All of these things have been incorporated into our revamped RCIA process and are ongoing. Planning to improve our RCIA process even more for the next season. Evangelization and other Retreats: We hosted a successful Spanish Evangelization Retreat, a successful women s retreat, and a successful Lenten retreat. All well received by those who attended. Making plans to refine retreats and offer more retreat options. We will continue to build our teams and explore ways to develop retreat opportunities that are more frequent and less team/time intensive. May partner with other parishes. Catholicism Project: We hosted three different sessions of Fr. Robert Barron s Catholicism. About 75 people have now experienced it. Continue to run additional sessions as long as there is continued interest, and will be running the series in Spanish next year as well. Promote Called and Gifted Process in Parish: While we did not host a Called & Gifted workshop at our parish, we promoted the workshop taking place at another parish and some of our parishioners attended. We also used the process in our RCIA mystagogia period. Radio and other media: Fr. Henry has done a program on Sal y Luz in Spanish, and continues his Gospel program on Salt & Light. Expanded our use of social media like Facebook and LinkedIn. Missionary program: This program is still in the planning stages. We have just completed an intensive year long formation process with a group of people who could serve as witnesses, but need more work to determine a plan for how to reach inactive Catholics. Inspirational Movie Series: This program has not yet been organized. Inspirational Discipleship Speaker: Held a retreat in February with an invited, out of state preacher/evangelist to provide inspiration. It was well attended. 6

7 Conduct Ministry Assessment and Encourage Development within each ministry: Identified all those who have expressed interest in ministry from past stewardship forms. Stewardship Council is completing a survey of each person to determine the barriers to involvement. Have begun a formation process with ministry leaders focusing upon hospitality within ministry. Are also focusing upon improving the health of struggling ministries. Small Faith Communities: This project is underway and ongoing, we (1) conducted a survey of existing and past members of small faith communities and are formulating goals based upon the survey results. (2) Fr. Henry visited each existing small faith community to express support for their efforts to engage in ongoing faith formation; (3) are using the survey and the information gathered from the existing small faith communities to formulate plans for forming new small faith communities. Scripture Study: Offered three sessions of A Biblical Walk Through The Mass, attended by over 70 people; hosted a study of Matthew; and have an ongoing online bible study with 15 people registered. We are currently planning four scripture studies to begin in the fall. Adult Formation on church History: Offered three sessions of EPIC, the Ascension Press study series on Church history, with a total of over 100 people participating. Nurture a deeper love and understanding of the Mass and Eucharist: Our annual Mass in the Grass kicked off the Year of the Mass. Held four educational sessions on the new language of the Mass; held four Saturday morning adult formation sessions studying the Mass, had regular bulletin articles explaining different parts of the mass, had three sessions of A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, and began a plan for Progressive Solemnity to put special touches on the celebration of feasts and solemnities that set them apart. All of our children and youth programs have also placed a special emphasis on learning around the Mass. Evangelization Programming: Developed materials, an outline, speaker team and resources for a shorter retreat, and offered that in February It was well received and will likely be offered again. It is based on the model for the Living Christ retreat, and calls people to a deeper relationship with Christ, and reflection on living Christ daily. All small faith community members were invited, and many came and enjoyed the experience. We also hosted our first in parish women s HeartSpa retreat and it was successful. Parent Formation: Offered A Biblical Walk Through the Mass during our youth and child formation times, and some parents took advantage. Pastor is writing a weekly school newsletter article to parents, seeking to encourage them in their formation as Catholics and Catholic parents. Catechist Formation: Work on role descriptions and personal development materials regarding methods and resources. Designed a workshop on adult catechetical methods, have offered it once and it was well received, and will offer it again soon. 7

