Pastoral Plan Survey for Actions/Ideas Question Title * 1. In which county is your parish located? DuPage County Will County Kendall County Kankakee County Grundy County Iroquois County Ford County Question Title * 2. Goal: Increase participation in parish life. In what way can we best accomplish this? (Choose only one.) Proactively recruit more people for the parish’s liturgical ministries. Create more social events for people to attend. Invite more people to join parish ministries that are not linked to Liturgy/Mass. Get more people to join parish efforts to help those in need. Measure and keep track of how many people are involved in parish life and determine what actions are and are not working to increase the numbers. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 3. Goal: Strengthen all aspects of married family life. In what way can we best accomplish this? (Choose only one.) Create more ministries in parishes that provide support for married couples with young children. Require that a service project be part of Pre-Cana preparations. Celebrate wedding anniversaries as a community. Display photos of newly married couples and couples celebrating landmark anniversaries in a prominent area in the church. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 4. Goal: Identify and develop leaders, especially within the multicultural and multilingual communities in our parishes. In what way can we best accomplish this? (Choose only one.) Celebrate more ethnic and cultural traditions within the parish and during Mass. For parish members who speak English as a second language, communicate to them in their primary language. Proactively invite first and second generation immigrant Catholics to join parish ministries. Encourage the formation of ethnic and cultural social groups in the parish. Create mentor teams to seek out and invite first and second generation immigrant Catholics living in the area to join the parish. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 5. Goals: Increase the frequency of the parish community’s engagement with teens and young adults. Demonstrate that teens and young adults are a valued part of our Church community. In what way can we best accomplish these? (Choose only one.) Create ministries that specifically meet the needs and lifestyle of single young adults. Request that ministries and parish social groups proactively “recruit” and welcome young adults to their activities and events. Create a regular Mass that is specifically aimed at teen participation. Instead of “segregating” teens, blend their participation into the weekend Masses and “adult” ministries. Build mentor teams of young adults supporting college students and college students supporting high school students in ministry efforts. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 6. Goals: Build collaboration and coordination between parish communities and the Diocese. Build collaboration and coordination between parish communities. In what way can we best accomplish these? (Choose only one.) Cluster together ministries in rural areas or develop “twin” parishes in cities so that the resources of two or more parishes can be combined to accomplish a stronger social outreach. Develop a relationship so that two or more parishes can share a facility for social events. Build networks among ethnic and cultural groups in different parishes. Provide web site and marketing expertise from the Diocese to all parishes. Request that every parish offer a small “symbol” of their faith community to be displayed or used in the Diocese chapel in order to build a sense of unity. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 7. Goal: Increase understanding of the Sacraments and emphasize their importance. In what way can we best accomplish this? (Choose only one.) Have some Baptisms during weekend Mass. List names of children taking First Holy Communion and being Confirmed in a prominent place in the church. Ask parishioners to select a name among Communicants and Confirmandi and to pray for them a week before the event. Focus some homilies on each Sacrament throughout the year. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 8. Goal: Be more welcoming. In what way can we best accomplish this? (Choose only one.) Create a ministry that is available during weekend Masses and is specifically focused on personally welcoming new parishioners and answering questions of potential parishioners. Try to keep most homilies rooted in everyday experiences and in story telling. Provide a wide range of different styles of music during Masses and ensure that every style is presented excellently. Educate every parish volunteer and staff member with simple methods to be welcoming and to reach outside their “clique” of parish friends. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 9. Goal: Evangelize and defend the Faith. In what way can we best accomplish this? (Choose only one.) Teach people realistic methods that will aid them in attracting others to join the parish. Nurture small faith communities and weekend faith retreats within the parish. Place video of Masses and audio of homilies on the parish web site and on local cable access TV stations. Place church bulletins or flyers in local community newspapers and on home doorsteps. Use email lists and blast emails to let community members know about parish beliefs and parish events. Educate all parish ministry members about the reasons for Catholic Church beliefs and traditions so they can be a source of knowledge in the community. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Question Title * 10. Goals: Demonstrate how all the aspects of Catholic social teaching are put into action. Advocate for those in need. In what way can we best accomplish these? (Choose only one.) Make public to the entire surrounding community of the church what parish members do to accomplish the Catholic social mission. Display all of the parish’s social mission activities in a prominent place in the church. Offer short-term social mission activities (1 or 2 days instead of a year-long commitment) to entice busy parish members. Develop a social justice ministry that will focus on partnering with local political and business leaders to accomplish long-term solutions for local people in need. Build networks with non-Catholic churches and faiths to help local people in need. Type in your own idea instead of the ones offered above. (Please try to be brief.) Done