Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission 2012

Changes are coming that will affect all parishes in the Archdiocese and parishioners need to be aware of, and to consider carefully, this information as we move into a different structure for sharing resources among parishes. Your input is very important in this process. For the past ten months, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission (APPC) has been working on a pastoral planning document, entitled Disciples in Mission, which proposes a vision for the Archdiocese that flows directly from the mission that Jesus Christ has given to his Church. On December 5, 2011, Cardinal O'Malley and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission met with priests of the Archdiocese of Boston and those serving in Archdiocesan parishes to begin the consultation process regarding the next phase of Pastoral Planning in the Archdiocese. Since the December 5^th meeting, three rounds of consultations have been organized and are ongoing.

The First Round, throughout the month of January, invited parish staff members (Deacons, Pastoral Associates, Parish Business Managers, DRE's, School Principals, Music Ministers, etc.) to review the new mission initiatives and the basic principles of the planning model and elicited insights and responses from the participants.

The Second Round continues in January to present the groupings or "Pastoral Collaboratives." Consistent with the ongoing tradition of the Watertown-Belmont Collaborative, the parishes of Sacred Heart and St. Patrick in Watertown and St. Joseph and St. Luke in Belmont were formally identified as "collaboratives" by the APPC. The Third Round begins in February and includes all the parishes in the archdiocese (in eleven separate meetings). Third Round meetings are for Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Finance Councils.

After the completion of all the Third Round of consultations, representatives from the Parish Pastoral Council, the Parish Finance Committee and the Parish Planning Group will be provided with suggested models or frameworks for Parish Town Hall Meetings, FAQ's and other necessary material as this planning process continues over the next three- to five-years. Our Parish Staff and Collaborative Strategic Planning Committee will continue to provide information and answer parishioner questions as this planning process continues and more information becomes available. Please be sure to visit the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission's and the Archdiocesan websites for materials, videos, press releases, parishioner surveys, and more: