Download What is Pastoral Planning? - St. Theresa Catholic Church | Austin, TX

Divine Father, Almighty God,
source of all wisdom and joy,
we humbly seek your heavenly grace
as we undertake the work of this Pastoral Plan.
Guide our path and grant us the wisdom, patience, and
spirit of communion we need to accomplish this task.
We pray that our service and this process may lead
others to encounter you in every situation,
that we may be wholly engaged in the ministry
of spreading the Gospel to all the people of our Community,
and that we will be living witnesses of Your love.
Keep us steadfast in faith and united in our mission,
so that our people and Parish may be transformed
according to your divine plan of salvation.
We make this prayer through
Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
St. Theresa, Pray for Us.
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Pastoral Planning – What is it?
The Mission of the Church
The Parish Organization
Listening Through Small Group Discussion
Next Steps
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A community-based process that seeks to
direct all activities of the parish toward the
fulfillment of the basic mission of the Church
in light of the current circumstances within
the parish.
A prayerful and participative process through
which our Parish will characterize itself as a
particular community of faith by developing
its own vision; assessing its strengths and
resources, limitations and needs; establishing
priorities and goals; and devising ways to
accomplish its mission.
Analysis
•Pastoral Council Review of
Mission and Organization
•Parish Survey
•Decision to Initiate
•Parish Listening Sessions
Phase I
Oct. 15 – May 16
Initiation
Phase II
June 16
•Analyze Phase I
•Formulate Goals
•Formulate Vision
•Formulate Initiatives,
Objectives, and Desired
Outcomes
•Present Draft to
Congregation
•Receive Comments
Phase III
June 16 – Sep. 16
Development
Phase IV
Oct. 16 – Dec. 16
•Incorporate Comments
•Approve Initial Plan
•Determine Initial Steps to
Implementation
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“Mission is a paradigm of every Church
institution; it is a paradigmatic attitude…
That mission is to evangelize and proclaim
the Gospel, to ensure that God’s grace may
touch the heart of every man and of every
woman and lead them to him…
Furthermore, for every Christian, for the
whole Church, this is not an optional
mission, but essential.” Pope Francis –
Excerpts from his Address to Pontifical
Mission Societies - 2014.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And I will
be with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Our mission is to make disciples for
the Lord Jesus Christ and,
together in ministry for Him,
advance the Kingdom of God.
We can look at how a Parish accomplishes its
mission to spread the Gospel and the health
of a Parish through an examination of certain
central and overlapping components that
impact the mission and the Community on a
daily basis.
The Liturgy
Communication
Facilities
Evangelization
Personal, Spiritual, and
Organizational Growth
Faith
Formation
Stewardship
School
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In the past 18 months we’ve:
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Opened new doors at St. Theresa.
 Senior Adult Ministries, Catalyst, Connections, Date
Night, Bible Studies, Adult Catechesis Opportunities,
and more.
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Seen the School climate improve.
Taken steps to bring the School and Parish closer
together.
Improved Communication.
Improved our Facilities.
Begun an annual Stewardship and commitment
process.
Begun to engage our laity and lay leadership
in ways they’ve never been engaged before.
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Blessings and/or Challenges in One Competency
often Present a Challenge in Others.
For Instance:
What challenges are posed when we have more adult
faith formation programs and group activities on
campus?
 What impact do the facilities, and the design of those
facilities, have on our desire and ability for the
Community to come together on parish grounds?
 What are we doing that may be impacting family
participation in the Liturgy – whether it is the structure of
our RE and Youth programs or the Sunday nursery?
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Evangelization
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Faith Formation
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Religious Education
Adult Catechesis
The School
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Service Ministries
Hospitality and Welcoming
Parish/School Relationship
The Liturgy
Communication
Stewardship
Facilities
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What are St. Theresa’s Strengths?
Where does St. Theresa need to improve so
as to better accomplish its mission of
Discipleship?
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What does a “Perfect” St. Theresa look like?
Are there opportunities that we can take
advantage of that we are missing now?
How do we overcome obstacles?
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How should we prioritize overcoming our
obstacles?
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Formulation of Goals and Vision
Formulation of Initiatives, Objectives, and
Desired Outcomes
Draft Presented to Congregation
Comments Received
Comments Incorporated
Initial Plan Approved
Initial Steps to Implementation Determined
Start Living the Plan
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Evaluating our Progress on a Regular Basis.
On Quantitative and Qualitative Bases
 Some Examples:
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 How many people are coming to Mass?
 How many people are we reaching through our faith
formation ministries?
 How many members are participating in Parish
ministries?
 How does our Stewardship look?
 How do people feel about the job we are doing?
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Communicating Progress to the Parish.
As a Community - Revaluating our Goals and
Making Changes to Initiatives As Necessary.