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Newsletters
Dear Members of our Parish Family,
Update on Associate Position for 2008/09: For those of
you who subscribe to the Catholic Herald, you may have read that our Priest
Placement Board recently made 34 recommendations to Archbishop Dolan for
placement in the spring transfers for priests. I have been serving on this board
for the past three years, having been elected by my brother priests. The spring
transfers include Father Quintin’s appointment as Pastor of St. John the
Evangelist, Greenfield.
Simply put, in attempting to meet the needs of the common good
of all parishes throughout the Archdiocese, the Placement Board was not able to
place an associate pastor at St. Dominic’s for 2008/09. However, in stating
this, the Archbishop, along with members of the Placement Board, indicated that
our Parish would be given serious consideration in spring of 2009, when priests
are being recommended and placed for assignment as Associate Pastors.
In the meantime, we will work with the wonderful people we are
blest to have on our Pastoral Staff in meeting the spiritual needs of our
parishioners. We are also blest to have Deacon Sean with us this summer. He will
also be with us periodically throughout the coming year. Then, in fall, the
Seminary will be assigning us another seminarian intern, Kevin McManaman, who
will live in the rectory on Arroyo Road and work in the Parish throughout the
school year, just as Luke Strand did. But, expectations
upon any one priest in our type of Parish setting need to be realistic and, at
times, will need to be adjusted.
One immediate need concerns our Mass Schedule. I have
been spending time with our Pastoral Staff, Parish Council and our Prayer and
Worship Committee in taking a look at our current offerings and considering
options.
The first item that I needed to address was searching out some
possible candidates for regular help at weekend Masses. We are fortunate
that Father Paul Esser, recently retired, is willing to assist our parish
community with weekend Masses as his schedule permits. Father Paul Esser has
helped us with weekend Masses several times over the past couple of years with
very favorable feedback from parishioners. Father Paul will preside at the 9:00
am Mass next weekend. Then, starting in July, Father Paul will be sharing the
weekend Mass schedule with me on a regular basis. Thanks be to God! For the last
two weekends of June, we will be blest to have one of our own, a priest of St.
Dominic Parish and son of parishioners, Mike and Nancy Flaherty, Father Jim,
a Jesuit priest serving at Marquette University, assisting at our weekend
Masses.
After consulting with the wonderful group of parishioners and
guests who regularly participate in the two weekday 6:30 am Masses, I will
continue to offer the Thursday morning Mass and we will offer a Communion
Service on Tuesdays. Hopefully, if we are blest to receive an associate
Pastor in spring of 2009, we can consider offering Mass on Tuesday morning once
again.
The Holyday Schedule will also be adjusted at this time.
Of the six holydays in the United States, Christmas always has its own special
schedule and the feast of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven is now
celebrated on a Sunday in the Easter Season. On January 1, the feast of Mary,
the Mother of God, people often wish to attend an early Mass on New Year’s Eve
and then we have had a midmorning Mass or two on January 1, usually a special
schedule. Then, when holydays fall on Saturdays or Mondays, the obligation to
attend is optional, and we have one Mass observing the feast. So, we have
decided it makes sense to do what many parishes do and that is say “watch the
bulletin for holyday Mass times”. With this in mind, we have decided that on
those holydays during the week, when three Masses would be appropriate for a
holyday, we will offer a 4:30 pm Mass on the afternoon of the vigil of the feast
and a 8:30 am and a 7:00 pm Mass on the day of the feast.
There is one other change we have decided to implement for the
weekend Mass schedule, starting the weekend of the Parish Festival, July
12/13, and that is to move the Saturday afternoon Mass to 4:30 pm. Many
parishes are moving to their Saturday afternoon Masses to an earlier time for a
variety of reasons. With one priest, it allows the priest to participate in
Wedding Reception dinners when invited. The earlier time makes it easier to find
a help out priest as needed. It allows people to come Mass and leave Mass during
the winter season with some light. Finally, parishioners often remark it gives
them more time for other Saturday evening events. So, we hope you will find this
change helpful. This change will require that the Saturday Reconciliation
period, (which will be adjusted starting Festival weekend, July 12/13), be from
3:30 to 4:00 pm.
Thanks for your anticipated understanding and support of
everything presented in this message to you. Would you please also include
prayers for more vocations to the priesthood in your daily prayers? We could
certainly use more good ordained
priests to serve God’s holy people. Please encourage your children and
grandchildren by inviting them to consider the possibility
of serving God and his Church in that vocation. If you need help, consider
asking Deacon Sean or Deacon Luke to speak with
them!
