FIOF Updates

The Diocese has approved the action plans submitted at the end of June by the Cohort 6 Faith In Our Future Implementation Team.  Plans were developed through a series of team meetings during the spring and early summer in the following areas:

• Community Outreach, with an emphasis on working with parishes to explore if there are ways that joining forces can enhance existing pro-life activities and food pantry support.
• Faith Education, with an emphasis on offering supplemental joint faith-enrichment activities that might be added to current RCIA and CCD programs.
• Youth and Young Adult Programs, with an emphasis on strengthening cohort-wide activities that will bring more youth to Christ, while enriching relationships within their families and the community. 

Now, the Implementation Team will begin working in collaborative partnership with pastoral staff and ministry leaders across the cohort’s five parishes – Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, St. Gregory the Great, St. John the Baptist, St. Raphael-Holy Angels and St. Vincent de Paul.  This work will involve identifying ways we can better collaborate to strengthen and enliven our parishes; better coordinate our ministries; and, make the best use of our resources.
 
The Cohort-wide Implementation Team works with the Diocesan Planning Commission (DPC) of the Diocese of Trenton, which includes providing periodic updates to the DPC regarding progress being made on each goal.  Representing St. Gregory the Great on the Implementation Team are Father McClane, Dan Rossi, Brian McGrath, Tanya Taylor-Norwood (Implementation Team Chairperson) and Paul La Plante.  Father McClane, Dan and Brian also worked on the initial planning phase in 2016. 
 
In addition, Cohort 6 has adopted the name Lumen Christi – literally, the Light of Christ – indicating that we wish for our parishes to be visibly "On Fire!" for Christ in all we do. We seek to worship with a profound sense of gratitude, joy, adoration and praise, serving as a beacon of love and hope to those who are searching for a meaning and purpose in life.
 
For more on the implementation team’s activities and the Faith In Our Future process overall, please review the updates below. 

January 25, 2017

On January 25^th, Bishop O'Connell released his final decisions for Faith in Our Future, an eight-step initiative meant to strengthen and enliven the parishes of the Diocese. It is a process through which the Diocese and its parishes and ministries will plan to meet challenges and respond to new opportunities for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ for years to come.
 
You can find the Bishop’s decisions and his pastoral letter that explains the context, rationale and principles of his decisions on the Diocese of Trenton website: www.dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-in-our-future.
 
St. Gregory the Great Parish is part of COHORT 6, along with Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, Hamilton; St. John, Allentown; St. Raphael-Holy Angels, Hamilton; and St. Vincent de Paul, Yardville.
 
The Bishop’s decisions for Cohort 6 are as follows:

1. Collaborative Model for all five parishes in the Cohort*
2. Linkage Model for St. John and St. Vincent de Paul, no later than July 1, 2019
3. Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony designated as a Center for Haitian Ministry
4. Periodic review of St. Raphael-Holy Angels; potential suspension of operations of Holy Angels Church as early as July 1, 2017.

 
*COLLABORATIVE PARISHES Model: Parishes within a Cohort enter into formal, collaborative relationships, working together on specific, agreed-upon shared areas of ministry, shared programs, shared staffing, shared resources; parishes remain distinct with their own pastor, pastoral and finance councils, finances, census and sacramental books; collaborative parishes work together whenever possible to do what a single parish cannot do effectively alone.
 
The decisions on these collaborative relationships will be made in the coming months through the work of an implementation team, of which Fr. McClane is a member.

Please continue to pray that we may be strengthened and enlivened,  further improve  our  stewardship, develop fruitful collaborative relationships and join together in unity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Click here to view the full Monitor insert explaining Bishop O'Connell's decisions. 

Faith in our Future Implementation Underway

March 21, 2017
On March 9, St. Gregory the Great kicked off the implementation phase of the Diocesan Faith in Our Future initiative with a training session at the Trenton Catholic Academy.  Representing St. Gregory the Great in this phase are Father McClane, Dan Rossi, Brian McGrath, Tanya Taylor-Norwood and Paul LaPlante.  Father McClane, Dan and Brian all worked on the initial planning phase in 2016. 
 
During this phase of the project, we again will be working with our cohort parishes (Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, St. Raphael-Holy Angels, St. John the Baptist and St. Vincent de Paul) to implement the Bishop’s decisions outlined in his letter of January 25 (see above). In particular, the implementation teams will look to identify ways we can better collaborate to strengthen and enliven our parishes, better coordinate our ministries and make the best use of our resources (to do more with less). Watch the bulletin and website for updates on the team’s progress.
 

Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit

January 19, 2017

Parish Friends, 

Faith in Our Future Cohort Proposal Update

October 19, 2016

Over the past 3 months our cohort held a series of meetings to review the Diocesan Planning Commission‘s (DPC) preliminary recommendations and to formulate our reply.  While the cohort was fully in support of the DPC’s recommendation that we should further pursue our collaborative efforts, we were unanimously opposed to their idea to link (1) St. Gregory the Great with Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony’s, and (2) St. Raphael’s-Holy Angels with St. John the Baptist and St. Vincent DePaul.  We believe such links would create mega-churches which would be too large for one pastor to successfully administer and make it too cumbersome to fully attend to the spiritual and sacramental needs of each parish.
 
Our cohort discussions were lively and passionate.  We all want the best for our own parishes, for our cohort, diocese and faith, but as with any family, we have some differing opinions as how to best to achieve our goals.
 
