St. Joseph Church Pastoral Plan
Our Fellow Parishioners: This coming year you will hear a lot about your call to support The Catholic Diocese - Campaign for The Church Alive. Recently Pope Francis asked more than 1,000 bishops from around the world to get out of their cathedrals to spread the gospel and serve those most in need. Led by Bishop David Zubik, Catholics in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are already fulfilling this baptismal call through their enthusiastic support of Our Campaign for The Church Alive! The Campaign is designed to meet extraordinary needs by investing in the life of our Church to sustain and strengthen parishes, invigorate evangelization, revitalize sacramental life, support education and formation in the faith, train pastoral and lay leaders, and serve the poor and marginalized. (from Beyond Our Parish Walls-The Church Alive). The Pastoral Council is diligently at work meeting the needs of St. Joseph Parish through the creation and implementation of the 2013 Pastoral Plan. This document sets forth the theological framework for both who we are and what we do. While there is no expectation that all parishes will put these guidelines into practice in a uniform way, there is the assumption that theologically and spiritually all will be one in mind and heart: one as the Body of Christ in the Church of Pittsburgh with our bishop, one in the shared responsibility for the Mission bequeathed by Christ. Secondly, the document offers practical strategies for the ministry of parish pastoral councils pastoral councils are primarily visioning and planning bodies, whose ministry calls for gifts of study and prayer, listening and assessment, discernment and articulation, motivation and encouragement. (from One Body, One Mission June 2010). We, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of another. Romans 12:5 Bishop Zubik structured five essential elements into his Pastoral letter, The Church Alive! These elements are: Eucharist, Evangelization, Catechesis, Formation, and Stewardship. This is our call to witness the Spirit in action. We need to be passionate about what we are called to do under the Church Alive and spread the word through one another individually, throughout our congregation, and outside of our parish walls. With the Pastoral Plan and through parishioner prayers, volunteerism, suggestions, and faith we can rise to the call of the The Church Alive. We can be a voice to those who have left the Church, a voice to those in need and the voice that Christ gave us to spread his word. We are all called to do God s work. Isn t it wonderful that the Catholic Church is calling upon us to accept the gift of faith and spread the good news! We need your help, as a congregation, to accomplish these plan objectives. Please take time to review the plan document. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Your Brothers and Sisters in Faith The St. Joseph Pastoral Council
St. Joseph Parish - Cabot, PA Pastoral Plan 2013 Pastoral Council Mission The purpose of the Pastoral Plan is to guide St. Joseph Parish and its members on the mission of fulfilling God s Word. The focus of the plan is to promote community, both within the parish and with our neighbors. This plan outlines objectives that will help enhance our parish family and help our Church reach out to those around us. The plan is to be a living document that directs the support, enhancement, and necessary changes to parish activities in order to keep the parish faithful to its mission. The document will be modified, adjusted and improved as needed for this three-year cycle. 2013 Goals Goal 1: Communication Goal 2: Community Outreach Goal 3: Fellowship Goal 4: Educational Opportunities Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24 NLT
YEAR 1 (Beginning January 2013) GOAL 1: Improve communication within the Parish and provide additional informational opportunities to better unite all members, committees, and staff. 1. Work with the Worship committee to establish activities to introduce parishioners to one another. 2. Organize a volunteer drive. 3. Re-evaluate the current Mission statement. 4. Maintain a monthly communication link with the Parish Office (i.e. calendar/bulletin/newsletter/website). GOAL 2: Develop a broader community outreach program and develop ways to increase participation in the programs. Community outreach should include both support of the needy and evangelization. 1) Compile a list of existing and potential interfaith activities such as: H2O group, sports programs, and education programs. 2) Implement the campaign for THE CHURCH ALIVE! raises capital for various components within our diocese to enhance our spiritual needs and growth. 3) Increase advertisement of present parish activities outside the parish (i.e. Festival, VBS, preschool). 4) Research the Diocesan evangelization plan for the next five years. -Forming Catholics to be evangelists in their communities. -Forming parishes to be centers of welcome to each other and newcomers. -Supporting Catholics and parishes in their evangelization initiatives with the comprehensive media campaign (i.e. print, radio, TV, social media) GOAL 3: Develop a standard Fellowship plan. 1) Organize a greeters/welcoming committee to increase parishioner involvement at church. 2) Enhance the fellowship aspects of the Fall Festival and other fundraising programs. 3) Organize parish assemblies/focus groups/appreciative interviews to determine needs of the parish and communicate what the pastoral council is doing. GOAL 4: Increase opportunities for participation in educational programs. 1) Promote RCIA as an overall Adult Education program. 2) Continue to enhance and promote Bible study opportunities. 3) Work with DRE Christine Dunn on additional educational objectives.
