St. Camillus Strategic Plan Summary

Approved by the Parish Council on September 23, 2010

                  (For the complete plan, refer to the specific area of parish life in

                                         Strategic Plan 2010-13 Menu)

 

Contents:

I.   List of Acronyms used in the document

II.   The Origins of our Strategic Plan: The BPP Process

III.   Summaries of Proposals for Each Area

IV.   Community Building

V.   Evangelization

VI.   Faith Formation (formerly Catechesis)

VII.   Family & Pastoral Care

VIII.   Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation

IX.    Prayer & Worship

X.   Stewardship

XI.  Timeline of Proposals by Year

XII.   Overlapping Issues: The Recommendations Matrix

 

I.  List of Acronyms Used in the Document

ASK -- Adults Seeking the Kingdom

BPP -- Best Practices for Parishes

CB -- Community Building

CBC -- Community Building Committee

CC - LP -- Catholic Community of Langley Park

CCD -- Confraternity of Christian Doctrine

CHSC -- Children's Stewardship Coordinator

CRE -- Coordinator of Religious Education

CRS -- Catholic Relief Services

CT -- Coordinating Team

DRE -- Director of Religious Education

DVD -- Digital Video Disk

F&PC -- Family and Pastoral Care

HIV -- Human Immunodeficiency Virus

HNP – Holy Name Province

HR -- Human Resources

IOC -- Interfaith Outreach Committee

IT -- Information Technology

JPIC -- Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation

LFF -- Lifelong Faith Formation

LFFD -- Lifelong Faith Formation Director

LP -- Langley Park

MCIC -- Montgomery County Interfaith Council

PC -- Parish Council

PRISCM -- Partnership for Renew in Southern and Central Maryland

PTSO – Parent Teacher School Organization

RCIA -- Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults

RCIY -- Rite of Christian Initiation for Youth

SCC -- Small Christian Community

SSIHC -- Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition

TBD -- To Be Determined

WTU -- Washington Theological Union

YM -- Youth Ministry

 

II.  The Origins of our Strategic Plan: The BPP Process

Best Practices for Parishes is a tool that makes use of small group survey and reflection, large group participation, and prayerful ordering of priorities for the future.  The program offered St. Camillus a way to compare itself to other Catholic parishes in the United States, and to consider what is best about us, in what ways we most want to improve, and how we might chart a path for the future.  The components of parish life in any church are complex and interrelated.  In our parish, which is large, unusually diverse, and ambitious in its efforts, any effort to examine who we are and what we do was bound to get “messy.”

To help us impose some order on our thinking, the Best Practices for Parishes program divides parish life into seven main categories, and we chose to preserve those seven categories, which are: Catechesis; Community Building; Evangelization; Family & Pastoral Care; Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (we modified this one to include Integrity of Creation issues); Prayer & Worship; and Stewardship.  Early in 2009, we began with small-group surveys and discussions.  Each of the seven categories was further divided into several small groups, and we made a particular effort to accommodate the three main languages of St. Camillus.  A total of 38 small groups, ranging in size from 4 to 14 people, met, completed surveys and conducted discussions focused on general recommendations. We also designed and administered a “By- Mass” survey for parishioners.  Eighty-one parishioners from all 8 Masses participated in the “By-Mass” surveys, and the issues that emerged from these surveys were incorporated, together with the small group reports, into summaries for the Town Hall meetings.

Seven Town Hall meetings were held in three language groups on three Saturdays in September and October, and were open for anyone who was interested.  In these meetings, participants were invited to come, discuss the draft report based on the small-group meetings, and recommend how we might order our priorities within that broader category.  Each of the seven Town Hall meetings had at least 33 participants.  The best-attended Town Hall meetings were those concerning Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation and Family & Pastoral Care.  English-language participation was highest for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation and for Prayer & Worship.  Spanish participation was highest for Evangelization and Catechesis.  French Participation was highest for Family & Pastoral Care and Catechesis.  A total of 270 participants were involved across the seven Town Hall meetings to discuss the recommendations that came out of the By-Mass surveys and the small group discussions.  Many parishioners participated in more than one of the meetings.

The recommendations generated by the small group recommendations, and the priorities given to those recommendations by the votes of Town Hall meeting participants, gave the Parish Council clear guidance as to priorities for St. Camillus’ future.   The Parish Council convened October 30-31 and prayerfully considered these results.  During two days of discussion, Goals for each of the seven BPP areas were selected by the Parish Council.   The Parish Council also generated suggestions for how to meet these goals – but it was agreed that seven working groups would be created that could disregard the suggestions… as long as they generated proposals for how to meet each of the goals agreed on by the Parish Council.