8 Organize a parish Chapter of the Secular Franciscans: 15 people are in their first year of formation. We have many wonderful examples of saints in our parish. Good to highlight and share with other parishioners that many ways people are living and witnessing their faith. The RCIA process is a beautiful expression of spreading the Gospel. By putting effort into improving that process we not only create a better opportunity for conversion for those participants, but also improve the faith/witness of sponsors, mentors, small group leaders and team members. Retreats are a powerful way of helping people experience the transformative power of Christ. Retreats touch people in a different way. Offering different types of retreats, including some longer and shorter, makes this conversion opportunity more accessible. The more we can do to offer options, the more people we can reach. There is a hunger for knowledge of the faith, and a good quality program has the ability to excite people and encourage them to learn more. The more people know about their charisms, and how to use them, the more engaged they become in their faith. There are many ways to spread the Gospel. Radio and internet communications are effective tools. Organizing a ministry effort to fallen away Catholics is difficult to do, regardless of the language. We need more preparation time to form the witnesses and develop the outreach plan. There are many ways to encourage growth in faith, but we also need more work to reach out and invite lapsed Catholics to experience the inspirational witness provided. Our Stewardship process has many moving parts. Engagement in ministry deepens the faith of those involved, but our ministries must be ready to welcome those who express an interest, and the ministry must be healthy in order to feed the faith of those involved. Small faith communities help parishioners strengthen community and engage in lifelong faith formation, but communities need support from the parish, and the challenges of everyday life make sustaining the commitment to SFC difficult, so new strategies may be necessary. Scripture study and adult formation are important ways to help people grow in their faith and understanding. People are hungry for this knowledge, and they get excited about their faith when they are offered these opportunities. 8

9 The source and summit of our faith is the Eucharist, and a focus upon the Mass allowed us to really celebrate that and help people engage more deeply in the Mass. There are many models of retreat experiences that feed the souls. There may be other ways that we can design our evangelization program to help nurture the faith of our parishioners. We need to do more to encourage parents to work on their own formation as Catholic parents. Those who teach the faith also need a strong foundation in order to nurture the faith in others. There are many people in our parish who have a heart for service, and by offering formation we can nurture that love of neighbor. Our Lady of the Lake McCall 1. What are/were our action(s) Religious Education Church Environment Committee Knights of Columbus Roundtable Increase number of Ministers for Masses and get organized Outreach/Food bank Lenten Devotions From no RE for 10 years to children weekly. Improved liturgical environment which enhanced the liturgy for all. Liturgical colors now present and change with the liturgical seasons Formed KC organization for men. Beginning to get organized and developing more ministers. Better participation in and collaboration with local programs/groups. Better participation in Lenten devotions. Enhanced Lenten experience. Our families want to practice their faith and raise a Catholic family Beauty is important especially in our liturgy. The men in our parish are looking forward to having a men s organization. Need to inspire more people to become involved. People open for more experiences. Our people are concerned for the welfare of others in our community. Short Stations of the Cross attached to Mass time to expose more people to devotion. 9

10 St Jerome s Riggins 1. What are/were our action(s) Regular Mass Establish a Church committee Improve financial donations Mass every Saturday morning as scheduled had not been happening. Share the workload be responsible for self as a community. Generous donation to local food bank development and a generous donation to St. Katharine Drexel Church in Cascade. People respond to services. Attendance has gone from 8 10 at a Communion service to 25 for Mass every Sat. morning. The community appreciates having some say in their direction. There is a deep desire to help those less fortunate, especially St. Katharine Drexel church. St. Katharine Drexel Cascade 1. What are/were our action(s) Form Church committee Celebrate church Feast Day Use of Liturgical colors in the church The community found leadership and is beginning to deal with all the problems of their church building, finances and special issues of being a small community with such big issues. Begin to reclaim our Catholic heritage and identity by honoring our patron saint. Use of appropriate colors to designate liturgical seasons. The leaders of the community stepped up. The people began to solve their own problems when given permission to do so. Also the community has come together and has shown great healing. The power of honoring our patron saint and that when the community has a common purpose the sky is the limit of what can be accomplished. There are colors used by the church to designate liturgical seasons. 10

