Current News and Update
Core Team Meeting #6
The 6th Core Team meeting focused on the implementation of the merger of the Religious Education programs effective September 2009. Kathy Teti, Pat Mauro, and Terry Budniak discussed the steps necessary to achieve a smooth transition for the students, parents, and teachers. Thank you to Kathy, Pat, and Terry for your leadership and being an example of how the merger process can be implemented smoothly. The Core Team also discussed the naming of the new parish and when this process will begin. Ballots will be placed in pews of each parish during weekend masses beginning April 18 through May 3, so all parishioners have an opportunity to participate. Note, the names of the existing buildings will not change as long as they are utilized.
Core Team Meeting #5
The 5th meeting of the Core Team focused on the combination of ministries with in each parish. The CCD sub committee reported that the Assumption School building could accommodate all CCD students from each parish, beginning in September 2009. The Core Team recommended appointing Terry Budniak as interim DRE for the new parish. Core Team members will be contacting other parish ministries to begin holding introductory meetings to discuss how to make the transition to the new parish as smooth as possible.
A new web site has been launched to keep parishioners informed about the merger process. Please visit the site www.3parishes1family.weebly.com. Special thanks to Bob Iuliucci for his work on developing the site.
Core Team Meeting #4
Over the past month, The Core Team attended two leadership workshops which were provided by the Diocese of Camden. The workshops focused on developing skills such as listening, communicating, and group decision making. At the last meeting, the Core Team established rules for decision making and established a sub committee to begin the process of merging the ministries of each parish. The Core Team will also be attending one mass together at each parish and will be introduced at that time. The first mass will be 10:00 am at Assumption on 3/8, the second mass will be 4:15pm at St Anthony’s on 3/14, and the third mass will be 10:30am at Sacred Heart on 3/22.
Core Team Meeting #3
On Thursday, January 15th the Core Team had a meeting with the clergy, parish councils and finance councils from all three parishes. This meeting was the last of a series of meetings which were aimed at gathering information about the parishes.
This information will be used by the Core team in future meeting to help guide us. The Core Team has also been attending leadership workshops which have been provide through the Diocese of Camden
Thursday, 08 January 2009
A series of meetings for Priest Conveners with their Core Teams will be held focusing on leadership and communication skills.
Peg Garvey-Mitchell, facilitator of the Synod in the Metuchen Diocese, and consultant to the National Pastoral Life Center and Common Ground Initiative, will facilitate the three-hour sessions that are scheduled on Friday evenings, Saturday mornings and some Saturday afternoons in January and February.
The sessions are being offered in two parts. Session 1, scheduled in January, will be followed by Session 2 in February. The schedule of meetings has been sent to Priest Conveners and their Core Teams from the Planning Office of the Diocese.
The Priest Conveners had the opportunity to meet the presenter and participate in a session held Wednesday, Jan. 7 at St. Charles Borromeo in Sicklerville.
Core Team Meeting Meeting #2
Our parish core team held its second meeting on Wednesday November 19. The purpose of the meeting was to review facts about each present parish. Representatives from each parish presented information about their parish ministries, organizations, major parish events, and current mass schedules. Fr. Piotr spoke on behalf of St. Anthony’s, Fr. Bradley and Pat Mauro spoke on behalf of Blessed John XXIII, and Deacon Chick McAleer spoke on behalf of Assumption.
Our new parish will benefit greatly from the histories and traditions of each of the three parishes. At our next meeting the core team will discuss the process of grief/loss and develop a strategy to help all parishioners to cope with change.
Core Team Meeting Meeting #1
Our parish core team held its first meeting to implement the planned merger of Blessed John XXIII, St. Anthony’s and Assumption. Led by our Co-Conveners Fr. Jim Casadia and Fr. Piotr Szamocki our core team members are Jim Pope, Mike Zarella, Joan Sarappa, Inge Strock, Barbara Sarnoski, Michael Tinney, Terry McBride, Bob Iuliucci, and John O’Donnell.
