Bishop Galante to bless Priest Conveners and Core Teams at a special Commissioning Ceremony
Priest Conveners and their Core Teams will gather October 19 at St. Agnes Church in Blackwood for a special commissioning ceremony highlighting their role in the work of guiding merging parishes toward reconfiguration. Bishop Joseph Galante will preside at the 3:00 p.m. event.
Our parish core team held its first meeting to implement the planned merger of Blessed John XXIII, St. Anthony’s and Assumption.
Led by our Co-Conveners Fr. Jim Casadia and Fr. Piotr Szamocki our core team members are Jim Pope, Mike Zarella, Joan Sarappa, Inge Strock, Barbara Sarnoski, Michael Tinney, Terry McBride, Bob Iuliucci, and John O’Donnell. more
Core Team Members Selected
The next significant step has been taken toward the eventual merger of
the three parishes of Blessed John XXIII, Assumption and St. Anthony. The Core Team has been named to assist Father Jim Casadia, the Priest Convener. Each of the merging parishes were asked to nominate 6 parishioners. Of those, 4 people were chosen from each parish
Core Team members to be selected to assist Priest Conveners with mergers
More than 150 priests of the diocese gathered Sept. 10 at Holy Family Parish in Sewell for an information meeting outlining the responsibilities of the Priest Conveners and the Core Teams that will guide parishes through the merger process ahead.
read more
Priest Conveners Appointments
August 26, 2008
Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D., Bishop of Camden, today announced the appointment of 41 “Priest Conveners” who will help guide merging parishes through the reconfiguration he announced on April 3.
The reconfiguration of parishes will address the declining number of diocesan priests available for ministry, changes and shifts in population, and will strengthen parishes to enable them to advance the pastoral priorities identified by parishioners at Speak Up sessions.
The Priest Conveners are not replacing pastors, but will be working with existing pastors, administrators and Core Teams made up of leadership from the parishes that will merge in order to create the new parish. In a number of instances, more than one Priest Convener has been named. These Co-Conveners will work together in collaboration with the existing pastors, administrators and the Core Teams to bring about the mergers. read more
Speak-up Sessions
Since his installation as seventh Bishop of Camden, Bishop Joseph Galante has reminded the people of South Jersey of their baptismal dignity and equality, the importance of consultation, and the responsibility of all Catholics to further the mission of the Church.
Saying he wanted to hear directly from the people of the diocese, Bishop Galante announced in March 2005 his plans to hold a “Speak Up” session in every parish of the diocese in order to set pastoral priorities for the future.
Over the next 15 months, he invited the people to tell him of their concerns and hopes for the Church of South Jersey. 138 Speak Up sessions were held. Over 8,000 participants had the opportunity to give feedback to the question, “Looking to the future, what are the three most important areas about which the Church of South Jersey should be concerned?” read more
Speak-up to Pastoral Planning
In August, six sessions were held to train two parishioners from each parish who facilitated parish meetings in September and early October to obtain concrete, specific suggestions on how to best implement the six pastoral priorities that were gleaned from the Speak Up Sessions. Each parish was asked to submit the two suggestions for each pastoral priority to the Diocese's Office of Pastoral Planning. After suggestions were sent in by all parishes, a committee consolidated them into a format of goals and strategies to be proposed, discussed and recommended for Bishop's approval at a diocesan-wide Assembly (see below) which was held December 9, 2006. These will then be incorporated into the diocesan and parish planning process that began in January, 2007.
read more
What is Pastoral Planning
Pastoral Planning is a process that engages members of the faith community, invites them to take and express their baptismal responsibility to build up the Church through prayer, discernment, and actions that address the needs of the faith community and those served by it.
Change and Transition
Moving through the process of reconfiguration is not easy. The Diocesan Transition Committee will be providing the pastors with information, and the pastors will in turn provide their parishioners with the helpful information.
Change is inevitable and takes time to assimilate in our personal and spiritual lives, it is often accompanied by feelings of fear, anger and sadness. All of us prefer constancy, often confusing it with security.
Dr. Richard McCorry in his book entitled, “Dancing with Change: A spiritual Response to Changes in the Church” suggests that we can turn to the Paschal Mystery for understanding. read more
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Our parish core team held its first meeting to implement the planned merger of Blessed John XXIII, St. Anthony’s and Assumption.
Led by our Co-Conveners Fr. Jim Casadia and Fr. Piotr Szamocki our core team members are Jim Pope, Mike Zarella, Joan Sarappa, Inge Strock, Barbara Sarnoski, Michael Tinney, Terry McBride, Bob Iuliucci, and John O’Donnell.
more
Core Team members to be selected to assist Priest Conveners with mergers
More than 150 priests of the diocese gathered Sept. 10 at Holy Family Parish in Sewell for an information meeting outlining the responsibilities of the Priest Conveners and the Core Teams that will guide parishes through the merger process ahead.
read more
Priest Conveners Appointments
August 26, 2008
Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D., Bishop of Camden, today announced the appointment of 41 “Priest Conveners” who will help guide merging parishes through the reconfiguration he announced on April 3..
