May 7, 2010
The Bishop's Forum
This is the day the Lord has made . . .
by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger
We are continuing to celebrate the joys of Easter. Let us rejoice and be glad!
You may or may not recall that the issue of the Message of July 17, 2009 contained a letter from me announcing an ambitious effort to initiate strategic planning for the Catholic Diocese to give us a road map for the next three to five years.
To accomplish our work a consulting firm was engaged to assist us in providing a process for us to embrace our own planning. The consultants were informed that we did not want a plan from them but we wanted them to help us to plan for ourselves. We must courageously address the needs and hard decisions ourselves in light of what we already know and what we might learn.
CMA of St. Louis met our expectations not only most professionally but in the time they had projected. What made their effort successful required the cooperation and collaboration of more than a thousand folks.
The initial Task Force morphed into the Planning Team of 12. It was then expanded to include another 30 that joined the initial team becoming the Discernment Team. They were charged with gathering all the data from some 1,000 members of our diocese which they accomplished exceedingly well.
In January 2010, the Discernment Team was expanded to include all seven Deans so as to keep them abreast of developments as well as seeking their wisdom. The Deaneries are: Evansville West, Evansville East, Newburgh, Jasper, Washington, Vincennes and Princeton (counterclockwise on the diocesan map).
In March, the Discernment Team was expanded further to include the Directors of Diocesan Offices. This was critical because the work of the Discernment Team as finalized by the original Planning Team would be lateraled, following the last meeting of the Planning Team on April 29, 2010, to the Diocesan Staff to shepherd the implementation of the strategic plan.
From August 12, 2009 until April 29, 2010 thousands of person hours have been expended in gathering information and processing it all to lead us to identify critical issues that need immediate attention.
Twenty-three issues of great concern were named. The reality is that we cannot do everything at one time.
The Planning Team has finalized the issues that seemed doable. They are the results of the discernment process. To return to the image of harvesting of grain, now we not only have the refined elements we also have the recipes to re-energize our parishes for the next three to five years.
Keeping the vision in mind: “To Re-energize our Parishes,” the issues give us a projection of the work to be done within the next three to five years. Re-energized parishes need re-energized parishioners.
It is with grateful joy that I applaud the work of the original task force, the additional members, deans and staff to bring us to this moment.
As we anticipate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord to return to the Father, we recall his promise to send us the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Hence we say again and again: This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad!
Next week: The gifts of the Spirit and their power to renew