The groups that were assembled to write the proposals for action agreed to be involved in implementation of the proposals.  This document is largely a result of their efforts and their commitments – although the Pastoral leadership and the Parish Council have made modifications as necessary.

III.  Summaries of Proposals for Each Area

Community Building Summary

Community Building Goal 1:  St. Camillus has established a network of prayerful, well-supported and service-oriented small Christian communities that are actively involved in the life of the parish and are linked across the apparent cultural and linguistic barriers.

CB Goal 1, Proposal 1: Establish a Community Building Committee (CBC) that will collaborate with all of our service and prayer-based Small Christian Communities (SCCs) and the Lifelong Faith Formation Director (LFFD) to nurture and support SCCs.

CB Goal 1, Proposal 2: Encourage and enable SCCs to seek out and welcome participants from all cultures and language groups.

CB Goal 1, Proposal 3: Conduct events, programs, retreats, and/or projects that involve multiple groups, and that reach across boundaries in language or culture.

CB Goal 1, Proposal 4:  Support and enhance the Traffic Ministry. Increase participation as well as parishioners' cooperation with and appreciation of this critical service. Improve the safety and comfort of those who serve and make sure they are provided adequate resources and training.

Community Building Goal 2: St. Camillus parish meets the needs of its diverse communities, but it also strives to connect these communities by way of increased communication and collaboration in various areas of the ministries of our parish. Information about the events and ministries at St. Camillus Church is readily available in a variety of languages and formats.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 1: Establish a Communication Ministry (merged with the existing web/communication ministry) whose purpose includes increasing clear and consistent communication among ministries and SCCs.  This Communication Ministry would focus on integrating and strengthening the various channels of communication (web site, bulletin, advertisements, phone trees, email lists etc.) to maximize the impact of communications by and between SCCs and ministries.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 2: Establish a self-sustaining system that connects individuals to communities, and supports the development of relationships among the many communities and ministries of St. Camillus.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 3:  Encourage and sustain the creation and growth of SCCs by identifying new potential SCCs, and providing support, training, resources, advice, and information to new and existing SCCs. Work with the SCCs within St. Camillus to encourage the responsible and considerate use of shared resources, especially meeting space. Encourage groups to be aware of the parish events calendar and to respect the needs of other groups.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 4: The Communication Ministry shall maintain and extend the use of the web site and other information technologies to facilitate communication and to make it easier for SCCs and ministries to use these resources. This shall include establishing a process and sharing the knowledge for how SCCs and ministries can post their own information on the Parish website, with appropriate oversight by the Communication Ministry. The Communication Ministry shall also work with the many organizations of St. Camillus to increase their awareness of the parish events calendar, and how to respect the needs of other groups.

Community Building Goal 3: The members of the Parish Council have a more visible presence in the life of our community, and the parishioners are well informed about their role.

CB Goal 3, Proposal 1: The Parish Council codifies its operating procedures, and the role and responsibilities of members.

CB Goal 3, Proposal 2:  Take specific steps to improve the visibility of the Parish Council and its members, including a commissioning/blessing annually, a posting of names and information on the church bulletin board, and make agendas and minutes available.

 

Evangelization

Evangelization Goal 1: St. Camillus has an expanded range of opportunities for retreats and mission encounters that help the parish to continue to be evangelized and put into service the  time, talent and treasure of its members so that they in turn are empowered to reach out and evangelize beyond the confines of the parish community.

Evangelization Goal 1, Proposal 1: St. Camillus will hire a full time lifelong Faith Formation Director.

Evangelization Goal 1, Proposal 2: St. Camillus will offer two evenings of refection each year to more fully evangelize our parish community.

Evangelization Goal 1, Proposal 3: St. Camillus parish will continue to serve the poor through the food pantries at our main campus as well as in Langley Park.  In addition we will broaden volunteer opportunities and work on improving communication and cooperation.

Evangelization Goal 1, Proposal 4: Our Evangelization initiatives will continue to include non-Catholics and non-parishioners in mission trips and local St. Francis Builds opportunities (also Goal 3).  Such an ecumenical collaboration will allow us to be evangelized by others and learn new perspectives on our own faith.  We will also explore expanding our mission trips beyond Latin America.

Evangelization Goal 2 : St. Camillus Church has developed effective and creative ways to welcome new people into our parish while communicating to them what a full membership in this faith community entails, and assisting those individuals in making a commitment to the life and ministry of our parish.

