St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 1 Final Conversation At the meeting of Conversation participants on Palm Sunday, attendees were invited to suggest additional activities and initiatives to those suggested by the conversation groups. The participants were further asked to vote on the priority to be given to each broad group of initiatives. Below are the participants suggestions, in order of priority, exactly as they appeared on the sticky notes on each A3 page. 27 Votes 19 -Hearts 8 - Stars 27 Votes 19 -Hearts 8 - Stars Communication Remember When wall. Moveable Notice boards, or fixed on church wall. Noticeboard for everyone to add to (e.g. help requests, transport, offerings of get-togethers, recycling of goods that could be of use to others). Better, more informative noticeboards. Photo gallery. A photo card to identify the roles of each individual (e.g. A4 laminated page per person with photo, role in parish & contact information). Special monthly bulletin. Refresh Parish website - create a social hub. Encouraging greater use of website by providing training. Use email proactively (send out Bulletin, a copy of the weekly sermon). Text the young with appropriate info accurately. Facebook page focusing on young people. Prepare periodic media releases on what the parish is doing. All parish groups to met together every 6/3 months - greet, meet, then eat together. See who we are! [Kings Park parish is a model for this]. Vital importance of follow-up from this initiative of Micah conversations. Communication - there is a link with adult faith formation & action. Adult Faith Formation We were taught Christianity the old way: fear and punishment. Lets re-educate ourselves to remove that sense of being punished if we do things differently. But how? Start a weekly small group centring on prayer or Lectio Divina group. It will need someone to lead it. Engaging those who are disengaged through adult faith formation. Prayer group. Madonnas group - young mum s monthly gettogether with food, quiz etc. Provide sessions on Hot Button issues (e.g. sexuality, gay marriage, kids living together, euthanasia etc.) Give us a language that speaks sensibly of these things. To establish a rosary group for our parish. Meditation groups, colleagues- revive Marian prayer. Community prayer services. Have further adult faith sessions. Devise a formation pathway for adults. Grow from child confirmation
St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 2 24 Votes 17 -Hearts 7 - Stars 24 Votes 21 -Hearts 3 - Stars 22 Votes 14 -Hearts 8 - Stars Deepening Connection to REAL adult in our faith. Can we build on the sacraments as our children are experiencing them - are we able to really grow as adults in our church? Adult faith courses. Promote work of the Brigandines more widely. Small gatherings in people s homes. Greater co-operation of the parishioners with existing organisations (St V of P., Jo-care, Asylum seekers etc.) Stronger communication of parish initiatives and offer invitations for all to join-in and take part. Family groups. Conversation groups. Single women s group. Single men s group. RCIA follow-up. Parish dinner. A weekly newsletter at mass. Ask the overseas students in our parish what their needs are: a home? hospitality? friendship?. Good leadership to organise and commit. A prayerful enabling. Co-ordinating group with Fr Laurie to guide & direct & co-ordinate. Young women s groups (not just mum s)- a chance to get to know people. Invite parishioners from other cultures to tell their stories & share their views. Local Outreach Research local needs. Support the refugee & asylum seekers project. Support for housebound parishioners and communion distribution. Have a program of education on practical skills for refugees and new migrants. Conversation groups for immigrants (see local Anglican church). Youth Ministry Devise a formation pathway. Re-engage teens by providing teen- only events (aside from the 20- something facilitators). Try to prevent the loss of children that occurs when they leave primary school. Create youth group activities specifically for year 5/6, then year 7 students, year 8 students and so forth (movies, picnics, games days etc.) Need youth mass with more vibrant music that they feel they belong and can contribute to. Becoming altar servers. Engaging Diocesan resources. Youth volunteering programme led by a trained leader. There is an opportunity to get greater youth involvement. It is a priority for youth. Make St Joseph s hall a Youth Hub on weekends.