11 Corpus Christi Fruitland 1. What are/were our action(s) Trying to establish a more evangelical perspective. Still struggling. Resistance to getting involved, either through disinterest, work, school, etc. Blessed John Paul II Catholic Community Idaho Falls 1. What are/were our action(s) Adult Study Classes Required Mass attendance for Sacramental prep Quarterly Reports presented to parish Combined Jr. High and High School to same day Weekly classes; Stickers were given for Sacramental Prep books; Quarterly Reports. Jr. High meets before Mass High School meets after. Great demand for knowledge of faith. Class size was stable. Children were showing up at Mass more and families were together. Parishioners became more involved. Most families enjoy combining jr. high and high school on same day. Life Teen Mass attendance is up Program is up Holy Spirit Catholic Community Pocatello & Chubbuck 1. What are/were our action(s) Formation of a Called & Gifted Team. Development of the Pastoral Council into a Visioning & Planning group thru a day long retreat and follow up process. An active RCIA process for adults and children that meets the needs of each inquirer. 11

12 Actively support our Catholic School and its Mission. Ongoing Adult Faith Formation. 3 parishioners have been trained as Called and Gifted interviewers, some are being trained in Making Disciples. Parish Ministries have been categorized into 4 areas (Hospitality/Evangelization, Religious Education/School, Prayer/Worship, Direct Service/Social Justice with 3 Council members serving as liaison & support for each category. Successfully completed the accreditation process at our school. Provided Advent, Lenten & Easter Formation opportunities. It takes time to form a quality team for the future. Council members appreciate having an ongoing task and a feeling of accomplishment. Acknowledging each individual s faith journey is key for life long conversion. Our Catholic school is doing very well and has a good relationship with the parish. Parishioners will take advantage of formation opportunities if offered. Our Lady of the Rosary Boise 1. What are/were our action(s) Bible Studies Bulletin Inserts Adoration Cursillo St. Vincent de Paul Men s Groups; Women s Groups TVYAM (Treasure Valley Young Adult Ministry) Parishioners enjoy learning about our faith through Bible studies. Bulletin inserts help provide parish knowledge for current parish ministries as well as a way to drive parish members into joining some of the parish ministries. Adoration Parish knowledge of the Blessed Sacrament and invitations to spend 1 hr. with the Lord. Men s &Women s groups are good ways to share their faith in small faith communities. TVYAM is an outlet for young adult and young adult families to get together and have a light meal and play games together. 12

13 Parishioners are willing and able to join in parish activities if invited. There is always a need for continuing education. New parish activities and ministries allow for other members of the community to step up and lead. St. Agnes Weiser 1. What are/were our actions? Prison Ministry Food Bank Retreats Healing Prayer Ministry Prayer chain Unborn Angel Party Rose Advocates Red Cross Blood Drawings Scholarships Bible Study Helping Hands RCIA Providing or assisting community based ministries affects people outside of our St. Agnes community and benefits many Weiser and Washington County residents. Young people are attending college, people in need are supplementing their household from our food bank, and volunteers assist our community in thousands of hours of work. Helping people and improving our community is rewarding. There is much more work to do to include more parishioners and grow spiritually as a community. Our Lady of Good Counsel Mountain Home 1. What are/were our actions? St. Vincent DePaul Society was reactivated and focused on home visits and the food pantry. A Stewardship Committee was formed to support present ministries and new ministries. Performed home visits seeking out the poor to listen and pray with. At these visits, we can offer food, clothing, furniture, and utility payments. Food pantry is open bi monthly. Stewardship Committee helped identify need for several new ministries which were formed and are active. A ministry fair is planned for future. We found a huge need for SVDP ministry in our community, with much more to be done. We learned that the importance of stewardship is to develop and encourage more participation by individuals in our parish. 13

14 St. Mary s Moscow 1. What are/were our actions? Give Young Family baskets to parents at baptisms. Upgrade and fine tune the U of I Host Family Project. Intergenerational St. Mary s Family Night Mardi Gras party to create an event where families from both school and parish could come together and celebrate. St. Mary s School community celebration as a thank you for support. Annual parish picnic. Identified children baptized in the past 18 months and arranged for baptismal baskets to be delivered to families. Approached the Catholic Women s League to assume this project as a semi annual event. 22 families hosted 30 UI Catholic students. St. Mary s Moscow will need to provide the leadership for the entire program, with support for the idea from St. Augustine s. Ice cream and cookies social held for families and students at St. Augustine s. Held intergenerational Trunk or Treat evening for families, including neighbors in parish vicinity. Seniors asked to judge pumpkins and best decorated car trunk. A dozen college age students at UI visiting from South America participate in operating various games. Mardi Gras celebration was a good preparation for Lent and Ash Wednesday with families and seniors. School thank you celebration went well with music, plenty of heavy hors d oeuvres, beer and wine. Conversations were lively. Approximately 100 parishioners/school parents attended. For the first time, all four Catholic communities in Latah County gathered for a single parish picnic. Besides Mass outdoors, BBQ and conversation, we will have games, a Pinochle competition, prizes. The new gym opened for indoor games. A basket costs around $17 to create. Will need to review to ascertain how well it is received by the parents/godparents. We envision this first activity to be a potential gateway for assisting godparents to remain actively involved in helping parents raise their children Catholic. 14

