Home 
Parish Parish Projects St. Patrick's Pastoral Council Develops Strategic Plan
Main Menu
CatholicIreland.net News
Ireland's Marie Collins addresses top bishops and religious at anti-abuse symposium in Rome
Marie Collins (pictured) yesterday addressed bishops and religious from around the world who ....
72-year old parish priest retires and is replaced by ... 71-year old.
A 72-year old Co Wexford parish priest who has just retired has been replaced by a man who is ....
British more tolerant of cheating than 10 years ago: study
British people are more likely to say that dishonesty and other forms of wrongdoing is more ....
| St. Patrick's Pastoral Council Develops Strategic Plan |
|
One of the first things that Fr Eamon McCamley discovered on his appointment as administrator of St Patrick's parish, Dundalk was that it had recently formed a parish pastoral council that wasn't too sure of its purpose and direction... After some conversations with the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family ministry (OPRFM) the pastoral council embarked on a period of formation, which culminated in the council coming together at the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre with the OPRFM to form a strategic plan on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 January 2005.  The overall question around which the two days focussed was: what do we want to have in place in St Patrick's parish by the end of 2007? The focus for the Saturday morning session was vision. The members brainstormed all the ideas that had what they wanted to see in place in three years time. After three hours work and the vision in place Eamon said with some pride and joy "It sounds very impressive."  There was less laughter in the afternoon session as the Council grappled with the question: what is blocking us from moving toward our vision? As the afternoon proceeded the reality of the obstacles that stand in way of the work of the parish began to emerge. One wondered if after six hours work and the awareness that significant blocks exist the council members would return.  Return they did, ready to begin punctually at 10.00am on Sunday morning. Supply priests were drafted in to preside at the Sunday Eucharist celebrations enabling all the priests of the parish to participate in the day's proceedings. Debra invited the group to create actions that would move the pastoral council through their blocks towards their vision. Working in pairs they created quite a few which were then clustered together. By lunchtime four strategic directions that will guide the work of St Patrick's parish pastoral council for the next three years had emerged. They are committed to:
 Many approaches to strategic planning are come to an end with the formation of strategic directions but when participating in the approach used by the OPRFM, developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, there is a final stage and so after lunch the pastoral council gathered for a final session. In the first part of it they decided on six practical actions they would accomplish in the next year in response to each of the four strategic direction and in the second part they drew up a detailed plan of who is going to do what when and where in the next three months. The members went home tired but with a clear sense of direction and a lot of work to do. At the celebration of the Eucharist, which concluded the two days planning, Fr Tommy McNulty shared the story of the beggar who was offered a new suit of clothes. He declined and went back to his old ways of begging. Tommy suggested, "In these two days we have been offered a new suit. The question is: will we take it and wear it?" Time will tell. At the end of the first ninety days St Patrick's Parish Pastoral Council will review the work they set out to do and will plan the work for the next three months. Hopefully the new suit will be looking well. In the meantime, keep them in your prayers. With regard to the planning session the secretary, Sandra said, "It was a very enjoyable if not exhausting two day workshop. I found it to be a remarkable experience, one in which great energy and enthusiasm was felt among all in attendance. Andy and Debra brought about a realisation to me of what I as an individual can do for the better of our Parish without fear. They enabled me to think, discover and plan in a way I previously would have thought to be impossible. They opened up a mutual respect and great friendship among all of us present. I now know the names of all our members which is a lovely feeling and great relief as I hold the position of secretary." |
© All material on this website is copyright of the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry, Archdiocese of Armagh
Search
CatholicIreland.net Features