St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 3 20 Votes 20 -Hearts 1 - Stars Encouraging Involvement Internet register for youth contact to meet. Retreats for young people. Choir music and ministry. Practical projects such as visiting the elderly. A buddy system connecting young persons with an elderly person at masses. Youth Mass. Children s liturgy. Youth concerts followed by tea. A once a month mass for each class in the school where the children would be more involved in the service. Followed by coffee supplied by parents of children in respective class and served by the children. What is taught at school very often does not match what youth hear at home & church. How do we address these inconsistencies? Identify social justice, volunteering projects to engage young people / draw their energy to do good. To encourage younger adults to be active in the parish we need to first attract them here to activities that are of interest to them. The liturgy may well be their next involvement. (e.g. BBQ s in the parish grounds, coffee shop in the parish grounds, music in the hall - whatever they might respond to.) In seeking volunteers or co-opting people provide role for successionnot giving 10 year roles to 80 year olds. What groups would I join & how actively- lead it for instance. Definitely develop the Ministry Market Place Event - perhaps link with small fete / stall. Create a new Parish Handbook. Need to remember Laurie and Parish Council can t do it all - we must be prepared to volunteer. Get people to tell their stories - maybe through graphics, story walls. Develop a database of ALL existing ministries within and connected with St Joseph s, with the view of expanding ministries with more parishioners. Clearly outline to parish members the groups / activities already taking place in the parish ((Theological, Liturgical, Social Action, Social Committee etc.) Communicate this information in multiple ways to maximise successful contact with all members (e.g. large print leaflets, email, website, text, Facebook, Instagram etc.) Tap into specialists who are parishioners to help the communication (e.g. media & PR specialists, IT specialists, Craft specialists etc. ) Tap into the gift pool. Ask people face-to-face. Take an inventory of skills available among parishioners. Survey the parish to identify existing needs, available skills and ways people can contribute within the time they have available. Mentor people as they join groups and accept roles within the parish. Advertise the parish groups & activities better - get group members to
St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 4 17 Votes 5 - Hearts 12 - Stars 16 Votes 12 -Hearts 4 - Stars 15 Votes 10 -Hearts 5 - Stars Multi-Cultural Inclusion talk at mass. Create provision for representation of parish groups to give spoken information on their work at mass on periodic occasions. (Asylum Seeker project, St Vi of P. society) Create a Youth Ministry, Youth choir, Youth Group etc. Create young people ministry. Set up Funky website / text / email. Adult education in faith program leading to a certificate, degree etc. Involvement is not necessarily on the front line as many persons find it difficult to be in front - but rather behind the scenes doing valuable work. Talk to young married & single and form groups (e.g. child-minding). Enquire about the needs of different groups. Celebrate special days for different groups. Design liturgy to reflect the variety of cultures. Encourage other cultures/ nationalities to come together to prepare their own liturgies. Existing missions to be socially inclusive. Enable people from these groups to join already existing groups. Honour groups not just based on culture - e.g. mothers, fathers, those who serve / served in armed forces or essential services, married couples etc.) Recognition of different celebrations: (e.g. St Patrick s day, etc.) and same for any other immigrants at St Joseph s. Eldercare Programme of visits. Transport to mass & parish events. Involve school pupils. Talk to them regarding: funeral arrangement, will, wake etc. Many parishioners need help with shopping. Cannot shop online as they are not computer savvy. More the lonely than simply the elderly. Noticeboard to advertise transport help to get to mass, do the shopping, get back home etc. Involve family groups by having grandparents mass as an annual occasion. Support co-ordination of Jo-care. Hospitality Expanded role for hospitality teams. Greeting people before mass. Welcome packs available. Introduce new members of the community - just as we do the newly baptised. Encourage parishioners from other cultural backgrounds to join hospitality - especially as greeters. Make people aware that this is OUR community so be involved. Hospitality ministry to be not just handing out bulletins and greeting people before mass. Ministers to be available after mass to help with enquiries etc.
St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 5 14 Votes 0 - Hearts 14 - Stars 12 Votes 8 - Hearts 4 - Stars 11 Votes 5 - Hearts 6 - Stars Hospitality after mass - morning tea not just special events. Quarterly (regular) diner - get caterers and have a theme. Use a buddy system (like in schools) to help welcome people/ families. We need to encourage people to participate in hospitality ministryrecruitment & encouragement. Information. Food. Fair. Ethnic nights. ( Burns night. Scottish night. Irish night. Indian night. Sri Lankan night etc.) Make the kitchen productive. Provide coffee / soup / meals. Work experience opportunities. Feed the young people to engage them. Feed people once a week. Anyone who wants to come (alone..looking for a meal whoever ). Involve many different groups including schools. [Check with St Anthony s Glenhuntly who do this]. Parish quiz night. Fun activity. Further Afield Support Vincentian ministries overseas. Assess their current needs. New connections through parishioner contacts. Support for Vincentian family missions. Interaction with neighbouring parishes & other denominations. Do Deanery connections still happen? Hot Button promote what you people in catholic secondary schools here are doing so we can be linked with their effort. Ask those who have/ support activities in wider Australia & overseas to talk about them via articles etc. Support fro De La Salle s coolies project in India each November. ( Coolies not schoolies. ) Refugees in camps in Sri Lanka, widows & orphans in Northern Lanka. Pastoral Care Employ a Pastoral Associate. Develop voluntary pastoral care teams. Pastoral Care. Empathy. Pastoral Associate. Good research required. Practical and spiritual support for single mothers, bereaved, disabled etc. Internet register for requests for help (small & big): borrow something, drive to event, babysitting, cooking help etc. Use of the parish hall facilities to bake and prepare food for those in need. Call for volunteers to run (and perhaps initiate) selected projects. Social Events Create a team of Our Lady Group for interested couples. Set up active social committee. Parish Appreciation parties. Themed Dinners. Dinners in Presbytery or Parish Hall. Could something please be done about the badly designed kitchen especially the hot water / tea making facilities. It is dangerous and impractical. Tea & coffee after masses.