15 Need to develop a better system for regularly communicating with students and families. Perhaps scheduling 2 events annually for both parishes might help parishioners at St. Mary s become more familiar with students at St. Augustine s and so feel more comfortable reaching out to these young adults. Trunk or Treat well received with many families participating. Felt like a true community, multi generational event. Need more people to decorate trunks and get involved in the initial planning. Include a piñata with candy next year. Haunted house downstairs was very popular. Put a time limit on time spent outside visiting the trunks for candy treats. Mardi Gras celebration well received; next year we plan to change it slightly to begin at 4 pm and include an international potluck. We need to offer more social events great for community building. We have learned of the need to advertise well in advance of events, and the importance of engaging the KCs in all four parishes. It is also helpful for the pastors to be on the same page when planning common events. Holy Trinity Nez Perce 1. What are were our actions? Theology of the Body, eight part series, Monthly presentations Formation of Parish Library Returning Catholics Program Catholicism Series by Fr. Barron Started Theology of the Body series in October, Completed 5 parts of the series to date after Wednesday evening Mass, once a month. Library room was refurbished and shelves installed. Fr. Brad organized books. Parishioners asked to personally contact persons that may be interested in returning to Church. Returning Catholic Program scheduled to begin in late April or early May. Plan on starting Catholicism series after the Theology of the Body is completed. Interesting information was presented. Participation has been as expected. Library should be ready in April, 2012 for use. We will need to see response to Returning Catholic program and Catholicism series. 15

16 St. Augustine s Student Center Moscow 1. What are/were our actions? Holy Grounds topics of Catholic interest held at a coffee house. Capital punishment forum was held. Campus processions. Adopt a senior by students participating in St. Vincent de Paul; mission trip w/ Capstone Missions. 20 minute Pre Mass class. CIA, young couples group. Holy Grounds brings guest speakers to together to talk on/learn Catholic issues. Capital punishment discussion, ethics was held. A Eucharistic Procession & a living Stations of the Cross procession thru UI campus. Effort is just beginning to organize mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico over spring break. Topic: Faith issues, Church teachings at pre Mass class. Tried to start but a few couples came. Hospitality and sharing are effective ways of gathering students to meet and greet. Students interested in current affairs. Students want to participate in tangible faith experiences on campus. Students are excited in helping people with needs. Great student participation and effort. Attendance habits do not change easy. The spirit is willing; response weak. St. Theresa s Orofino 1. What are/were our actions? Created a website which provides current information about our faith, church and community. Developed Catholics Returning Home program for people who want to return to their Catholic faith. Provide parish renewals and evangelization retreats on a regular basis. Organize a Lenten Seder Meal and Christmas Dinner with the Methodist and Lutheran Churches. Offer CCD classes, confirmation classes, retreats, activities, social functions and events for our youth throughout the year. 16

17 Have a website that contains the information that we initially envisioned for this site. Classes are being held in Catholic Returning Home program and several people have completed the sessions. Retreats for faith renewal have been held and will continue others offered for both youth and adults. Ecumenical Lenten and Christmas events were well attended with good community partnerships being developed. All CCD and Confirmation classes are in session and providing religious education to our youth and adults. A website is a valuable tool to provide information to many people who would be interested in our faith. Reaching out to Catholics who are currently not active in their faith is very important to all people. Lifelong learning is very important as we grow as Catholics. A strong foundation in religious education is as important as continued renewal and growth for adults. St. Catherine Priest River 1. What are/were our action(s) Begin a Bible Study Begin a Do you Know feature in our Sunday bulletin Implement a Prayer Partner program Joined with Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry in a program called Inviting Catholics Home. Began a Children s Mass at least once every two months. Bible Study to be implemented late spring. Do You Know feature in Sunday bulletin went well and was well received. We are in the process of conducting 6 Sunday evening classes for those wanting to return to Church through our Inviting Catholics Home program. Children s Mass has been well received by all. It takes more time to organize a bible study than we thought. We thought there would be more questions to Do You Know than we have received. Still on going. Parishioners seem to like Prayer Partner program. Inviting Catholics Home planned to be an annual event that hopefully will spark an interest in Catholics who have fallen away. Difficult to organize a regular Children s Mass, but, well worth the effort. 17

18 St. Catherine s Kamiah 1. What are/were our action(s) Held Ministry Fair Created list of Permanent parish Functions and Activities Formed a committee to study interest in regular scripture/bible study Coordinate Sunday Bulletin, website and social media Create /phone list of parishioners to be notified of change in Mass schedule as well as volunteer driver list/list of parishioners who need to be transported to Mass, functions, medical, etc. Ministry Fair improved communication with the parish. Informed parishioners as to the number and different types of ministries to keep the parish functioning. Identified existing/vacancies and explained specific functions of each ministry. We now have 7 new lectors, 2 new Eucharistic ministers, and several new altar servers trained and serving. Parish List provides interest on year round functions and activities at our parish; including those open to our community. Identified events that denote major fund raisers. List is posted in the narthex, will be published in the bulletin and updated bi annually. Committee discussed overall need of parish for ongoing Bible Study, possible format and curriculum to be adopted, possible meeting sites and contacted several parishioners who were active in previous bible study group. Sought input from parish as to whether there is sufficient interest to proceed with new study group, approximately 10 parishioners. Some updates made to website. Better calendar and social media need to be added. There are occasional changes in parish meeting times and masses which are communicated verbally. There is a need for better communication of changes so all who need to participate or want to participate can do so. Driver list/those who need transportation started. People are willing to volunteer their time, talents and individual resources once vacant positions are identified and importance of serving is understood. Parishioners are more likely to participate in various functions and ministries after Mass. Parishioners and visitors should benefit from having list and information available to them at a glance without having to ask. There is sufficient interest in forming bible study group. Father will contact St.Theresa s for advice on text and format in use at their parish, since they have 12 years experience. 18

19 St. Mary s, Assumption, St. Anthony s Cottonwood, Ferdinand, Greecreek 1. What are/were our action(s)? Establish leadership seminars for GROW group leaders. Conduct Advent Mission. Develop communication network. Conduct Ministry Fair to invite parishioners to join planning and formation activities to include Mass Ministry participation. Develop a Youth Room kitchen area at youth center. Replace Catholic Education Center to create an inviting and spacious learning environment for youth and adult faith instruction which leads to life long discipleship. Conduct after Saturday/Sunday Mass fellowship gatherings at each Tri parish church to strengthen parishioner relationships and grow the spirit of Christian discipleship. Establish Catholic Families Catholic Homes program to address pre school children faith formation. Create a weekly children s church bulletin for children at 3 churches in our tri parish. Conducted 2 GROW seminars and identified 15 group leaders. The leaders are forming their groups and will meet throughout the year. Rev. Anthony Judge, Redemptorist, conducted Tri parish mission at St. Mary s Church. The 4 sessions averaged approximately 300 parishioners each session. Found useful webhost, established domain name and log in information. Website is is now launched and webmaster appointed. Addresses are consistently being added to the tri parish address book. Currently working with internet provider to be able to send large group s rather than 15 at a time. Two organizational meetings held for Ministry Fair. Found display boards and are working with a group to organize each display for individual ministries. Ongoing recruitment of adults who are an example of faith for youth. Safe Environment training is conducted. Currently there are about 8 adult leaders, many are men. Seeking grant funding for Youth Group kitchen. Still need installation of cabinets to finish. Construction on new Education Center is 95% complete; facility opened on Jan. 18. St. Mary s after Mass fellowship is operating each week. St. Anthony is working on it. Assumption parish is operational on a monthly basis. 19