Evangelization Goal 2, Proposal 1: In the first year of the plan, organize a Welcoming Committee, headed jointly by English, Spanish and French-speaking members of our parish.  (This will be different from the current Hospitality committee.)   All greeters should have name tags or badges that say “Ask about St. Camillus.”  Visitors will be offered a Welcoming Packet.  The Committee will be established by the Stewardship, Evangelization, and Community Building groups, all of which emphasized the importance of creating such a committee.

Evangelization Goal 2, Proposal 2:  Welcoming teams will be developed for each Mass.  A list of those who are already greeters is needed so that those persons will be included in this initiative. Welcoming teams will be present at all church entryways 15 minutes prior and 15 minutes following all Masses to welcome the people attending Mass—especially those visiting for the first time.  Ideally, the teams would include parish council members, youth, school children, families —all should have name tags or badges that say “Ask about St. Camillus.”

Evangelization Goal 2, Proposal 3: Towards the end of the first year and periodically thereafter, include a written welcome to newcomers in the weekly bulletin.   Make Welcome cards readily available as well.

Evangelization Goal 2, Proposal 4:  A Welcome Packet is currently being developed.  It   includes a registration card, a financial commitment card, and a list of ministries and activities identified by topic and age group.

Evangelization Goal 2, Proposal 6: After a person returns a registration card showing an interest in becoming a member of St. Camillus, he/she should be contacted and invited to attend a “New Member Social” (to be held periodically) where he/she can meet members of St. Camillus.

 

Faith Formation

Faith Formation Goal 1:  St. Camillus has developed a new vision and detailed plan for its Life-long Faith Formation program, including our parish school, which is based on the careful analysis of our pastoral realities and the best practices and curricula available in the area of faith formation for children, youth and adults.

Faith Formation Goal 1, Proposal 1: Inventory the current catechetical programs for children, youth and adults by language groups.

Faith Formation Goal 1, Proposal 2:  Establish a Faith Formation Board to assist the Offices of Faith Formation.

Faith Formation Goal 1, Proposal 3:  Review and improve the resources available to those who will work on all levels in the area of Life-long Faith Formation.

Faith Formation Goal 1, Proposal  4:  Begin a pilot program for Whole Community Faith Formation.

 

Faith Formation Goal 2: St. Camillus parish has allocated sufficient financial resources and assembled a qualified staff that is capable of providing the high quality faith formation programs and making full use of digital media technologies.  This approach to fostering a life-long process of faith formation includes family/ home-centered activities, small and large group learning, various types of retreats, Whole Community Faith Formation, and mission trips.  It also effectively utilizes the resource that is our parish school, providing as many children as possible an intense faith formation experience.

Faith Formation Goal 2, Proposal 1:  Hire a full-time Director of Life-long Faith Formation (in progress; see also Community Building, JPIC, Evangelization, F&PC, and Stewardship).

Faith Formation Goal 2, Proposal 2:  Further develop material that would assist and empower parents to take a more active role in transmitting and sharing faith with their children at home

 

Faith Formation Goal 3:  Through its online presence, St. Camillus parish has reached out to the unaffiliated and unengaged young adults that were actively engaged in social networking sites.

Faith Formation Goal 3, Proposal 1: Establish a Communications Team to develop a comprehensive plan of communication that includes, but is not limited to, the integration of the most current technologies. (This is also addressed in Community Building, Family & Pastoral Care, Prayer & Worship, and JPIC).

 

Faith Formation Goal 4: The catechetical program for children, youth and adults at St. Camillus parish is integrated within the overall pastoral ministry of the parish, which includes formation for a life of discipleship, prayer and worship, stewardship, leadership development, justice and service.

Faith Formation Goal 4, Proposal 1:  (Children’s Program) Help the Office of Religious Education structure a more manageable, cost-effective system.

Faith Formation Goal 4, Proposal 2:  (Service Program) Help better integrate service into education at all levels.

Faith Formation Goal 4, Proposal 3:  (Seniors) Integrate Seniors into our Life Long Faith Formation efforts.

Faith Formation Goal 4, Proposal 4:  (Education for JPIC)  The JPIC group will identify and consider the best practices of several parishes and schools where justice, peace and the integrity of creation have been incorporated into their liturgical life, the Life-long Faith Formation programs, and the elementary and the middle school curricula.  They will share what they learn with the Faith Formation team.

Faith Formation Goal 5: The catechetical program offers an extensive system of support for lay catechists and parents of children in our Religious Education as well as the teachers and parents in our school.

