Parish planning

Groups continue to meet, discuss ministry

By LIZ QUIRIN
How many people have a vision for the future — or even want to sit down as a group to design one? Two groups of parishes — in Fairview Heights and Caseyville and in Belleville — began meeting a number of months ago to come up with a vision of future parish ministry in their communities.

One member of the Fairview Heights/Caseyville group was asked to move from participant to group leader at the last meeting.

Mike Hinz of St. Stephen’s in Caseyville, a psychologist and Life Coach, prepared a power point presentation on the “Power of Vision” which led the group through a series of questions about defining and developing vision.

They also looked at the consequences of having no vision or a “powerless” vision: wither and die, continue to be frustrated, continue losing young people.

Highly motivating was the realization: “If we don’t do something, someone will come in and tell us what to do.”

Parish representatives and pastors of the three parishes were asked to break into small groups and brainstorm ideas about their vision for ministry among the three parishes.

Brainstorming lasted two-three minutes and then members shared their ideas with the larger group. The groups were changed a number of times so that separate parish identities became secondary to the overriding vision of future ministry in community.

Each time the groups were changed, the focus was narrowed based on the information gathered from the previous short brainstorming.
At the end of the evening, everyone had a clearer idea of what a vibrant parish community should look like, and they asked Hinz if he would lead the next session. Check out the “Powerful Vision” on Hinz’s webside at www.hinzdocs.com.

Hinz encouraged the group to think in the most positive and inclusive terms. “If you shoot for less, you will get less,” he said. “It’s a constantly unfolding process.”

At the Belleville parishes’ planning meeting, members met in committees to gather information for the larger meeting. The committees include worship, sacramental life and formation, outreach and evangelization, facilities staff and finance and priestly life.

Numbers of weekend liturgies, baptisms, weddings and funerals were discussed.

Parishes were encouraged to look into setting up web pages with help from parish volunteers.

As the plan to meet the needs of ministry in the future emerges, present and immediate needs to keep buildings in good repair must be taken into consideration.

Msgr. James Margason, vicar general and pastor of St. Luke’s, one of the Belleville parishes, said the people must be invited to take responsibility for their parishes.

Some parishes would be able to function well if the priest left tomorrow, Msgr. Margason said, and others have not been invited to share responsibility for the parish. Those parishes would face real problems about what to do to maintain parish life.

“We need to work harder with our parishioners to bring them to the point if they are without a priest they can still function very well,” Msgr. Margason said.

Parishioner Mary Regan agreed. “We would still be church.”
Sister Grace Marie Mueller SSND, St. Luke pastoral associate, described their parish this way: “People feel a sense of ministry, community and service.”

Parishes will meet again in April to continue their discussions about future ministry.