In an effort to keep all parishioners informed and aware of the process the core team will publish regular updates in each church’s bulletin. In addition to getting to know our fellow core team members, the purpose of our first meeting was to review the literature provided by the Diocese about the merger process. In addition, the team decided to develop a web site to post information about the merger that will be linked to each church’s web site. Our next meeting will be with the Pastor/Administrator from each parish to review facts about each present parish.
Friday, 31 October 2008
With the work of bringing parish communities together ahead, Priest Conveners and their Core Teams gathered at deanery meetings this month for an overview of the Merger Manual and to review a range of practical matters related to parish mergers.
From Oct. 8-Oct. 30, five two-hour evening sessions were held in each area of the diocese. The last session is being held next week.
In addition to the overview of the various sections of the Merger Manual, the sessions provided a review of the pastoral, canonical, civil and administrative work that must occur before mergers are established formally by decree. A suggested sequence of Priest Convener/Core Team meetings was also provided. A question and answer period followed.
The meetings were moderated by Father Terry Odien, vicar for clergy. Bishop Galante opened the meeting with a prayer and reflection.
Bishop commended the Priest Conveners and Core Team members for their willingness to take on the work of bringing parish communities together and recommended Moses as their patron saint. “Moses was called by God to leadership, to help lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but was reluctant, telling God he was not the best candidate for such a mission. When he finally accepted, he heard the frustrations and complaints of the people. Each time, he prayed to God and God intervened. He became a saint not because he made it to the Promised Land, but because he was faithful to the mission to which God called him.”
With Scripture references on Power Point behind them, Sister Marilyn Vollmer, director of pastoral planning for the diocese, and Sister Antoine Lawlor, associate director of pastoral planning, stressed the importance of prayer, collaboration, and communication, as well as the need to listen with humility, to foster unity and to plan for the common good as Priest Conveners and Core Teams move forward with their work.
Bill Murray, the Bishop’s delegate for temporalities, posed a series of questions to the Priest Conveners and Core Team members on the care of temporal goods. He asked them to review the Merger Manual to obtain answers to questions that will arise regarding property and facilities management, finance/accounting procedures, human resources, inventory, information technology, and budgeting.
Roberta Small, vice chancellor of the diocese, provided a comprehensive review of canonical considerations, including the characteristics of a parish, the role of pastors, what constitutes a merger, how goods, assets, debts and liabilities of existing parishes migrate to the new parish, the records that must be kept and transferred, the disposition of sacred goods, as well as goods of historic or artistic value, in addition to various civil considerations.
Reviewing a range of ministries that serve parishioners of all age groups, Sister Roseann Quinn, the Bishop’s delegate for lifelong faith formation, outlined the need for the Priest Conveners and Core Teams to make adequate provision in their plans for professional ministries to carry out lifelong formation. Lifelong formation was identified by the people of the diocese as a major pastoral priority during Speak Up sessions in 2005 and 2006. Earlier this month, the diocese announced a major initiative to help laity engaged in parish work to obtain the educational credentials specific to their area of ministry. Beginning in January, the diocese’s “Lay Ministry Formation Program” will offer college and university degree and certificate courses for parish leaders and staff in the diocese who serve in various pastoral ministries.
In explaining the merger manual, Sister Marilyn Vollmer said, “Every parish is unique, but the manual is an approved guide that helps lay the foundation for the work ahead. It provides a pathway and resource based on the input, knowledge and experience of clergy, religious and laity who have contributed to the manual.”
Priest Conveners and Core Team members were asked to take time to review the merger manual thoroughly, then begin to assess those areas or details that need to be addressed by each Core Team based on local needs and situations.
Presenters stressed that parishes were coming into the merging process as equals. “Larger parishes do not have greater influence or rights than smaller parishes,” said Sister Marilyn Vollmer. “We come together to form something new, but drawing on the strengths of each parish community,” she said. “A merger must be inclusional by involving each parish, which is why we have Core Teams with equal representation from each parish.”
Priest Conveners will direct and coordinate various Core Team tasks, develop a timeline for the work of the Core Team, and oversee the work necessary to ensure that all preparations have occurred before they notify Bishop Galante of the parishes’ readiness to merge.