Faith Formation Goal 5, Proposal 1:  Establish clear structures of support, supervision, accompaniment and evaluation for catechists, and systems of support for parents of children and youth in our LFF programs.

 

Family and Pastoral Care

F&PC Goal 1: The parish supports couples in all stages of marriage – from PreCana through Marriage Enrichment – and takes advantage of worship opportunities to hold up the central role of the family in fostering a spiritual wellbeing of its members.

F&PC Goal 1, Proposal 1:  St. Camillus sponsors Couples and Family Retreats, alternating between the two.

F&PC Goal 1, Proposal 2:  Consider the possibility of offering School Parents Night Out to support growth and communication of couples.

F&PC Goal 2: Parish extends more opportunities for children to participate in the liturgical life of the parish.

F&PC Goal 2, Proposal 1: St. Camillus will explore the possibility of designating an occasional general mass in each of the three languages on families with young children.   This has been done annually with the Christmas evening mass, but could be expanded to also take place in ordinary time.

F&PC Goal 2, Proposal 2:  St. Camillus will continue sponsoring and promoting the Teen Mass.

F&PC Goal 3: St. Camillus parish has provided age appropriate worship alternatives for children and babies while creating and maintaining a sense of reverence and liturgical decorum among its adult members during Sunday liturgy.

F&PC Goal 3, Proposal 1:  St Camillus is in the process of establishing a small cry room.  For the first year of the Plan, the focus will remain on observing the extent to which the room helps address the needs of families with young children.  Additional alternatives will be explored in subsequent years.

 

F&PC Goal 4:  St Camillus parish has developed a Parish-wide Senior Ministry that addresses the needs of older parishioners in our diverse racial and ethnic communities.

F&PC Goal 4, Proposal 1:  Develop a senior ministry in incremental steps, beginning with a focus on areas where volunteers and resources have already been identified.  This will be a joint project of the Family & Pastoral Care team and the JPIC team.

 

F&PC Goal 5: St. Camillus parish has developed a strong support network for the bereaved by offering counseling and accompanying them through funeral procedures.

F&PC Goal 5, Proposal 1: St. Camillus will create a referral booklet (online and in hard copy) for grieving families.

F&PC Goal 5, Proposal 2: St Camillus will consider the possibility of establishing a group to provide support to families in a time of loss.

 

F&PC Goal 6: St. Camillus has a system in place that can refer people to agencies that can help them in times of serious crisis.

F&PC Goal 6, Proposal 1:  By the third year of the strategic plan, St Camillus will have established written guidelines for supporting families and individuals in crisis.  This will take the form of lists of resources and referrals, and will be available on the website and also provided to individuals on an as-needed basis.

 

 

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation

JPIC Goal 1: St. Camillus Church has developed effective and creative ways of communication among the members of its diverse community, including the Parochial School, that initiate and deepen their engagement in justice, charity, peace and the integrity of creation outreach of our parish.

JPIC Goal 1, Proposal 1:  Broaden participation in social justice activities, including advocacy and direct service, among the many ethnic communities at St. Camillus. Empower these communities to deepen their understanding of local and global social justice issues and to take effective and appropriate action to address these issues.

JPIC Goal 1, Proposal 2:  Extend and deepen awareness of, and participation in, the various JPIC programs among our parishioners and the St. Francis International School community.  Foster communication and collaboration between our diverse parish groups and St. Francis International School and assist them in integrating direct service, advocacy and outreach efforts.

 

JPIC Goal 1B:  St. Camillus parish reaches out and collaborates with local communities of other Christian denominations and faith traditions as a witness to God’s universal call and desire for justice, peace and harmony with all God’s creatures, which are hallmarks of God’s kingdom.

JPIC Goal 1B, Proposal 1:  Form an Interfaith Outreach Committee (IOC) that would develop and carry out plans to expand and strengthen St. Camillus' relationships with other local churches, synagogues, mosques and temples.  Invite participation in this committee from the wider parish, but especially from interfaith families connected to the parish or school.

JPIC Goal 1B, Proposal 2:  St. Camillus Church will actively promote the participation of parishioners in direct service, formation/education about specific social justice issues, and advocacy, building on our ties with organizations like the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, the Montgomery County Interfaith Council, Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Tent of Nations, and Churches for Middle East Peace.

 

JPIC Goal 2: The JPIC ministry at St. Camillus is well coordinated and inclusive as it effectively collaborates across the diverse parish community and its school, St. Francis International.

