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Northern Burlington Deanery Update

February, 2007

Parish leadership groups review study team's work; shared goals are developed for cluster

Leadership groups in each of the 14 parishes now involved in the Northern Burlington Deanery Study met between late December and early January to hear presentations on the work of the study team and to offer their feedback. The leadership groups are made up of 10-15 persons appointed by each pastor from among parish organizations, parish pastoral and finance councils and leaders within the faith community.

The groups were given reports on the opportunities and challenges identified thus far in the study, and the preliminary goals in development. The teams varied greatly in their feedback with some questioning the study process and others offering support to the areas of ministerial needs that had been identified by the study team during its November and December meetings.

Parish leadership groups asked that the work of the deanery study team continue to be communicated to the 14 parish communities by way of the monthly UPDATES published in parish bulletins and that the leaders are kept informed through reports by deanery representatives, minutes and worksheets from the deanery meetings and other means. Though concerns had emerged that the study outcome had been predetermined, deanery representatives assured their local communities that nothing had been decided. A number of parish leaders acknowledged that there were serious issues that had to be addressed by the Church and that it was important to move forward in the study.

The feedback from the parish leadership groups was a major focus of the Jan. 18 meeting of the Northern Burlington Deanery Study. With the input from the local communities, study team members continued to work in clusters as they began Stage 2 of the process -- the Dream phrase, in which they will assess and identify alternate ways to accomplish ministry goals.

Study team members were asked to identify shared parish goals in an effort to determine the goals of the cluster. Among those identified are:

• Do more to promote priestly vocations
• Develop outreach to youth, young adults and new Catholic families
• Strengthen social ministry initiatives with greater support to the poor, seniors and shut-ins
• Support Catholic education within and beyond the cluster
• Strengthen adult faith formation programs and lay ministry formation
• Improve inter-parish communications and form a permanent cluster committee to address ongoing potential for collaboration and mutual initiatives
• Achieve financial stability
• maintain or improve facilities and grounds

At the next meeting of the study team, set for Feb. 15, members will work on prioritizing cluster goals and explore alternate ways of achieving them. The next presentation to the parish leadership groups will be the week of March 19.

Update is issued monthly to all parishes involved in the Northern Burlington Deanery study.

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Update is issued monthly to all parishes involved in the Northern Burlington study.

Director: Rev. Joseph A. Tedesco
609 406-7400 ext. 5635
Fax: 609-406-7444
E-mail: jtedes@dioceseoftrenton.org

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