Harvesting Gifts for the Church of Camden
WILLIAMSTOWN — “This is a graced moment to set course for the future of our diocese.”
These were the words spoken by Bishop Joseph A. Galante, in describing the importance of last Saturday’s event at Our Lady of Peace Parish here, kicking off a new initiative that will help parishes throughout the Diocese of Camden address the six Pastoral Priorities identified by them in 2005 and 2006.
Called “Harvesting Gifts for the Church of Camden,” the pastoral plan is the culmination of an effort under Bishop Galante’s leadership, in collaboration with clergy, religious, and laity, to strengthen parishes and renew parish life in every area of the diocese.
At more than 140 Speak Up sessions held with Bishop Galante in 2005 and 2006, parishioners in the Diocese of Camden identified six pastoral priorities: Lifelong Faith Formation, Youth and Young Adults, Liturgy, Lay Ministry, Vocations, and Compassionate Outreach.
In front of more than 400 clergy and parish leaders on Saturday, Sept. 18, Bishop Galante and members of the Pastoral Planning team presented a planned process, as well as newly-developed resources, to help all parishes carry out these critical ministries.
“What we do in these next months and years, will shape our church for generations,” Bishop Galante said. “We need to take up the torch, to renew this church that we love.”
Sister Antoine T. Lawlor, IHM, has been named by Bishop Galante as the director of Pastoral Priorities. She is working together with the staff of the Pastoral Planning Office and the Diocesan Pastoral Priority Task Force to coordinate these efforts.
Larry Farmer, of the Pastoral Planning Office for the diocese, also spoke to those gathered, introducing a “collaborative and cyclical process (that has) greater potential to help us in ministry.”
Called “Plan-Do-Check,” the process will effectively implement the pastoral priorities, where parishes first “Plan,” using the diocesan Vision, the parish mission, and Pastoral Priorities for guidance, set objectives, create a timeline, determine personal responsibilities, and resource requirements; then “Do,” where members of the various diocesan offices and the parish team work together to carry out parish ministry objectives. Diocesan offices provide parishes a “toolkit” to help with on-site training, start-up, and, finally, “Check,” where parishes act to adjust, find solutions for their plan, and participate in a periodic review of their pastoral plans.
Members in this process, Farmer said, should be the pastor, parish staff members, the Pastoral Council, Finance Council, and other members of parish ministries. He added that parishioners with a specific expertise, for example, in communications, planning, customer service, education, or fund-raising, should be asked to assist.
Parish toolkits, Farmer mentioned, are on a new website: www.harvestinggifts.camdendiocese.org. These toolkits will be regularly updated, and new ones provided as parish needs are identified.
Farmer said there are four key factors that are designed to bring about success in this implementation process: “It is crucial to have a fuller understanding of who we are as the Church of South Jersey; to share resources and best practices; to engage in current and new ministry practices, and then to respond to the call of Servant Leadership modeled by Jesus Christ himself.”
The keynote speaker was Dr. Charles Zech, director of the Center for the Study of Church Management and professor of economics at Villanova School of Business, and co-author of the 2008 book, “Listening to the People of God: Closing, Rebuilding and Revitalizing Parishes.”
“We’re looking at the face of the future church,” Dr. Zech said. “The entire country’s watching this diocese, to see if doing things the right way really works.”
Dr. Zech outlined the most important activities of implementation: well-informed parishioners; prayer; recognizing the needs of the common good of the Church of South Jersey, that all parishes benefit as a result of reconfiguration; and clear expectations and roles of each parish in the reconfiguration.
“This (process) is about building up and not tearing down,” he said.
Other presenters on stage included 10 individuals who represented effective examples of each pastoral ministry at their respective parishes: Mary Ann Exler, Parish Cathechetical Leader, St. Charles Borromeo, Sicklerville; Kalyn Parker, Youth Ministry, St. Josephine Bakhita, Camden; Joyce Massot-Burnett, Finance Council, St. Michael the Archangel, Clayton; Ben McCauslin, Liturgy of the Word for Children, Our Lady of Peace, Williamstown; Sonia Morales, Lay Ministry Formation Program, St. Bridget’s University Parish, Glassboro, Jane and Pete Cote, Compassionate Outreach Ministry, from Christ Our Light, Cherry Hill; seminarian Kevin Mohan; and Brian Leydon, Young Adult Ministry, St. Simon Stock, Berlin.
“The merger was just the beginning,” remarked Father Cadmus Mazzarella, pastor of Our Lady of Peace. Last year, St. Mary’s Church in Williamstown and St. John Neumann, Sicklerville merged, creating Our Lady of Peace.
“It’s good to get people excited, motivated, and get everyone focused on the task of strengthening parishes,” he said.
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