YEAR 2 (To begin January 2014) GOAL 1: Improve communication within the Parish and provide additional informational opportunities to better unite all members, committees, and staff. 1) Develop a plan to promote a community-based atmosphere within the parish. 2) Meet annually with St. Mary- Herman Pastoral Council to determine opportunities to interact with neighboring parishes. GOAL 2: Develop a broader community outreach program and develop ways to increase participation in the programs. Community outreach should include both support of the needy and evangelization. 1) Identify community support programs and integrate the volunteer program with the list of programs. 2) Develop a program for interaction between the parish and the elderly in the community. 3) Research community and other churches for advertising opportunities and ideas. 4) Implement the Diocesan evangelization plan for the next five years. -Forming Catholics to be evangelists in their communities. -Forming parishes to be centers of welcome to each other and newcomers. -Supporting Catholics and parishes in their evangelization initiatives with the comprehensive media campaign (i.e. print, radio, TV, social media) GOAL 3: Develop a standard Fellowship plan. 1) Continue to work with hospitality committee (i.e. COCO) to promote communication with parishioners. 2) Develop programs supporting the needs identified in previous year. GOAL 4: Increase opportunities for participation in educational programs. 1) Investigate programs in other parishes/dioceses and consider implementation at St. Joseph s. 2) Develop a program for parents in the Faith Formation program on their role as primary religious educators.
YEAR 3 (To begin January 2015) GOAL 1: Improve communication within the Parish and provide additional informational opportunities to better unite all members, committees, and staff. 1) Develop a consistent plan to provide interaction between church committees and councils. GOAL 2: Develop a broader community outreach program and develop ways to increase participation in the programs. Community outreach should include both support of the needy and evangelization. 1) Implement a stewardship program. GOAL 3: Develop a standard Fellowship plan. 1) Evaluate existing fellowship activities and update direction. GOAL 4: Increase opportunities for participation in educational programs. 1) Establish an Education Board (exclusive of Faith Formation) to coordinate, enhance, and promote educational activities. 2) Implement a program What it means to be Catholic.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are actively seeking energetic volunteers from our parish to join in our mission to fulfill these long-range goals for our 2013 Pastoral Plan. To learn more or to volunteer please contact: Karyn Roenigk Parish Office: 724-352-2149 stjosephcabot@zoominternet.net OR Your current Pastoral Council members Mike Giobbi 724-540-9017 + Tom Goldscheitter 724-352-8884 + Shelley Giobbi 724-540-9017 Lisa Oldach 724-712-3621 + Dan Fritz 724-352-0751 + Denny Geary 724-524-1856 Jim Klanica 724-352-9002 + Michelle Blake 724-524-1028 We are grateful for your responses and look forward to working with our many volunteers to carry out the goals of our 2013 Pastoral Plan. Blessings and Many Thanks, St. Joseph Pastoral Council To fulfill our mission, we are to know, love and serve God in this life I am interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at St Joseph Parish: Name Phone number E-mail address Area of interest This form can be dropped in the collection basket or silver box at the Parish Office.