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ENVISION: PLANNING OUR PARISH FUTURE For seven consecutive weeks during the months of July and August, 2007, St. Philip Benizi Parish has had the opportunity to hear and read about a parish planning process called “ENVISION”. The seven Bulletin inserts, summarized below, each explain different aspects of ENVISION - a “not so new” and very exciting Evangelization Program that we have begun in our parish, and which is also taking place around the country.
BULLETIN INSERT 1 - ENVISION is Christ-centered, mission-focused, and results-oriented. Our Pastor, Fr. Greg, in consultation with parish leaders, has made a commitment to implement ENVISION because it will help us become a more vibrant faith community. It builds on the good that is already happening here and on the dreams that we have for our future. ENVISION begins with 9 months of intensive discernment and planning by a wide variety of people and groups in the parish. During this time, we will determine our priorities for the next 3 years, set our goals, and develop action plans to achieve these goals. We then commit ourselves to implement these plans. The heart of ENVISION is the evangelizing mission of the Church. This mission, rooted in Scripture, is to make disciples of all nations by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, living Gospel values in our lives, and inviting others to join us in doing it. The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (PNCEA) in Washington, DC, developed and field-tested ENVISION, and they have provided all the practical resources we will need to carry it out. (See www.parishplanning.org for more detailed information about PNCEA and ENVISION.) In the Organizing Phase of ENVISION, which will last 8-12 weeks, we will gather data, using several different tools. One tool is a questionnaire, which was distributed to all parishioners attending a weekend liturgy. Another tool will be Focus Groups on topics that are important to the parish. Later in the process, we will have two parish-wide meetings to process this information and to set our priorities. We will form a Planning Team of 5-12 people to lead us through the first four phases of ENVISION. One of its responsibilities will be to keep everyone in the parish informed about the process and its activities. ENVISION is inclusive: everyone in the parish is welcome and encouraged to take part in the process. The more people involved, the more the process will truly reflect our whole parish. Please join in praying for God’s blessing on our parish planning process. Watch the bulletin for regular updates on what’s happening and how you can become involved. © 2004 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with permission. ************************************************************ BULLETIN INSERT 2 – THE HEART OF ENVISION: THE EVANGELIZING MISSION OF THE CHURCH ENVISION will bring all of us together— pastor, parish leaders, and parishioners — to evaluate our parish’s needs and vision, and to shape our parish’s future. We will do all this in light of the evangelizing mission of the Church. To help us understand more clearly what the evangelizing mission of the Church means for us, the US bishops have written Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States. The Bishops’ plan will be one of the central guides for our planning process. What is the evangelizing mission of the Church? In essence, it is the Church’s response to the command Jesus gave his followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Evangelization was the Church’s mission when it was first established and it is still our mission today. Evangelization is something that all Catholics can do, every day. The US Bishops describe evangelization using the words of Pope Paul VI: “... evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself” (no.10). We can evangelize — live Gospel values and virtues — in our homes, our workplaces, and our communities – wherever we are. The Bishops stress the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in evangelization. “Without the Holy Spirit, evangelization simply cannot occur,” they write (no. 34). The Bishops also answer the question, how do we evangelize? They tell us that we evangelize through witness and through sharing. Catholic evangelization is marked by invitation, welcome, understanding, dialogue, respect, and genuine love for all God’s people. “We say about ourselves as Bishops that God has touched our lives in Jesus, bestowed his Spirit, given us salvation and hope, and called us to live in witness to his love.” —from Go and Make Disciples, no. 5. © 2002 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with permission. ************************************************************ BULLETIN INSERT 3 – THE CONTEXT OF ENVISION: GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES In the document, Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, the Bishops speak to Catholics, but they also address Christians from other traditions and non-Christians. In Part I of Go and Make Disciples, the Bishops present their vision of a new Catholic evangelization, and outline three concrete goals to help the Church in the United States bring this vision to life:
Goal I calls Catholics to deepen their sense of Scripture and sacrament to help them live more fully as disciples, both at home and at work. Goal II focuses on invitation. It urges individuals and communities to express a more welcoming attitude and to take action to invite people to come to know Catholics and the Catholic faith. Goal III broadens the scope of evangelization, stressing that it is not possible without powerful signs of justice and peace in our society and our world. “Through the ordinary patterns of our Catholic life, the Holy Spirit brings about conversion and a new life in Christ...our families, parishes, associations, schools, hospitals, charitable works, and institutions give powerful witness to the faith.” —from Go and Make Disciples, nos. 35, 37. © 2002 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with permission.