20 A group of 32 met in a CFCH formation meeting to consider establishing CFCH program. Children s bulletin prepared and distributed at Masses on Dec. 18. Need to develop a better distribution system after Mass. Those who attended GROW seminars were informed and energized to facilitate adult learning faith formation groups. Parishioners are interested and supportive of exciting, renewal activities. Websites are complicated to start. Finding the right development team was the challenge. Commitment brings results. We are now experiencing good results. Significant up front work required for communication list. Maintenance of the list is ongoing; the communication benefit will be great. Some ministries are not actively promoted and others are little known about. The ministry fair seeks to inform and invite individuals. Need to constantly keep the recruitment and need for youth leaders alive to spark interest to serve. Youth facility is working amazingly well. Meals create an atmosphere of unity and sharing. Our faith community is generous in donations and sees the need for religious education. Fellowship gathering after Mass strengthens faith communities. Parents are interested in Catholic Families Catholic Homes and program is in development. Children s interest in their faith grows when they receive information relevant to them. They like the children s bulletins. St. Edward the Confessor Twin Falls 1. What are/were our action(s)? Live and Preach the Gospel a. Perpetual Adoration b. Expanded opportunities for Sacrament of Reconciliation c. Covenant of love support group d. Weekly Mass at College of Southern Idaho e. Communion ministers to homebound & hospital f. Drivers bringing people to Mass g. Support for Salt and Life radio 20

21 Foster Life Long Learning 1. Adult Education: a. Mondays with Mike 1 hour discussion on Catholic topic (English/Spanish) b. RCIA & Mystagogia c. Bible Study d. Religious education for elementary, middle & high school students e. Sacramental preparation for First communion, Reconciliation, confirmation, Marriage f. Subsidize St. Edward s Catholic School g. Support Little flower girls, Boy Scouts h. Young Adult Anglo/Spanish faith group Act Justly a. Soup kitchen 3 times/week b. Assistance to needy (gas, motel) c. Martha s Table swap items needed by others d. Donation of 5% parish income to charities e. Pro Life Committee: 40 Days for Life; Theology of the Body workshop hours out of 168 hr. /week filled with scheduled people for adoration. Increased number of confessions, esp. Wed. evening Hispanics. Covenant of Love support group brought married couples a place gather, learn, & to gain strength in their marriages. Mass attendance at CSI continues to grow & those attending tend to go to Young adults group. Good response from parishioners of Jackpot to ministers of homebound/hospital. More people volunteered to help with transportation when need made known to parishioners; people in outlying areas are served by the volunteer Eucharistic Ministers. People wish to go to Mass are able. More adult education with more in depth & discussion on Catholic issues 20+ people received into Catholic faith this Easter Groups are studying the Acts of the Apostles video series. Attendance continues in all age groups. Middle & HS Students have special classes based on areas of need. Father Mike works with students who have already been confirmed. School remains open. Support for Little Flower girls/boy Scouts educate potential Christian leaders. 125 minimum meals served each of the 3times/week at soup kitchen. Corporal works of mercy put into practice through our service to those in need. $30,000 from adult collections & $10,000 from children s collections sent to designated charities 21

22 40 days for Life delayed to Sept. Successful Theology of the Body presentations. Specific sessions for Youth & deacons, general parish populations on deeper understanding of sexuality & human person. The radio station is on 24/7. Hispanics attended the convenient time and day of the week to learn. More young adults are attending faith and friendship sessions and attending Mass. 2. What did we learn? Need to continually ask for volunteers and being persistent. Time of day and availability of priest makes a difference. There is desire among married couples to keep marriages growing. Ask for help and people will respond. People will come to learn when relevant opportunities are offered. Catechists help bring others to the faith. People participate when appropriate times are made available. Students needs vary by age and growth in their faith. Needs also vary with each Sacrament. Having a priest involved with teaching shows the Sacrament is important. People want their children to have Catholic Education. There are various needs for youngsters beyond religious education. Service is good for community regardless of faith of the person being served. People have many needs. Physical needs being met. People are pleased to share with others when needs are made known. People appreciate good information. Many appreciate having a Catholic presence on the radio. Planning for time, day of the week allowed more to attend sessions. St. Pius X Coeur d Alene 1. What are/were our actions? Developing an open door policy so that all Catholics feel welcome. We are planning additional family dinners including adults and youth. A multi cultural dinner is in the process. Develop a program to bring non practicing Catholics back and try to find the problems that are keeping them from Church. Have non judgmental events to bring children and parents back to the church. Work on a development program that makes parishioners with special gifts available in this program. Develop a program to reach more parishioners. We need to develop a program to interest parishioners to get involved. 2. What did we do? Try to develop a program to make all Catholics welcome. Provide inter generational parish family nights. Review parish registration records. Set up program for family parenting and modeling, as well as sharing Catholic values. Encourage parishioners to serve as sponsors and companions to people wanting to return to the Church. 22

