Northern Burlington Deanery Update
July/August, 2006
Parishioners called to reflect on what makes a faith community 'vibrant'
Throughout June, members of 13 parish communities in the Northern Burlington Deanery were asked to fill out an in-pew survey during Mass, providing their assessment of a wide range of features about parish life.
An estimated 4,000 surveys have been returned to the diocesan Office of Research and Planning from the participating parishes, which include: St. Mary, Bordentown; St. Andrew, Jobstown; Holy Assumption, Roebling; St. Clare, Florence; All Saints, Burlington; St. Paul, Burlington; Corpus Christi, Willingboro; St. Joseph, Beverly; St. Casimir, Riverside; St. Peter, Riverside; Holy Name, Delran; St. Charles, Cinnaminson, and Sacred Heart, Riverton.
The survey asked parishioners to measure the following aspects of parish life - liturgy, prayer, spirituality and devotions; adult faith formation, religious education of children, parish support of Catholic schools and youth ministry programs; outreach and social justice efforts; welcoming, ecumenism and interfaith activity; leadership, lay participation and administration, and parish facilities. In all questions, parishioners were asked to rate how important each criterion was to them, and how their parish performed in each of the areas. According to Father Joseph Tedesco, director of the Office of Research and Planning, the survey will provide the basis for the study that his office will conduct of the parishes of the Northern Burlington Deanery this fall. The survey was designed to measure each of the local communities specifically on the 11 elements of a vibrant parish first advanced by Bishop John M. Smith in 1999.
"The survey and the study represent an invitation by our Bishop to look at ourselves in light of the elements of a vibrant parish and to begin to formulate goals together in order to strengthen parish life," Father Tedesco explained.
The 11 Elements of a Vibrant Parish are:
- 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.
- Members will see themselves as called and willing to participate actively in the leadership and growth of the parish.
- 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.
- 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.
- Parishioners will actively participate in the life of the parish, both in the liturgical life and in other functions connected with the parish.
- 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.
- The parish must be fully committed to the religious education of children and adults.
- The parish experiences the call of Christ to spread the Word of God with evangelization programs, welcoming others through faith-sharing experiences.
- The parish must be a certain size and have enough people of different age, gender and race.
- 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.
- The facilities must be maintained in an acceptable condition. It must not be too small or too big.
Key to the success of this study process will be the collaborative approach that will be taken. Father Tedesco noted that beginning in late August, a leadership team, consisting of lay leaders and clergy, will begin to meet and develop goals based on the surveys that were submitted. The process calls for a great deal of consultation and dialogue between parish leadership, as well as within the parish itself. Regular updates will be prepared and distributed to keep all members of the parish community informed about the process.
Father Tedesco stated, "We can never have enough collaboration. This is what the Church is about; this is the way we are Church. We are all, through our Baptism, called to the mission of living and proclaiming Christ. It is no longer a matter of looking solely to our priests to do everything in the parish. We have each been given gifts that the Church needs to move forward."
Among the specific ways that collaboration will support the initiative is through the parish cluster approach. Father Tedesco noted that the deanery will be divided into three different clusters as follows: north cluster to encompass Bordentown, Roebling, Florence and Jobstown; central will include Burlington, Willingboro and Beverly, and south will be Riverside, Delran, Cinnaminson and Riverton. The challenge, he added, will be to determine how the parishes within each cluster can work together to build greater vibrancy in the parish experience for their members.
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Update will be issued monthly (bi-monthly through the summer) to all parishes involved in the Northern Burlington study.
Office of Expansion and Restructuring
Diocesan Pastoral Center
PO Box 5147
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147
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
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