June 2006
Bishop Galante completed the last of 138 Speak Up sessions, a 15-month process of visiting every parish in the six southern counties of New Jersey in order to meet face to face with the people, the Church of Camden. He did this to obtain input on what the people believe the planning priorities for our Church should be so that we may—as our Vision states—grow “ever more into a dynamic community of faith, hope and love.” Over 8,000 participants had the opportunity to respond to the question, “Looking to the future, what are the three most important areas about which the Church of South Jersey should be concerned?” Click here to find out more about the six pastoral priorities identified through the Speak Up Sessions.
Jump to current news...
August 6-8,13
Priest Personnel board weighs assignments for merged parishes
As preparations continue for the work that is ahead to reconfigure parishes, the diocese’s Priest Personnel Board is immersed in the critical task of recommending to Bishop Galante the names of those priests that will guide parishes toward merger and who will become the likely pastors of the new parishes once mergers are formally established by decree. read more
April-Fall 2008
Parishes utilize “Coping with Change Together” resources beginning in spring 2008. For more information about parish resources that are available, see www.GatheringGodsGifts.org.
May 1-June 15, 2008
In advance of the naming of pastors for newly merged parishes, consultations will occur to determine the pastoral needs of parish communities that will merge or be open due to a pastor resignation. Representatives from the Priest Personnel Board and diocesan or parish staff will meet with eight to 10 representatives from the parishes (typically those who currently are on parish pastoral and finance councils) to determine the pastoral needs of the newly configured parish(es).
more timeline
Welcome | News
What is Pastoral Planning?
Pastoral Planning is a process that engages members of the faith community, invites them to take and express their baptismal responsibility to build up the Church through prayer, discernment, and actions that address the needs of the faith community and those served by it.
Coping with Change and Transition
Who, What, When, Where, and Why?
Preparation for Transition Timeline
| Who, What, When, Where and Why?
“Who, What, When, Where and Why are questions that surface when there is planned change. We will attempt to address these questions in the next weeks throughout the summer. read more
Preparation for Transition Timeline
April-Fall 2008
Parishes utilize “Coping with Change Together” resources beginning in spring 2008. For more information about parish resources that are available, see www.GatheringGodsGifts.org.
May 1-June 15, 2008
In advance of the naming of pastors for newly merged parishes, consultations will occur to determine the pastoral needs of parish communities that will merge or be open due to a pastor resignation. Representatives from the Priest Personnel Board and diocesan or parish staff will meet with eight to 10 representatives from the parishes (typically those who currently are on parish pastoral and finance councils) to determine the pastoral needs of the newly configured parish(es).
more timeline
Dynamic and Vibrant Parishes
Definition of a Parish - Canon 515
"A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis with a particular church; the astoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop."
A vibrant parish gathers weekly to worship and celebrates the sacraments.
A vibrant parish becomes a faith community where people can find God, care for and support one another, and grow spiritually.
A vibrant parish extends formation to all the members of the faith community.
A vibrant parish reaches out through ministry that is inspired by the gospel and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
Indicators of a Vibrant, Dynamic Parish
Multiple national studies in the last 25 years have found at least four common indicators of a vibrant parish: worship, community, formation and ministry.
read more
Models of a Parish
When parish planning representatives gathered with other parish planners from their deaneries to develop recommendations that would strengthen parish life in their area of the diocese, they were confronted with some critical realities.
First, the need for dynamic parishes to transmit the faith at a time when fewer Catholics are attending Mass, more are leaving the faith, and parish resources for needed ministries are scarce.
Deanery planners also considered the shifting population and changing demographics in the diocese. In some areas of the diocese, the Catholic population has diminished or has moved into other areas of the diocese, leaving behind under-utilized facilities in parishes that are in close proximity to each other.
Meanwhile, the Catholic population has become increasingly diverse. The recent Pew Forum survey, for example, showed that almost 30% of Catholics are Latino as are almost half of all Catholics under age 40
Finally, parish planning representatives knew that by 2015, there will be half the number of active diocesan priests available for ministry than there is today. Last month, the diocese reported that there are 162 diocesan priests in active ministry in 124 parishes. By 2015, the diocese expects that there will be only 85 priests in active ministry.
According to the 2007 Official Catholic Directory, the Diocese of Camden has more parishes to parishioners than other New Jersey diocese, with an average of about 3,700 Catholics for every one parish. The average in the other New Jersey dioceses is 5,100. Nearby dioceses also have higher Catholics to parish ratios, with the Diocese of Wilmington at 4,000 Catholics per parish and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at 5,400 Catholics per parish, according to the 2007 Official Catholic Directory.
"Given these realities, it will be impossible to sustain the current one-pastor/one parish' model that we are accustomed to and that has sustained the Church in the past, except in cases where there is a large, very active parish, in a geographically isolated location, or in extremely unusual and temporary circumstances," said Sr. Marilyn Vollmer, director of planning for the diocese. "Deanery planners have recommended that we transition to new models of being a parish. While some parishes will remain as stand-alone parishes, for others it may be beneficial to merge or cluster. But in the end, we know that these new models will bring new growth and new vitality to parish life," she said.
In addition to the traditional one-priest/one parish model, deanery planning teams have considered the following models for parish configuration:
Merger | Cluster | Priest Team | Director of Parish Life with Sacramental Priest |