God bless you,
Father David H. Reith
New Archdiocesan Living Our Faith Initiative
 |
Inspiring people to Meet
Christ
Teaching people so they can Know Christ
Helping people Live Christ by serving Him and others
Living Our Faith
- This archdiocesan website features a wide array of information and
resources designed to help people Meet, Know and Live Christ. |
VAIT= VISION AREA IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS
This acronym has evolved from the work being done as a result of the
consultation and visioning efforts of our parishioners over the past
year. The twelve vision statements that surfaced and were approved at
the Parish Council meeting this past June are now being worked with by
VAITS that will be responsible for the implementation of the
data/feedback, ideas and concerns that surfaced in each Vision
Statement. Each VAIT is made up of staff representation, a Parish
Council liaison, representation from standing committees in the
different areas of ministry and representation from the parish. Over the
past three weeks, I have seen the following Vision Statement Areas
announcing meetings and/or requesting interested parishioner
participation. I would encourage your participation and ongoing interest
in following developments as they unfold.
Strategic Area: Prayer & Worship
Vision: Weekly Mass attendance will increase because parishioners
are invited to better understand the theology and obligation of worship
of God. Good planning of weekly worship will reflect solid Catholic
liturgical principles and reach out to parishioners who manifest a
variety of liturgical styles and preferences.
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As an initial step, the Prayer and Worship Committee
will be reactivated, revitalized, and educated in liturgical norms.
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Next the musical styles and selections that we
currently utilize will be reviewed and adjusted as appropriate.
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Concurrently, we will improve our level of
catechesis so our members better understand the significance and
importance of the Eucharistic celebration.
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Our welcoming efforts for both new and current
parishioners will be strengthened through focused programs and
family mentoring.
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We will strive to develop a profound culture of
prayer among the parishioners and expand the prayer chain through
the use of e-mail and our web site.
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Necessary improvements to our worship space will be
identified and prioritized in concert with the work of the ongoing
Building & Grounds Committee efforts.
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Finally, we will review our current Mass and prayer
service offerings and determine if changes are necessary, in both
type and frequency, to best support the spiritual and educational
needs of our growing parish.
Strategic Area: Parish-Wide Faith Formation
Vision: Life long faith formation will be achieved by
strengthening and integrating all educational programs and offerings to
provide a strong, energetic, and inspiring growth in faith.
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Begin by performing a gap analysis between our
current religious curriculum and the Archdiocesan guidelines, and
moving to narrow any gaps in our programs.
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Continue by developing surveys to determine what
types of in-service opportunities would be helpful and of interest
to catechists and parish leadership.
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Develop annual parish-wide themes that tie to our
Catholic identity and develop offerings across all of our programs
that place emphasis on that theme. Within these themes, develop new
and non-traditional ways to involve parishioners of all ages in
faith and community building events.
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Initiate a new series of seasonal events, possibly
featuring guest speakers and/or performances, or emphasizing parish
spirit of community.
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Review current small group offerings and identify
ways to improve these programs; with emphasis on using technology to
make more information available to more parishioners.
Strategic Area: Young Adult Ministry
Vision: Our Young Adult Ministry Program will be recognized as a
leader in attracting and retaining active participation with vibrant
ministry and faith sharing programs and opportunities.
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Begin by creating a Young Adult advisory team to
help identify and develop programs of interest to this age group.
Renew this team annually to insure current relevance of the
programs.
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Develop a directory of young adults and utilize
things like e-mail and “Facebook” to communicate among the group-
promoting programs and activities.
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Initiate programs during the summer months, such as
in-service projects and an end-of-summer liturgy and BBQ to promote
community during the time when college students would more likely be
available.
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Over the 5-year period, survey the young adults to
continually identify spiritual and social needs and interests for
the group. Tailor programs to address these needs.
Strategic Area: Formation Programs
Vision: Our educational programs, from pre-school through high
school, will impart a solid foundation in our Catholic faith and include
creative worship, service, and social opportunities to make them
attractive to the children, youth, and their families.
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To focus the attention on formation being a life
long effort, begin to address our programs as LFF (Lifelong Faith
Formation) rather than CFC.
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Review all of our programs in relation to the
Archdiocesan guidelines for the curriculums of children from
kindergarten through Confirmation, with the goal being to close the
gap where identified.
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Develop and implement surveys of current teachers
and instructors to generate ideas and suggestions for improving the
quality and consistency of our teaching. Use this information to
develop job descriptions and expectations as well as to develop
catechist’ training programs for all grades.
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Develop specific class outlines to insure
consistency of training.
Strategic Area: St. Dominic Grade School
Vision: St. Dominic Grade School will be the leader in providing
excellent academic, spiritual, and personal development formation to its
students in a faith-based environment supported by the Catholic parish
community of St. Dominic. By accomplishing such, the parish school will
have established a steady growth pattern in enrollment.
-
To support the academic vision, establish a
Curriculum Support Committee to review the current 7-year curriculum
review process with an eye towards annual enhancements.
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Identify areas for improvement in the current
curriculum and develop plans to address any issues (e.g., enrichment
programs).
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To enhance the spiritual programs within the school,
identify a liaison between school staff and parish staff to identify
guidelines for additional worship opportunities.
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Actively inform the parish community about school
programs to promote an appreciation for the role of our Catholic
school.
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To increase the awareness of enriching the personal
development of students, define characteristics important for
students’ personal development and create a program to nurture
students in a consistent manner in all grades.
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In order to assess the school’s strengths,
weaknesses, and areas for improvement, conduct annual surveys to
obtain feedback. Review our use of technology vis-à-vis other
schools and improve as needed.
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Develop a focus on the financial aspects of the
school; working closely with the Finance and Human Resources
Committees, and undertaking new fund raising efforts to supplement
the school budget.
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Finally, to review and improve the communication
between the school and the larger parish community, continue
actively promoting the school and finding additional ways to
leverage our cooperation with the Quad parishes.
Strategic Area: Building & Grounds
Vision: Our parish campus will be appealing and inviting,
well-maintained, and updated to meet the needs of our mission and
programs.
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A review of the current campus (Church, Parish
Center, Rectory, School, and grounds) will determine the long-term
maintenance needs of our facilities. The team will gain an
understanding of the current and anticipated needs for space.
-
Project teams will develop options that best utilize
and enhance the current space, investigate potential major
remodeling projects, and analyze potential building projects.
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All projects will be evaluated and prioritized based
on their costs, available funds, and their ability to enhance the
worship experience and faith education of all parishioners as well
as attracting new members to our Faith community.
Strategic Area: Financial Strength
Vision: Our parish’s annual operation and expanded spiritual,
educational, and formation programs will be supported by a strong
financial commitment of our parishioners.
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Current financial responsibilities are spread among
a variety of committees and staff. These roles will be reviewed to
determine the best organizational structure to meet future needs. Of
particular importance is the need for closer relationship between
Finance, Stewardship and Endowment Marketing.
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Evaluate the potential for improved effort among the
Quad parishes for leveraging developmental activities.
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Improve the communication of financial information
to the parish members. Give particular emphasis to identifying and
communicating parishioner giving trends, and reacting proactively to
early identification of possible demographic changes which could
impact our financial picture
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Place emphasis on learning “best practices” for
Stewardship programs and incorporate these to improve our
parishioners’ understanding of the Stewardship model and
responsibility for parish financial support.
-
Re-energize the Endowment Marketing Committee with
emphasis on more closely integrating the Endowment Fund growth into
overall financial plans of the parish. Identify new and unique ways
to grow the Endowment Fund
Strategic Area: Time & Talent
Vision: The great majority of our parishioners will embrace the
concept of Stewardship by sharing their time and talent on a regular
basis so that we can continue to offer enriching programs and
effectively manage and administer our parish.
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Organize a Service Fair in conjunction with the Time
& Talent solicitation drive so that parishioners can understand the
various opportunities for service. To further support this
education, offer short term “try it on” opportunities so
parishioners can be exposed to what is involved in those programs
that might be of interest to them.
-
Identify a way to survey the parish and to capture
appropriate information on family make-up, parish involvement,
career specialties, special skills, hobbies, and interests, so we
might better identify and leverage these many skills.
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Utilizing weekly/monthly bulletin features,
participant testimonials, and mentoring, develop a strong culture of
service in the parish.
Strategic Area: Human Concerns
Vision: There will be opportunities for all parishioner age groups
to be involved in Human Concerns and Outreach programs.
