This letter was written for a small group in St. Mary's Church. It can be used for your Parish or group, modifying it according to the Parish Name and Mission.
St Paul teaches us about the Act of Surrender saying, “[D]o not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness.” (Romans 6:13) It is easy for us to go against the current, but what if it’s the wrong current we go against that takes us from the opportunity of becoming saintly people – of becoming as the Church teaches, a “Communion of Saints”? Here are three recommendations you can use or modify according to your Parish Mission. When it comes to the Parish Name, like Mary, you have an idea for outreach. Create a template using the Parish Name as your starting point. Saint Mary teaches us by her acts of prayer and surrender in Sacred Scripture, to Magnify His Grace when it seems the Laity are fighting against each other. With Family Catechesis, you can…
1. Create a plan for outreach using the current Student Roster. It contains a template to help you with your outreach. Language can provide knowledge about the families you serve. The Full Address can provide you an opportunity to send physical letters to Parents on events, activities, and more. Telephone or Cell numbers can help you to speak or text Parents, inviting them to participate in Parish or Programs that have activities, events, and more. Emails can reach families with a Short Blurb or an Icon that looks like a flyer. The Short blurbs can be used also for the Bulletin. Make sure that you tell Parents the following: Name of Event, Day, Date, Time, and location with the Parish Facilities. It should also have the Parish Image with address, Rectory phone number as the general contact. The email to the program. The website, and if possible, the QR Code for quick access to the website or calendar for the event or future events. Once you have this information ready, present it to the Director of Faith Formation and Pastor. The Student Roster should not be used for events that are not for the Parish, but direct people to the Parish and its Mission. No personal cell numbers or emails should be given. All calls should be made from the Parish, so that Parents are aware it is a Parish representative who is working on the Mission and outreach. Make sure you have other representatives supporting your plan for outreach, like the Youth Minister and other members within the Catechist Team (This includes Catechists of Baptism, Adult Faith Formation, and Youth Leaders who have an invested interest in the Parish Mission). You can also include a plan for one on one outreach - door to door, street invitations to the Parish Life.
2. Should the Director of Faith Formation or Youth Minister not support, go directly to the Pastor and get his support. Show them the first recommendation, and how it connects to the Parish Name and the Parish Mission. I’ve created a long and short version of the Parish Mission. The shorter version says, “Magnifying God’s Grace in the Lower East Side.” This highlights the Parish Boundaries under St. Mary’s Mission.
3. Should the Pastor be too busy, not interested, or against the idea, ask for permission to speak before the Parish Pastoral Council. Share with the representatives this template on a printed sheet of paper, so there will be no excuse of not seeing or hearing about the Plan of Outreach. It is important that you emphasize that the template is a plan and can be used for Parish Mission, group, even your personal spiritual journey.
You do not need to present your plan or template as a weapon against the Parish work, rather, it is meant to reach families within your Parish Boundaries. Here are some samples for you to use in developing your plan.
Bringing a Truck back to Life – Reflections of
Resurrected Parish:
Idea for a Parish Pastoral Plan in Reaching the Sick:
Sample Parish Pastoral Council Report for Queen of
Angels Office of Faith Formation & Youth Ministry:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Juan Rodriguez is the Founder of the Youth & Young Adult Apostolate - Defenders of the Holy Trinity. He is a Youth Minister Consultant, using the document of Renewing the Vision, and creating an interpretation for a Parish Level development of Youth Ministry called Renew Your Vision. He was the Pastoral Associate, Director of Faith Formation, and Youth Minister at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside, NY. He is Married to his beloved Bertha M. Peralta Rodriguez, and the father of Liliana Maria Rodriguez. Juan is a lover of fantasy stories, dungeons & dragons, culinary arts, cigars, handball, and mixed martial arts.
Click Here for an Introduction to
Renew Your Vision
