October 9, 2009
Strategic planning efforts are in process in the diocese
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Two active groups are serving the Diocese of Evansville in the strategic planning process: a Planning Team and a Discernment Team.
The Planning Task Force was appointed by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger in the fall of 2008, and met for the first time, Dec. 4.
The task at hand at that time, according to a Nov. 7 front page article in the Message, was to draw up a proposal to be submitted to consulting companies.
Following the development of that proposal and the examination of the responses of several companies, Bishop Gettelfinger followed the recommendation of the task force and selected a St. Louis company, CMA, to assist the task force in generating a strategic plan. CMA is Colarelli, Meyer and Associates, a team of management consultants.
At that point, the members of the task force agreed to continue to serve and were designated as members of the Planning Team.
In a front page letter to the Catholics of the diocese, in the July 17 issue of the Message, Bishop Gettelfinger said the challenge was to develop a strategic plan, and that “The planning process will provide each of us the opportunity to participate.”
By “us” Bishop Gettelfinger said, he means “all of us! You and me! We form the Body of Christ by our profession of faith!”
With the assistance of the consulting team, the planners developed four methods of involving “all of us” in the effort: individual interviews for some priests and some lay people; focus groups at all of the parishes, half involving parish staff, half involving “people in the pews;” four townhall meetings, and an online questionnaire.
Assisting in the interviews and focus groups is another team — the Discernment Team. (Members of both teams are listed below.)
In a special edition of the Message, Sept. 25, Bishop Gettelfinger reported that all four of these “data gathering” methods were in process.
The Planning Team
The members of the Planning Team include:
- Tad Dickel, Evansville
- John Patrick Engelbrecht, Newburgh
- Father Zach Etienne, St. Mary Church, Ireland
- Loretta Heidorn, Evansville
- Patricia Koch, Santa Claus
- Ken Krasavage, Newburgh
- Bill Norman, Evansville
- Benedictine Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz, Monastery Immaculate Conception
- Paul Schutz, Evansville
- Ken Sicard, Ferdinand
- Brenda Sobecki, Washington
- Sonya Webb, Santa Claus
Ex officio members of the task force are Tim McGuire, chief operating officer of the Diocese of Evansville, and Bishop Gettelfinger.
The Discernment Team
The members of the Discernment Team include:
- Zoe Cannon, Vincennes
- Stan Fischer, Ferdinand
- Angie Fleck, Evansville
- Rick Gehagen, Evansville
- Dan Gilbert, Princeton
- Benedictine Sister Teresa Gunter, Evansville
- Roger E. Hayes, Santa Claus
- Chris Hoehn, New Harmony
- Connie Howard, Newburgh
- Maelynn Foster Hudson, Evansville
- Don LaGrange, Washington
- Jeannie LaGrange, Washington
- Susan Lautner, Santa Claus
- Paul Leingang, Evansville
- Stephanie McAtee, Loogootee
- David K. Milligan, Evansville
- Sharon A. Milligan, Evansville
- Suzanne Mosbey, Evansville
- Irene Moschner, Newburgh
- Mike Preske, Evansville
- Chris Rice, Newburgh
- Martha Roach, Linton
- Elaine Schitter, Jasper
- Abby E. Seifert, Dale
- Pilar Tirado, Evansville
- Pat Walsh, Newburgh
- Connie Weinzapfel, Mount Vernon
- Roberta Williams, Loogootee
- Susan Williams, Princeton