February 12, 2010
The Bishop's Forum
Progress report on Strategic Planning
by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger
First of a series: Re-Energizing our diocese in the faith
In this series of columns I will attempt to bring you abreast of the most recent activity and progress of our Diocesan Strategic Planning Process. It reflects that our diocese is very much alive.
Using the imagery of the harvest and threshing of the grain, the gathering is complete. The threshers have been hard at work. Since November 20, 2009, the first three passes at threshing the raw data from the interviews, focus groups, town hall meetings and Internet questionnaires are complete.
The first was the amassing of the data by our consulting firm, CMA of St. Louis. They gleaned all the raw data and sorted them into “baskets.”
The second was the presentation of those baskets to the Planning Team of 12 at an extended meeting on December 17, 2009.
The planning team made some initial refinements in preparation for the extended meeting of the Discernment Team (Planning Team of 12 plus the 28 interviewers). That meeting was held on January 23, 2010.
Every member of the Planning Team was provided all of the raw data on a CD. This was done to make sure that what our consulting firm (CMA) had sorted had indeed captured the thoughts of some 600 members of our diocese who had responded through the various methods of data gathering.
At first blush, the generous responses of so many people were overwhelming. Yet there were many common thoughts as well. Among them were that no parish should close and every parish should have its own priest and a deacon besides!
The expectations raised by your responses to our questions indeed sets an agenda for the years to come. “Can we get it all done?” I have asked myself that over and over!
It was refreshing, nonetheless, to sense the vitality of our diocese expressed in the candid outpouring of needs and ideas for re-energizing our diocese. The fruit of the harvest is indeed rich!
Drawn from all the information arose four very large themes: Identity, Sacramental and Liturgical Life, Administration and Evangelization.
In the following columns I will attempt to tease out some of the content for each theme. Meanwhile, the Discernment Team is working on the ways that we will be able to address these very large areas.
In January the Discernment Team and I were confronted with the reality that we will not be able to address all the issues identified so far through the process in the short run. Now it is a matter of prioritizing and identifying that which is immediate and that which can be deferred without losing any of the issues raised throughout our harvesting of data.
Keep in mind that the forty members of the Discernment Team are working intensely and that they are volunteers. What an example of stewardship for us all as they have and are expending precious time and talent on our behalf!!!
Next week: More about the theme of identity.