The Core Teams will hold their first meetings this fall, while the number of meetings and timeline for meetings will vary, depending on local circumstances. When Bishop Galante’s intentions for reconfiguration were announced in April, he indicated that it would take 12-24 months before he would issue decrees establishing the new parishes.
October
Priest Conveners and their Core Teams will gather Oct. 19 at St. Agnes Church in Blackwood for a special commissioning ceremony highlighting their role in the work of guiding merging parishes toward reconfiguration. Bishop Joseph Galante will preside at the 3 p.m. event.
The 41 Priest Conveners and almost 400 Core Team members will be blessed in preparation for their work.
“At the ceremony the Priest Conveners and Core Teams receive the blessing of God, who gives the gifts needed to carry out their responsibilities,” said Stephen F. Obarski, director of Worship for the diocese. “The blessing also asks the Holy Spirit to strengthen them and sustain them as they take on their new roles of service to the parishes.”
The blessing ceremony will also include Scripture readings and a homily.
Gold lapel pins inscribed with “Core Team” and “Gathering God’s Gifts,” the theme of the parish planning process, will be distributed to the Core Team members.
“At the core of the pin is the cross, calling us to be mindful that Jesus is the center of our lives and the reason we undertake this work,” said Sister Marilyn Vollmer, director of Pastoral Planning for the diocese. “The pin depicts God’s people around the cross, united by baptism and joined in a common purpose to help people in our parishes come to know, love and live Jesus more completely.”
Core Team members have been selected from a pool of nominated parishioners. Over the last several weeks, the Priest Conveners and current parish pastors have met to review the nominees, their leadership and experience, their capacity for assuming the responsibilities, their attitude toward change, and their receptivity to the work ahead. The Priest Conveners then interviewed the nominees and, in consultation with parish pastors, chose the Core Team.
The Core Teams include an equal number of members appointed from each of the parishes that are merging. In configurations where two parishes will merge, the Core Team is composed of four members from each merging parish, in addition to the Priest Convener. In configurations where three or more parishes will merge, the Core Team is composed of three members from each merging parish, in addition to the Priest Convener.
Core Team members and the Priest Conveners are attending one of six information sessions that are being offered throughout the diocese this month to review Core Team leadership roles and responsibilities. They also will receive the Merger Manual that has been prepared to assist them.
Last month, current pastors, administrators and two or three key personnel from parishes attended one of three information meetings to review pertinent sections of the Merger Manual and the steps that must occur before the new parishes can be established.
William Murray, the bishop’s delegate for temporalities and finance officer of the diocese outlined the purpose of the meeting and introduced presenters. Roberta Small, vice chancellor, presented canonical perspectives on parish reconfiguration; Ed LoCasale, director of Financial Services, reviewed accounting, finance and budgeting considerations; Larry Reader, executive director of Temporal Affairs, outlined facilities management; and John Raftery, director of Human Resources, gave special attention to the concerns of parish staff members, explaining the personnel policies that will apply once new parishes are formed.
September
Core Team members to be selected to assist Priest Conveners with mergers
More than 150 priests of the diocese gathered Sept. 10 at Holy Family Parish in Sewell for an information meeting outlining the responsibilities of the Priest Conveners and the Core Teams that will guide parishes through the merger process ahead.
Criteria for Core Team Selection
a) Holds a positive vision of what a new parish could be like
b) Is committed to cooperation and collaboration as the best way to work with others
c) Comes to this role with no personal agenda or grievance
d) Has time available, and enthusiasm and energy to work to establish the new parish
e) Is able to let go of his/her present parish reality in order to develop the new parish
f) Accepts and acts on the fact that he/she is not a representative or lobbyist for his/her present parish, cultural, or ethnic group, but a builder of something new
g) Brings community building skills and/or professional skills to the task
h) Is an active, practicing Catholic and a member of the parish
i) Is willing to take the IChange assessment to learn how he/she reacts to change and to make that information available to the Priest Convener and current pastor
j) Diversity within the group, so that there is a mix of gender, (an age span from youthfulness to seniority), experience, and skills
k) Inclusion of persons from various cultures, if the parish is multicultural