JPIC Goal 2, Proposal 1:  Develop organizational structures that would ensure that the concern for justice, peace and the integrity of creation is a constitutive element in the ministries of all three language groups at St. Camillus church.  Form linkages between the Spanish and French JPIC Teams, and the Parish-wide, multicultural JPIC Coordinating Team. In addition, the structures should be inclusive of participation by all ages, with special efforts to include youth and seniors.

JPIC Goal 2, Proposal 2:  Enter into a dialogue with individuals and groups in the Parish who feel marginalized or excluded from entering into the full life of our parish community, e.g., gays, divorced, single/separated parents, interdenominational or interfaith marriages.  Develop a plan that will help our parish to be more responsive to their needs.

 

JPIC Goal 3: St. Camillus Church and School have significantly reduced their carbon footprint, making its building facilities and communal and individual practices of its members more ecologically sustainable.

JPIC Goal 3, Proposal 1:  The parish Energy Conservation committee – with the support of external consultants as needed to guide and support the committee – will review and decide on the bidding proposals on possible energy saving projects and will oversee the energy retrofitting efforts.

JPIC Goal 3, Proposal 2: The parish Energy Conservation committee will keep the parishioners informed about the ongoing energy conservation effort at St. Camillus campus, educating them not only about what we do in that regard, but also providing the theological justification for it and suggesting ways in which they as individuals and/or families can reduce their own carbon footprint.

 

JPIC Goal 4: St. Camillus parish has made justice, peace and care for creation an integral part of its liturgical life, Life-long Faith Formation of its parishioners and the curriculum of St. Francis International School.

JPIC Goal 4, Proposal 1:  The JPIC ministry, Religious Education office and the Liturgy committee, will collaborate with respect to finding new ways of increasing liturgical literacy of the children, youth and adults, while helping them to make a more explicit connection between religious ritual and justice, peace and care for creation.

JPIC Goal 4, Proposal 2:  The JPIC Ministry will work with the Youth Minister of the Parish on specific ways to further incorporate the JPIC teachings and advocacy into Youth Ministry, e.g., J-walking, movies with JPIC themes, CRS programs on global solidarity targeting youth, field trips, short retreats with JPIC themes, consistent ethic of life session in preparation for the March for Life. In the future, the JPIC Ministry will consider planning, developing and providing in-service workshop opportunities for catechists in each of our three major language groups.

 

JPIC Goal 5:  The JPIC ministries of the parish collaborate closely with the Finance Council to ensure allocation of appropriate resources for its ministry, and foster further communication, transparency and accountability vis-à-vis the larger parish.

JPIC Goal 5, Proposal 1:  The JPIC Coordinating Committee will submit to the Finance Council their recommendation and rationale for expenditures in the areas of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation.

JPIC Goal 5, Proposal 2:  The JPIC Coordinating Committee will review the funds included in our investment portfolio and will advise the Finance Council ways to ensure the parish funds are not invested in companies whose corporate actions are widely considered to be socially irresponsible and contrary to the teachings of our church or the directors of our Franciscan Province.

 

JPIC Goal 6:  St. Camillus will seek new ways to preserve the tradition of action to serve the poor and marginalized.

JPIC Goal 6, Proposal 1:  Provide a detail assessment of the current direct service outreach at St. Camillus to the poor and marginalized and, on the basis of input from our English, Spanish and French-speaking parishioners, develop a plan for a possible expansion of the present scope of serving the needs of the poor and marginalized.

JPIC Goal 6, Proposal 2:  Provide our parishioners with more information about the successes and ongoing needs of our Langley Park mission outreach.

 

Prayer & Worship

Prayer & Worship Goal 1: Our liturgical celebrations will be characterized by full, conscious, and active participation.

P&W Goal 1, Proposal 1:  Every liturgical ministry in each of the three major language groups will have a volunteer coordinator in place.  (Liturgical Ministry groups include: Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar servers, Ushers/Hospitality, Music/Choirs and Cantors, Art and Environment/ Decorating, Audio-visual, and Sacristan assistants.

P&W Goal 1, Proposal 2: An effort will be made to provide every liturgical ministry with the training and resources needed to lift their ministry performance to a higher level, and the liturgy committee will take the lead in helping all ministries understand how the new liturgy affects what they do.

P&W Goal 1, Proposal 3:  The Liturgy Committee will be reorganized and expand its focus  to undertake  responsibility for meeting these strategic goals.  The Liturgy Committee will begin this effort in the first year of the plan.

