April 10, 2009
Questions asked about parish management, staff training
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
In preparation for a series of “Bishop’s Town Hall Meetings” in the fall of 2008, questions were solicited from parish and school staff. The topics were sorted into categories, including finance, parish management training, laity participation, evangelization, confirmation timing, catechist development and parish/school consolidation.
Earlier parts of this series dealt with three questions in regard to finance. The next parts of this series deal with parish management training.
Three questions were considered.
- Why does the diocese not employ the use of a diocesan team (clergy or lay) to work with parishes throughout the diocese on a regular basis to ensure the parish has adequate skills across all functions to operate effectively?
- What can be done to provide ongoing training for Parish priests and lay leaders in key parish positions in order to better serve to meet the needs of the church?
- Regarding the shortage of priests, does the diocese offer or has it considered offering forums or workshops for parish leaders to learn to lessen the burden on parish priests? It seems all too often fund raising, building maintenance, school matters, etc., are left up to the priest to deal with which can certainly leave a priest overwhelmed when added to his spiritual duties as well.
In response to these questions, the following highlights are offered:
- Several parishes have taken advantage of the assistance of C. Justin Clements (who recently retired as diocesan director of Stewardship and Development) to establish parish stewardship committees.
- Workshops to provide in-formation and guidance for the Catholic Parishes Campaign have been held annually for parish pastors and staff, finance council and parish council members and others engaged in the effort. The CPC was envisioned as a way parishes could raise funds to pay the diocesan assessment without using ordinary operating funds; any contributions made by parishioners above the amount of the CPC goal were returned to the par-ishes. CPC workshops were typically led by Clements and Bob Cox, diocesan treasurer. In 2009, the workshops were conducted by Bob Cox and Tim McGuire, diocesan chief operating officer.
- Currently, a team of diocesan staff members has been exploring ways to provide training opportunities for computer and software users in parishes.
- Benedictine Sister Geraldine Hedinger, diocesan director of adult formation, has compiled job descriptions and requirements for DREs, pastoral associates and other parish staff members.
- Workshops and institutes, college-level course work, programs for developing spiritual direction and other learning op-portunities are regularly conducted by Sister Geraldine and professional staff from within the diocese and from outside sources such as Brescia Univer-sity in Owensboro and Loyola University in New Orleans.
- Sister Geraldine and Donna Halverson, interim director of the Catholic Schools office, have met with high school teachers of religion. A review of the religion curriculum is underway.
- Steve Dabrowski, the new diocesan director of youth and young adult ministry, has begun regular meetings with professional parish youth ministers.
- Father Bernie Lutz, in charge of ministry to priests, has coordinated retreats and convocations for clergy in the diocese.
- Priests and Pastoral Life Coordinators also meet on a regular basis with Bishop Gettelfinger. Presbyterate meetings are held four or more times a year.
- St. Meinrad Archabbey is engaged in ongoing programs for priests, and also for diaconal formation.
- Deanna Ruston, Bishop Gettelfinger’s secretary, and Judy Neff, diocesan chancellor, meet on a regular basis with area parish secretaries.
- Linda Cox, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana, Inc., conducts meetings and workshops for parishes on endowments and planned giving, seminars on wills and other topics.
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but to give a sampling of diocesan efforts. Readers are encouraged to respond with questions about any of the items in this article, or with any other questions about the present and future of the Catholic Church in southwestern Indiana.