************************************************************ BULLETIN INSERT 4 – ENVISION HELPS US LIVE OUR FAITH FULLY The Bishops present their vision of a new Catholic evangelization, and outline (3) concrete goals to help the Church in the United States bring this vision to life. Here we look at Goal I: To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others (no. 46). This goal calls Catholics to a deeper faith and to a willingness to live out their baptismal call — at home, at work, and in all of our many cultural settings. To accomplish this goal, Catholics are invited to grow in their understanding of Scripture and of the sacraments. The bishops propose thirteen objectives to help accomplish Goal I (ci. nos. 91 —1 03):
With Goal I, the bishops recognize that, in order for Catholics to evangelize, they need continued and renewed formation in the faith themselves. This formation is crucial, for it serves as the basis for Catholics’ developing an ever-deepening personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship then spills over into all areas of our lives; it helps us share our faith with others and bring Christ’s message to the larger society. This first goal calls us to an enthusiasm for all that God has given us in our Catholic faith. It also fosters ongoing conversion within the Catholic Church which, as an institution and a community of people, continually needs it. —from Go and Make Disciples, no. 52. © 2002 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with permission. ************************************************************
BULLETIN INSERT 5 – ENVISION HELPS US SHARE OUR FAITH WITH OTHERS Goal II: To invite all people in the United States, what ever their social or cultural background, to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they may come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith (no. 53). This goal calls us to adopt an attitude of invitation in our everyday spirituality. Our inviting will be effective when Catholic homes and institutions — our parishes, organizations, hospitals, schools, chanceries, and community centers — are truly welcoming to everyone. The bishops propose eleven objectives to accomplish Goal II (ci. nos. 106—116):
The objectives in Goal II address three areas of Catholic evangelization: 1) creating a welcoming community; 2) training Catholics in outreach skills; 3) engaging in direct outreach activities to those with no church family and to those Catholics who are no longer active in the Church.
The strategy behind this goal is to
create a more welcoming attitude toward others in our parishes so that
people feel at home; next, to create an attitude of sharing faith and
to develop greater skills to do this. © 2004 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with permission.
************************************************************ BULLETIN INSERT 6 – ENVISION HELPS US BRING CHRIST TO THE WORLD Goal III: To foster gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family, and the common good of our society, so that our nation may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ (no. 56). This goal clearly affirms the link between evangelization and justice and peace. Proclaiming the Gospel means bringing the Good News of Christ into every human situation. It calls us to examine all aspects of modem life, to affirm what is true and just and to challenge what is not. The bishops propose seven objectives to accomplish Goal III (cf. nos. 121—1 27):
In 1993, the Bishops wrote in Communities of Salt and Light: “The Church teaches that social justice is an integral part of evangelization, a constitutive dimension of preaching the gospel, and an essential part of the Church’s mission...This tradition is not empty theory; it challenges our priorities as a nation, our choices as a Church, our values as parishes.... It is a sign of our faithfulness to the Gospel.” (pg. 3) In light of the Bishops’ plan, we should now ask ourselves where and how the Spirit is leading us to evangelize. The answers call us to actions — actions that will reshape our families, our parishes, our institutions, and our nation.
This goal requires the strategy of
strengthening our everyday involvement with those in need, of reflecting
on the workplace and media, and of encouraging Catholic involvement in
areas of public policy....
©
2002 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with
permission.
ENVISION: PLANNING OUR PARISH FUTURE BULLETIN INSERT 7 – ENVISION HELPS US LISTEN TO EACH OTHER
COME TO LISTENING DAY! Listening is a very important part of our planning process. By listening to each other with the compassionate heart of Christ, we will learn what is really important in our parish. As we hear what is on the minds and in the hearts of other parishioners, a new vision of what we can become will emerge. LISTENING DAY is the day set aside in the ENVISION process for parishioners to hear what we have to say about ourselves. What has happened so far with ENVISION? We are concluding the Organizing Phase and moving into the Listening Phase. The Executive Leadership Team — the Pastor, the Planning Coordinator, and the Parish Pastoral Council Representative — has set the process in motion. They formed the Planning Team, and the Planning Team has started collecting and organizing data for us to analyze. You have completed the ENVISION Questionnaire, which asked your opinion of the effectiveness of many aspects of parish life, from faith formation to liturgies to social action. Perhaps you’ve participated in a Focus Group. The process now calls for us — all members of the parish community — to share our understanding of the parish’s history, successes and challenges, and to explore how we want to move into the future. All this happens at Listening Day. It is a chance for us to reflect on how we can become a more evangelizing community, and to help set our future direction. It’s part of ENVISION, the planning process that our parish is undertaking. How can you help? We need six hours of your time on Listening Day. You will spend this time with other members of our community, sharing your faith experiences and your hopes for the future of our parish. You will also hear the results of the ENVISION Questionnaire and learn even more about how we see ourselves. Finally, you will reflect as a group on the topics that surfaced during the Organizing Phase; this will help us get greater clarity on what is important to us as a community. Listening Day is a “big picture” day. You will gain new insights about our parish. You will also have the opportunity to think about areas of parish life that you haven’t thought about before. At Listening Day, communication will become a real sharing. We will give and we will receive. Please continue to pray for God’s blessings on our planning process. © 2004 Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Used with permission.
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