P&W Goal 1, Proposal 4: The liturgical assembly will be receiving continual formation for full and active participation in the liturgy.  The congregation, as well as all the parish groups involved in prayer and worship, will need to be able to understand the rationale behind the upcoming slight changes in the celebration of the Mass that are being mandated by the Vatican, and implement these changes.  The Liturgy Committee will lead this effort, in coordination with the Lifelong Faith Formation Director beginning with Advent 2010, and will continue throughout the years of the plan.

P&W Goal 1, Proposal 5:  The Liturgy Committee will work closely with the Archdiocesan Office of Worship and other multilingual parishes in the US that might provide us with helpful materials and guidance regarding how we can most successfully implement the upcoming liturgical changes.  This collaborative effort will be lead by the Liturgy Committee, and will be completed by the start of the second year of the plan.

P&W Goal 1, Proposal 6:  St. Camillus will strengthen its program for training and coordinating the ministry of Altar Servers

 

Prayer & Worship Goal 2:  The parish will have a completed master plan for its worship spaces and some relatively inexpensive elements of that plan will already have been undertaken.

P&W Goal 2, Proposal 1:  The Liturgy Committee will gather and review the guidelines and requirements issued by the Bishops Conference and the Archdiocese regarding church buildings and their renovations.

P&W Goal 2, Proposal 2:  The friars and the Buildings and Grounds Committee will work with an outside consultant on developing proposals for windows, creation of a gathering space, improving grounds, improving acoustics, improving audio-visual capability; improving bathrooms, and creating auxiliary spaces.

P&W Goal 2, Proposal 3:  Develop a  five- year vision proposal for improving and expanding our worship space and the larger building envelope of St. Camillus church.

P&W Goal 2, Proposal 4:  Once a larger vision has been established and the rules reviewed, St Camillus will identify which portions of the plan are of a high priority, relatively easy and financially doable.

P&W Goal 2, Proposal 5:  The Liturgy Committee will review and begin to update our liturgical furnishings and vesture.  (Vestments, banners, books, hymnals, candlesticks, etc.).  The committee will review what the parish has and plan for replacements and updating as needed.

Prayer & Worship Goal 3:  Parishioners of St. Camillus will be offered a variety of ways in which they could increase and deepen their participation in liturgy and enrich their personal lives.

P&W Goal 3, Proposal 1: The Liturgy Committee will make use of bulletin inserts and the website to encourage and inform parishioners of various styles of prayer and available resources.

P&W Goal 3, Proposal 2:  The Liturgy Committee will plan, publicize, and hold a variety of communal prayer events (possibly including Liturgy of the Hours, Taize, Stations of the Cross, Benediction & Adoration, the Rosary, Communal Reconciliation ) beginning in the third year of the plan, and continuing forward.

P&W Goal 3, Proposal 3:  The Liturgy Committee – in collaboration with the friars – will create a plan for facilitating and increasing our parishioners’ singing at Sunday liturgies in all languages

 

Prayer & Worship Goal 4:  Parish establishes and supports multiple venues for the whole community including youth to participate creatively in its spiritual development through the use of arts (e.g. poetry, dance, photography, videos).

P&W Goal 4, Proposal 1:  St Camillus will create a strong Communications Ministry that is not exclusively focused on the website. (See Community Building, and Family & Pastoral Care for a full discussion)

P&W Goal 4, Proposal 2:  St. Camillus will establish an Arts Committee and use it to enhance Liturgical celebrations beginning midway through the first year of the plan.

P&W Goal 4, Proposal 3:  St Camillus will strengthen its training for and use of liturgical dance in celebrations.

 

Stewardship

Stewardship Goal 1:  The spirituality and practice of stewardship have been integrated into worship and promoted on a regular basis as a part of life long faith formation for St. Camillus parishioners among Spanish, English, and French-speaking parishioners and across various age groups.

Stewardship Goal 1, Proposal 1: The process of developing a detailed plan for an Annual Stewardship Renewal is already underway.  Early in the first year, the Stewardship Committee will have prepared a detailed plan for an Annual Stewardship Renewal effort.

Stewardship Goal 1, Proposal 2:   Designate a Welcoming Sunday quarterly when, after some English, Spanish, and French Masses, new parishioners are invited to be officially welcomed and become registered members of the parish. (This proposal is most fully developed in the Evangelization chapter.)  The Stewardship group is particularly concerned to see a stewardship component to the welcoming process.

Stewardship Goal 1, Proposal 3:  Better inform parishioners of opportunities for volunteering and gift giving.