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Develop a master list that defines all programs and
opportunities that exist throughout the year for parishioners to
participate in Human Concerns and Outreach programs. Indicate ages
and time commitments for each. Communicate opportunities through a
comprehensive list and/or conduct a “Volunteer fair” to inform
volunteers of opportunities.
-
Revitalize and strengthen the Human Concerns
Commission.
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Modify programs to allow for programs appropriate
for all age groups and interests. Include whole family events /
opportunities. Establish programs that provide for interaction of
our school, CF, and Young Adults to work together toward a common
goal.
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Determine a methodology for tracking participation
in the programs and coordinate with Time & Talent team.
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Investigate the possibility for a Quad Parish Human
Concern project that would promote interaction among the parishes
and the opportunity for a project of significant impact.
Strategic Area: Lay Leadership
Vision: A vibrant Parish community will include lay leadership
(both staff and volunteer parishioners) that is faith filled, energized,
and well-educated in the faith.
-
Begin by assessing the current scope of lay leadership, evaluating
the needs, and the possible shortfalls against those needs. Extend
personal invitation to potential lay leaders.
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Develop methods to actively promote the available lay leadership
training programs within the Archdiocese.
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Encourage all key parish committees to define specific leadership
development sequences and term limits to diffuse the concern of too
lengthy commitment.
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Invite all ministry areas to incorporate a training component to their
programs for both current and new members.
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Borrow ‘best practice’ ideas on ways to teach people about the call to
serve and develop a parish wide plan to encourage parishioners to
‘answer the call.’
Strategic Area: Communication & Marketing
Vision: Parishioners will be fully informed about Archdiocesan,
Quad Parish, and St. Dominic events, programs, news, schedules, and
educational opportunities through effective utilization of technology.
-
A Parish Marketing committee will be created to
develop programs to enhance communication to current parishioners,
broaden our presence in the Brookfield community, promote the many
services offered at St. Dominic, promote opportunities for members
to answer the call to serve, and encourage people to join our faith
community.
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Multiple communication vehicles will be analyzed
including the parish bulletin, website, newsletters, e-mail, direct
mail, blogs, community publications and boards, etc. to determine
effective communication methods.
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The committee will develop programs to engage
inactive members with the goal of increasing Mass attendance,
formational programs, stewardship participation, and social
activities.
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A workflow solution and approval process to ensure a
consistent communication plan will be explored.
Strategic Area: Vocations
Vision: St. Dominic Parish will have active programs in place to
encourage and support religious, church related, marriage, and
single-life vocations.
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Begin by increasing catechetical awareness to the
broader parish community of the true nature and scope of the
vocational life of the Church. Evaluate the current functionality of
the Vocations’ Committee relative to this.
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Re-evaluate the effectiveness of current vocation
awareness programs in children’s youth, and school ministry
programs.
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Continue to actively seek to have seminary interns
assigned to our parish to enrich vocation awareness.
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Create a five-year program, focusing each year on a
different aspect of vocational life: marriage, religious life,
single life, priestly life, and lay ministry.
Vision 2012 -
Michael Ricci - Parish Council Chair
Parish Council
commissioned a Parish Planning Project called Vision 2012 to develop the
principles that will guide us into the future. Based on feedback from our
parishioners and thanks to the help of dedicated Staff members and many
volunteers, 12 Vision Statements and corresponding Action plans were
presented and subsequently approved by the Parish
Council. The Vision statements may be viewed below. A synopsis of the
action plans for each vision is being developed and should be available by
November 1. The implementation phase of the process has begun. We are called
to serve one another and there are many chances to get involved. Teams that
will work on the action steps are being formed. Standing
committees could use additional members. As you review the Vision
statements, won’t you prayerfully consider whether you are being called to
help? Some opportunities are short-term projects and others will be longer
commitments. Simply stated, the ability to move forward will require the
involvement of many volunteers. One point made loud and clear on the surveys
and during visioning sessions is that we have a very strong and vibrant
Parish. Some changes will be subtle. Some changes will occur right away
while others will take planning and time. Remember, Vision 2012 was designed
to help determine what we should look like 5 years from now. Don’t know whom
to contact? Have an idea or comment. Please either call Rich Harter at
262-781-3480, Ext. 253 or e-mail
parishcouncil@stdominic.net
and we will ensure you are put in contact with the right people.
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Bulletins& Communications