23 Support Fall Conference and other learning opportunities. Use the Called and Gifted program for parishioners. Saint Mark s Parish Boise 1. What are/were our action(s?) We are a Stewardship Parish and wanted to add to our definition of Stewardship the definition of Social Mission with an emphasis on the point that Social Mission is a focal point of our meaning of stewardship. We are continuing our efforts in Adult Education/Evangelization/Formation outside of our ongoing Bible Studies and Small Faith Communities. Met with Christine Smith from Catholic Charities and key leaders from the Parish to ensure a good understanding of what we all mean by Social Mission. We will use our Parish Strategic Plan, our Parish Stewardship Plan and the structure envisioned by the Bishop s Document Communities of Salt and Light. Will follow up with a Parish Social Mission Retreat that will involve the key leaders and interested Ministry Leaders in the Parish. The goal of the retreat is to have everyone on the same page as we move forward with social Mission at St. Mark s. We already have KC s working directly with our Parish Food Bank in what was called the forty cans of Lent food drive, and our Respect Life Ministry is working with the parish to assist our new Refugee Gardeners participants purchase plants for their summer garden. Plan to host DVE Evangelization/Formation opportunities every Wednesday at noon and every Thursday evening beginning the week of May 6 th. Will be starting Adult Education/Evangelization/Formation between our Sunday morning Masses. This has been a good process. Any difficulty encountered has been related to definitions. This was not unexpected and we have made much progress in dialogue that will assist us in our efforts. We intend to have one definition, based on Catholic Social Teaching, in place after the June Retreat. We learned that are many parishioners at St. Mark s who want to evangelize the Catholic Faith to those outside the church. We learned that in order for them to be successful in their efforts we need to provide them with good Adult Education tools. 23

24 Holy Apostles Meridian 1. What are/were our action(s?) Social Justice The children s collection donated to a charity that benefits children. Support Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Mercy Housing NW Idaho, Ride for Joy (Lend a hand), Ronald McDonald House, Women s and Children s Alliance, Cross International (Brother Bequasang Project), CRS (East African Effort), Bishop Kelly High School (BK partial tuition for a student). Interfaith Sanctuary Blanket Collection. St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry is open 4 days per week, Thanksgiving Food boxes, Christmas food boxes. Apostles Garden supplies vegetables to Idaho FoodBank, Meridian Food Bank and other local groups. Council of Catholic Women donates funds to Water for Life, Corpus Christi House, City Lights Women/Children Shelter, to name a few. Knights of Columbus raised funds for an ultrasound machine used for women that may be at risk for terminating their pregnancy. Healthcare Reform: Held a What It Is and What It Isn t presentation. Intended as an informative session (not political debate) on Healthcare Reform and the HHS mandate. Catholic Dialogue on Budget and the Role of the common Good to be held in Fall. Parish adopted two young children through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging; sponsored them financially through the children s offertory collections; invited parishioners to write letters to the two children. Cross International/Vitafood. Vitafood is a nutritionally balanced food product specifically developed for malnourished and starving children. Pastor purchased Vitafood packets for each parish family to try during Lent to see what it is like for someone in a less fortunate country to survive. Evangelization Apostles Garden works with Upward Bound, ESL adult classes, gives out Catholic literature to people that come to pick vegetables. Evangelization Retreat/2x per year. Mass monthly in Nursing Homes. Healing Mass/Luncheon twice per year. 24