 

Stewardship Goal 2: St. Camillus has a well run facility whose maintenance is managed by an integrated team of paid staff, outside contractors and volunteers, and which doesn’t require significant involvement of the pastoral staff.

Stewardship Goal 2, Proposal 1:  Management of St Camillus Church and St. Francis School is likely to require a reorganization of maintenance plans.  The possibility of such reorganization will be explored before the end of the Strategic Plan period.

Stewardship Goal 3:  St. Camillus has added a position of Director of Stewardship as a new staff member.

Stewardship Goal 3, Proposal 1:  St. Camillus will hire a Director of Stewardship/Development Director who will work closely with the Stewardship committee, the Lifelong Faith Formation team, the parish staff and other lay leaders of our parish to promote stewardship as a way of life among our multicultural faith community.  That person will spearhead and oversee the creation of a comprehensive stewardship plan for the English, Spanish and French-speaking members of our parish.

Stewardship Goal 3, Proposal 2:  In the third year of the plan, a well-done children’s Lay Witness presentation will be incorporated into the Sunday liturgy of the parish.

Stewardship Goal 3, Proposal 3:  The Stewardship Director, together with the Director of Religious Education will develop proposals for what resources are needed to assist the children in adapting stewardship as a way of life.

 

Stewardship Goal 4:  The Parish has a high level of transparency to all parishioners about finances, provides regular reports on Parish contributions, expenses, and budgets.  Parishioners know who makes financial decisions and on what basis.

Stewardship Goal 4, Proposal 1:  Reports via the bulletin will continue to be delivered to the parish community annually, giving an account of total parish expenditures.

Stewardship Goal 4, Proposal 2:  The Parish Council will strive to develop a better understanding of the budget.  Members of the Finance Council are listed on the website.

Stewardship Goal 4, Proposal 3:  Parish expenditures follow the priorities of the Strategic Plan.

 

IV.  Community Building

Community Building Goal 1:  St. Camillus has established a network of prayerful, well-supported and service-oriented small Christian communities that are actively involved in the life of the parish and are linked across the apparent cultural and linguistic barriers.

CBGoal 1, Proposal 1:  Establish a Community Building Committee (CBC) that will collaborate with all of our service and prayer-based Small Christian Communities (SCCs) and the Lifelong Faith Formation Director (LFFD) to nurture and support SCCs.  The CBC will help SCCs pursue the strategic goals of the Parish, especially the Community Building Goals articulated here. Specific CBC responsibilities will include: promoting and encouraging participation in existing SCCs, supporting and encouraging the formation of new SCCs, connecting SSCs to each other, and helping the SCCs align their various missions with the priorities of the parish.

CB Goal 1, Proposal 2:  Encourage and enable SCCs to seek out and welcome participants from all cultures and language groups.  Ideally, SCCs would be willing and able to pursue their missions inclusively, by proactively opening and publicizing programs and projects to all cultures and language groups. This could take several forms, including “Multi-cultural SCCs” that include, in a single community, members from different cultural and/or language backgrounds (e.g. the Multi-cultural Choir), or “Parallel SCCs”, multiple communities that operate in parallel in different languages, (e.g. the Pre-Cana ministry, which has English, Spanish, French communities).

CB Goal 1, Proposal 3:  Conduct events, programs and/or projects that involve multiple groups, and that reach across boundaries in language or culture.   SCCs should be networked and integrated into the life of the Parish in order to increase the connections between SCCs and the overall sense of Parish-wide community. This would be accomplished through events such as dedicated worship/sacrament/reflection services and recognition of SCCs at weekly masses. Programs such as a reciprocal prayer network and projects such as Habitat for Humanity builds, would further connect SCCs through shared mission, celebration, and personal witness.

CB Goal 1, Proposal 4:  Support and enhance the Traffic Ministry.   Increase participation as well as parishioners' cooperation with and appreciation of this critical service. Improve the safety and comfort of those who serve and make sure they are provided adequate resources and training.  The Traffic Ministry has grown and is doing an excellent job, but needs continued encouragement, participation from across the many language groups of St. Camillus.  Their contribution to our safety and our ability to fit so many people in one space is a very important one.  They should be integrated into relevant coordinating bodies.

