Parish, School Pastoral Support Evening
How the Diocesan Pastoral
Plan assists your Community
Tuesday 28 July 2015, Campbelltown
7.30pm
to 9.00pm
Why Come to the Evening?
Wanting to serve God in your community in the areas
of Family, Healing and Outreach? Does your community have great ideas but is
unsure where to start? Do you start out with lots of energy and then lose
momentum? Are you looking for ideas, support and resources to help? Would you
like to network with other local parishes and schools on common goals?
What will happen on the
Evening?
Diocesan agencies will have a range of resources on
display and a number of staff will be on hand to offer practical assistance to
parishes, ethnic communities and schools.
The Diocesan Pastoral Plan will be shared, with a
parish offering a step by step guide to how it puts the plan to use to help
support its own pastoral work.
Agenda
7.00pm
|
Registration, Tea and Coffee
|
|
7.30pm
|
Welcome & Prayer
|
William Walker
Chancellor
|
7.35pm
|
Introduction: How the Plan serves you
|
Bishop Peter Ingham
|
7.40pm
|
Explaining the Plan and the Support Available
|
Richard McMahon
Director of Parish Services
|
7.55pm
|
A local parish shows how it
applies the Plan to support its own pastoral work
|
Presented by a local parish
|
8.10pm
|
Each parish works on one idea for their own community, either prepared
beforehand or considered during the evening. *
|
|
8.40pm
|
Feedback and Questions
|
|
8.55pm
|
Final words and blessing
|
William Walker and Bishop Peter
|
9.00pm
|
Close and Cuppa
|
|
* Agency staff from CEO, CatholicCare and Bishop’s
Office on hand to offer support.
How can we get the Most out of the Evening?
1.
Ensure that the majority of your parish pastoral
council or community representatives attend.
2.
Familiarise yourself with the plan before the
evening
3.
Mix with people from other communities to share
ideas
4.
Pick up available resources
5.
Make connections with key contacts from diocesan agencies
6.
Come prepared with your own idea(s) from your
community
Our Diocesan Pastoral Plan 2015 -
2017
Frequently Asked Questions
a. Where can we get more
copies of the plan?
b.
What happens if we miss the Support Evening?
It
is hoped representatives from each community can make a meeting, as many helps
will be available and opportunities to connect with other communities. However,
we are still happy to assist and can visit your own community to help you with
the Plan.
c.
Can we still use the plan if we do not have a pastoral council?
A
parish pastoral council is ideal for pastoral planning, but there are many
other options. Please contact us for advice – either in starting your own
council, or using the plan in other ways.
d.
We are too busy to use the plan. Can we get help with our existing
parish needs?
The
plan seeks to support your existing parish needs in terms of forward planning.
If you require immediate assistance, please contact us. The diocese offers a
range of supports.
e.
This Plan says it is 2015 to 2017. But we are halfway through the year!
Isn't it a little late?
It
follows on from our 2011 to 2015 Diocesan Pastoral Plan. The final year of the
old plan corresponds with the first year of the new plan (ie Family)
e.
What happened to the old plan? What happened to Parishes Working
Together?
Many
actions from the old plan have been achieved and these achievements are listed
in the new plan. Other actions are still unfolding, such as Parishes Working
Together.
f.
What if our parish does not wish to engage with the diocesan pastoral
plan?
The
plan does not seek to force us to do something. Rather, it offers us a useful
way in achieving our goals, and a great variety of suggestions from our
parishes and agencies. As long as we are planning in this Diocese, it makes
sense to draw upon the supports offered in this resource.
g.
What if our parish wants to do something unconnected with plan?
The
plan itself encourages a response to local needs, and leaves room to create
your own approaches. However, you are encouraged to use the framework of the
plan as a way to support you in achieving your goal.
h.
What about the work of the Pastoral Research Office and Building
Stronger Parishes? (ie how can we use this research to assist our planning?)
There
are many tools available to assist with pastoral planning. Our parishes will be
encouraged to explore these other tools going forward, and more information
will be available in early 2016.
i.
The Diocesan Pastoral Plan has so many ideas. How much are we expected
to achieve?
Parishes are not expected
to do everything. Good planning involves working within our means. If that
means choosing just one action in a year to achieve, then that is a great
start. Equally, build on what is already working, and fit existing initiatives
into the framework of Plan.
If you have time before the
evening…
Identify a key objective
with your community leader (eg parish priest, school principal). It may be a
work you are already engaged in, or a new objective you are planning for.
Please fill out this page with as much detail as you can (or use page 11 in the
Diocesan Pastoral Plan). You can then get support on the night.
If you are not sure of an
objective or have no time to prepare…
Please bring this page. You
will have time with other members of your community to work through this sheet.
If still unsure, skip tp part D and choose one of the three sample objectives. Then
create some actions. There will be support available on the night.
A.
What is our area of
need?
B.
What goal dies our
need relate to in the diocesan plan?
C.
What are we already
doing in this area?
D.
Where will we
direct our energies?
Need help? The following objectives can help a
community unsure of where to begin. They are all taken from the “Strengthening
Community Life and Outreach” goal.
1.
Develop strategies for FAMILY
inclusion into parish life, especially focusing on those who are not within
regular community life
2.
Continue to grow existing YOUTH
ministries, chaplaincies and movements, and develop new opportunities and
resources to support engagement of young people
3.
Increase HOME VISITS to sick and
elderly and those going through grief and loss
E.
What actions will
we take?
Action Needed?
|
Who is responsible?
|
By When?
|
Resources required?
|
Measures of Success?
|
|
|
|
|
|