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Monmouth Central Deanery Update

February, 2008

Study process inaugurated in first meeting of parish representatives

After months of preparation, research and preliminary analysis, the Monmouth Central Deanery Study officially convened Jan. 16 with the first of eight study sessions that will chart a new course for the 15 participating parishes.

Nearly 50 delegates, three from each of the parishes, gathered in St. Jerome School, West End, to learn from diocesan officials what would be expected of them in this, the third region of the diocese to undergo the study and restructuring process.

Msgr. Gregory D. Vaughan, vicar general and moderator of the curia, spoke on behalf of Bishop John M. Smith in thanking the team members for committing to the process and charging them with the task of "working together to create vibrant parish communities in central Monmouth County."

He stressed that just as in the Greater Trenton Area and the Northern Burlington Deanery studies, which concluded in 2005 and 2007 respectively, "There are no pre-conceived ideas of the outcome of this study." He added, "The work of this study group will be vital to the Bishop's decision making."

He continued, "We are asking you to be witnesses of the Gospel, so that Jesus' message of love and hope reaches as many people as possible for generations to come."

Study group members were each given a binder full of materials, encompassing everything from timelines and contact lists to demographic maps and parish profiles. To empower the delegates in their effort to craft attainable goals and action plans, the working binder offered comprehensive lists of parish statistics, including baptisms, marriages and funerals. A financial report on each participating parish was furnished, as well.

The workbook also provides a summary of the in-pew surveys that were taken in the 15 parishes in September. Nearly 9,000 survey responses were submitted to the diocese for compilation and analysis. The findings will be used to frame the discussion as the study group meets over the coming months.

According to Michael Fabian, associate director, diocesan Office of Parish Expansion and Restructuring, the majority of survey respondents were regular church-goers who were older than their actual populations skew. He reported that 79 percent of respondents overall were over 40 years of age; 47 percent were over 55, and 22 percent were over 70. The youngest parish was St. John the Baptist, Long Branch, where 50 percent of the respondents were below the age of 40.

The survey responses indicated that the aspects of parish life that mattered most were community, adequate facilities, religious education for children and social justice initiatives.

But the survey analysis and research data were only part of what the study group would be working with, diocesan officials stressed in the first session. Father Jeffrey E. Lee, director of the Office of Parish Expansion and Restructuring, told the assembled group, "We've given you that data - the reality - but the sharing, the storytelling, the hopes and fears of your parishes, the story of the people is up to you [to bring to the discussion] . . . for the next eight months."

Father Lee noted that the Church in Monmouth County, while enriched with many blessings, has been living a pastoral model first implemented in the 1950s. The emphasis then was placed on the construction of schools to accommodate the growing need for Catholic education, but the church structures were often temporary and not adequate for the model needed for the Catholic community today.

The factors that drive the parish study process in Monmouth County include the current and projected decrease in the number of priests and religious, the population shifts away from small towns and into the suburbs, the influx of new Catholics from other countries, and the growing senior population. The study group will be looking at each parish's ministry and outreach to people of all ages; the relationship between Catholic population and location of churches; the possibility of collaboration between parishes, and how well each local community meets the required Eleven Elements of a Vibrant Parish (see box).

Fabian explained that because so much preparatory work was done in the deanery through Information Nights held in the fall, the study process, originally slated to run for 10 months, would be shortened by two months. It is expected to conclude in August, when study group members present to Bishop John M. Smith their recommendations and preferences for parish restructuring or collaboration.

The study group will come together for its next session Feb. 20.

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1. The parish will have a strong sense of itself as a community of faith, called by God, united in Christ and led by the Holy Spirit.
2. Members will see themselves as called and willing to participate actively in the leadership and growth of the parish.
3. A pastor who knows the people of the parish, they know him and they are comfortable in communicating with him. The pastor is so important to the life of a good vibrant parish. He presides over the liturgy and empowers others to take part in the ministry of the Church.
4. The parish must have an adequate number of well-trained staff to take care of the needs of the parish. They must have a sense of purpose in achieving the goals of the parish.
5. Parishioners will actively participate in the life of the parish, both in the liturgical life and in other functions connected with the parish.
6. The liturgy will be the point to which all else leads and flows. The people will come to experience the presence of the living God.
7. The parish must be fully committed to the religious education of children and adults.
8. The parish experiences the call of Christ to spread the Word of God with evangelization programs, welcoming others through faith-sharing experiences.
9. The parish must be a certain size and have enough people of different age, gender and race.
10. The financial condition of the parish should be such that it is able to carry out its work without undue stress on ministry and laity. It must not be preoccupied with financial matters.
11. The facilities must be maintained in an acceptable condition. It must not be too small or too big.

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Update will be issued monthly to all parishes involved in the Monmouth Central Deanery Study. Next month's UPDATE will focus on the Parish Self-Study Survey and include a report on the feedback from parishioners.

Director: Rev. Jeffrey Lee
609 406-7400 ext. 5635
Fax: 609-406-7444
E-mail: jlee@dioceseoftrenton.org

Associate Director: Michael Fabian
609 406-7400 ext. 5636
Fax: 609-406-7444
E-mail: mfabia@dioceseoftrenton.org