St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 6 Movies at the Parish Hall. Poker / Card Nights. Encourage and provide opportunities for specific groups such as: same generation e.g. teens, retirees etc.; cross-generational; male or female groups; young parents etc. Survey the parish and see what they want- who they want to deepen connections with through social interactions. Unite with other Christian parishes in social get-togethers - e.g. at local pub. Local pilgrimage around catholic hotspots to help new parishioners know more about Catholic Malvern (brothers at De La Salle, Brigandine nuns, Vincentians). Provide for young people- late night or before a late night - hot snacks / hot coffee / breakfast or brunch on weekends. Discussion groups about the history of our faith (old Testament). Where we can share thoughts. But it MUST be supervised by a member of the clergy who can provide answers. Quarterly or Half-yearly updates of events in he Catholic or Christian world. Regular morning teas or lunches. Social Pub evenings. Multicultural events. 11 Votes 0 - Hearts 11 - Stars Inter-Faith Dialogue Exchange of views & beliefs with people from other religions (not necessarily Christian religions) to discover common ground. Very important especially for children to learn and appreciate other faiths, to overcome the old barrier that existed years ago about them & us. Before we can have meaningful inter-faith dialogue, individuals need to be clear about the teachings, traditions & history of the Catholic faith. Below is a summary of some of the Key Points identified by participants for the top two Areas of. (Some of these points appeared under different headings, but they clearly related to these topics and they appeared repeatedly.) Overall there was a strong sense that people wanted to both invigorate their individual faith and strengthen the sense of welcome and cohesiveness within the parish. These two key elements would then provide the parish with a strong foundation from which social justice activities could be effectively supported. 1: Communication 1. Key Information to be Communicated to Parishioners (a) What groups already exist in the parish?. Specifically outline what each group does within the parish. Clearly identify the time commitment required (number of hours per week/fortnight). Are
St Joseph s Malvern - Micah Conversation 7 there different roles within the group? If so, what are they? How can parishioners join a group? Who is the contact person for that group? (b) What needs exist in the parish? Is there an existing group that could address this need if they were aware of it? Is a new group required to target that need? (c) What skills and talents do we have available within the parish? How might parish groups access those skills as required? (E.g. A media expert might help a group to generate a news article about a concert to raise funds for refugee support services.) (d) Offer basic computer training to assist parishioners in accessing the Parish website. (e) Within the groups themselves, ensure succession plans are clearly defined. (f) Regular reports from the Parish groups regarding their achievements and future aims/ activities. (g) Weekly topics from Fr. Laurie relating to faith instruction or reflection. This may be a copy of the homily. Reflections on a social issue relevant to Catholics. A quote from a selected theologian. etc. 2. Methods of Communication (a) Target communication methods to reach the intended audience. When the full parish is the target group diversity is required. Whereas specialisation might be more effective for specific groups (e.g. using Facebook to engage youth). (b) Further develop the parish website to better facilitate the sharing of information and resources. Use the website for more two-way communication between parish & parishioners (e.g. create email groups who can receive information about areas they have selected as being of interest to them, establish an area that clearly advertises upcoming activities to parishioners, have youth arenas, etc.). (c) Use low-technology methods to provide points of access for those who are not computer savvy. Noticeboards can enable people to see what is happening in the parish, make requests and answer requests. There may be a group who can ensure that key information from the noticeboard is added to an online noticeboard on the parish website to maximise the audience. 2: Adult Faith Formation 1. A call to revive Regular Prayer groups Suggestions include: Lectio Divina, Madonna s group, Marian Prayer, Rosary group, Meditation group, Small Prayer groups & Community Prayer groups, RCIA, St V of P. groups. 2. Formal Instruction by an Expert (such as Fr Laurie) on both Old Testament & New Testament scripture and church doctrine. 3. Accredited courses that result in a Certificate, Diploma or Degree 4. Engaging Youth through social justice, social activities, choir, youth liturgy 5. Combining Faith Discussion with Fun Social Activities - e.g. a pub meeting, mothers morning tea etc. 6. Providing Pathways to Grow in our Faith from the child who was confirmed into an adult within the faith. 7. Opportunities for Living our Faith through Social Action (e.g. Refugee support group) 8. More Single Session Hot Button Discussions. Topics might include topis such as: sexuality, gay marriage, kids living together, euthanasia etc. Give us a language that speaks sensibly of these things.