Community Building Goal 2:  St. Camillus parish meets the needs of its diverse communities, but it also strives to connect these communities by way of increased communication and collaboration in various areas of the ministries of our parish. Information about the events and ministries at St. Camillus Church is readily available in a variety of languages and formats.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 1:  Establish a Communication Ministry (merged with the existing web/communication ministry) whose purpose includes increasing clear and consistent communication among ministries and SCCs.  This Communication Ministry would focus on integrating and strengthening the various channels of communication (web site, bulletin, advertisements, phone trees, email lists etc.) to maximize the impact of communications by and between SCCs and ministries.   Rationale-Parishioners frequently cite a lack of effective and consistent communication as a barrier to participating in SCCs. Information about events and communities is not consistently available in all the major languages spoken by the parish, and different sources of information (e.g. bulletin, web site, flyers) sometimes have conflicting details (times, locations etc.) about the same event. Thus there is a need for a more systematic and structured approach to communication.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 2:  Establish a self-sustaining system that connects individuals to communities, and supports the development of relationships among the many communities and ministries of St. Camillus.  Rationale-Active, thriving SCCs and ministries, and committed, involved parishioners nourish and support each other to sustain a strong, vibrant community. It is necessary constantly to reach out to parishioners to help them become and remain involved in SCCs and ministries. Similarly, SCCs and ministries can be of more help to each other if there is a structure for understanding shared needs and complementary resources or skills.  Frequently, several SCCs and/or ministries may face identical or at least very similar challenges. These needs and challenges are opportunities to strengthen ties between SCCs and ministries, increase communication, foster mutual support and encourage collaboration. For example, Seniors who may need help learning to use computers might be matched to IT-savvy youth groups wanting to do community service (youth ministry). Another example would be multiple faith-sharing groups that organize retreats. If information and resources could be effectively shared among the SCCs, it would not be necessary for each SCC individually to invent or discover solutions to common logistical problems of running retreats.  Additionally, the system will not simply be a means “of meeting needs” but also of encouraging participation and collaboration of parishioners in the very act of meeting needs.

CB Goal 2, Proposal 3:  Encourage and sustain the creation and growth of SCCs by identifying new potential SCCs, and providing support, training, resources, advice, and information to new and existing SCCs. Work with the SCCs within St. Camillus to encourage the responsible and considerate use of shared resources, especially meeting space. Encourage groups to be aware of the parish events calendar and to respect the needs of other groups.   Rationale-Some parishioners that might otherwise join an SCC do not because of obstacles such as not knowing about what is available, not feeling comfortable approaching an established group, or fear of commitment. Some parishioners that might otherwise form new SCCs do not do so because they do not know how, or think somebody else is or should be doing it, or cannot find others with common interests with whom to collaborate. These barriers to joining or forming SCCs can be reduced or eliminated if the parish can provide support, training, resources etc. to the SCCs.  Also, this support should be in the spirit of collaboration and growth so as to not come across as “telling the SCC’s what to do.”

CB Goal 2, Proposal 4:  The Communication Ministry shall maintain and extend the use of the web site and other information technologies to facilitate communication and to make it easier for SCCs and ministries to use these resources. This shall include establishing a process and sharing the knowledge for how SCCs and ministries can post their own information on the Parish website, with appropriate oversight by the Communication Ministry. The Communication Ministry shall also work with the many organizations of St. Camillus to increase their awareness of the parish events calendar, and how to respect the needs of other groups.  Rationale-The newer software will enable groups to post their own information, although it is important that the Communication Ministry maintain oversight over the web site content.   To support this, all groups and ministries will be invited to participate in a seminar on how to use the software.  A training seminar will be offered four times in the first year, and repeated as needed in later years.  Software alone will not resolve the problem of groups double-booking space, or of groups being inconsiderate of the plans of other groups, so this should be incorporated into the training (see also CB Goal 2, Proposal 3).

Community Building Goal 3:  The members of the Parish Council have a more visible presence in the life of our community, and the parishioners are well informed about their role.

CB Goal 3, Proposal 1:  The Parish Council codifies its operating procedures, and the role and responsibilities of members.  Rationale-The Parish Council needs to have consistent and sustainable operating procedures, and all members need to take an active role during council meetings and in parish life between meetings. Currently many new members do not fully understand their role and responsibilities as council members during meeting and in the general parish life.

CB Goal 3, Proposal 2:  Take specific steps to improve the visibility of the Parish Council and its members, including a commissioning/blessing annually, a posting of names and information on the church bulletin board, and make agendas and minutes available.  Rationale:Few parishioners know who the parish council is, what their role is, what they do, and how to interact with them.  The council exists to advise the pastor in the liturgical, spiritual, sacramental, spiritual, and social life of the parish.  Being in a good position to advise the pastor means parish council members need to have active relationships with parishioners at large.