On October 1 our cohort issued our final proposal to the DPC.  We again all agreed to collaborate on such areas as promoting vocations, coordinating Mass and Sacrament schedules, coordinating youth and young adult activities and adult faith formation groups.   However, we were split on how best to face our pending pastor / priest shortage.  Our final document included 3 options:

1. Pursue collaboration only and request a 3 year delay on any linkage to allow sufficient time to address and remedy the pending pastor shortage.  If in 3 years the priest / pastor shortage requires further action, then the Bishop should consider a temporary linkage of St. John the Baptist and St. Vincent DePaul.

2. Pursue collaboration, but when deemed necessary by the Bishop, link St. John the Baptist and St. Vincent DePaul.  (This is the option preferred by all 5 members of the SGG core team.)

3. Pursue collaboration, and link St. John the Baptist with St. Gregory the Great.

 
The DPC will make their final recommendations to the Bishop in October.  We expect the Bishop to announce his decisions this winter.
 
If you have any questions, please reach out to a member of the Core Team or send an email to fiof@stgregorythegreatchurch.org. 

Faith in Our Future Facts

September 18, 2016

We can see that fewer and fewer people are attending Mass on Sundays.  Is this a trend throughout the diocese?
In the Diocese of Trenton on a typical Ordinary time weekend in 2014, an average of 139,636 persons participated in Masses fulfilling the Sunday obligation. Each year in October an official count is conducted of Mass attendees throughout the Diocese.  This “October Count” suggests a drop of 2,845 people in just one year.  The five-year trend indicates a 10% decline in Mass attendance since 2010.  In real numbers, more than 17,000 fewer people are attending Mass on an average “Ordinary Time” weekend than just 5 years ago. 
 
Through the Faith in Our Future process, our Diocese is looking to build a hopeful, vibrant and mission-focused future.  Each of us can be part of that good work by inviting family and friends back to Church, to regular attendance at Mass and into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.


 

September 11, 2016

We have been told there are a declining number of priests in our diocese.  What about parishes?  We all love our own parish.  What is happening with other parishes in our diocese?
 
There are twenty fewer parishes in the Diocese of Trenton (DOT) than there were ten years ago (127 parishes in 2004 and 107 in 2016); a decline of about 16%. This reduction in the number of parishes is part of a national trend.  According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the number of parishes in the U.S. peaked at 19,705 in 1989 and has declined by 12% since that time.  The number of Catholic parishes in the U.S. in 2015 (17,337) is actually below the number of Catholic parishes that existed in the U.S. in 1965 (17,637).
 
Faith in Our Future calls us to fortify our parishes through leadership, stewardship and collaboration so that through them, we may continue to serve our Catholic population and bring others to belief in Jesus Christ.



 

Town Hall Meeting Update

August 29, 2016
The Faith in Our Future Town Hall Meeting on August 24^th was at once inspiring and informative. Over 100 people gathered in O’Connor Hall on a hot night in the middle of vacation season.  It was evident that they were there because they care deeply about St. Gregory the Great parish and their Catholic faith.  They listened and they learned.  They asked incisive questions and made helpful suggestions.  They prayed and promised to continue to pray that this process will bring more people to Jesus Christ and strengthen our parishes.


Missed the meeting?  It’s not too late to get informed. You can:

• Check out slides the presentation here
• Send your questions to: fiof@stgregorythegreatchurch.org
• Approach a Faith in Our Future Core Team member to ask questions or give comment. Core Team members include Father McClane, Betsy Solan, Dan Rossi, Betty Poland, and Brian McGrath.

Why are we being asked to consider different models for how our parishes are organized? Why can’t parishes just go on as they always have?

August 14, 2016
Like many dioceses around the country, we face an upcoming priest and pastor shortage.  The decline is real and we must work to reverse this trend.  However, it takes 5 years to educate someone to become a priest, and several years more before they are ready to become a pastor.  We will feel the impact of the priest shortage years before we can significantly increase the number of ordinations.  Therefore, we must act now to plan ways to meet the needs of active Catholics and share our faith with those who have been away or who have not yet heard.


 
 

Faith in Our Future: How Information is Exchanged

August 7, 2016
Each parish has a Core Team including its pastor plus 4 laypersons. The members of the 5 parish Core Teams meet every 2 weeks in a “cohort” to discuss challenges and address Diocese-wide goals established by the Bishop.  Our cohort includes Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, St. Raphael-Holy Angels, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. John the Baptist.
 
Our cohort is charged with suggesting a future operating model to the Diocesan Planning Commission (DPC).  In June we suggested a collaborative model where we all work together, but keep our own pastors and identities.
 
In July the DPC recommended that we instead consider linked parishes, which would share a pastor.  We are not in favor of that model as proposed and are discussing alternatives. Our response is due to the DPC in September.  The Bishop will make his decisions this winter.















 

Faith in Our Future Facts

July 31, 2016
How did the recommendation come about that St. Gregory the Great and Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony parish be linked?

Our Cohort, consisting of the pastors of five area parishes plus four lay people from each parish, has been meeting regularly since March.  Our first task was to provide suggestions to the Diocesan Planning Council (DPC) on how our Cohort parishes wished to work together to share resources and enhance ministries so that we can be more effective in bringing people to Jesus Christ.  The Cohort’s suggestion was that we adopt a Collaborative operating model where each parish would retain its current structure but we would also partner together in facing our current challenges. The DPC, in its preliminary recommendations to the Cohort, supported our suggested collaborative approach, but went one step further and proposed a linkage between St. Gregory the Great and Our Lady of Sorrows/St. Anthony parish.

Our cohort now has until September 30^th to respond to the DPC with a counter-proposal. We will carefully evaluate the impact of the proposed linkages and offer a more workable, acceptable alternative model. We welcome the input of our parishioners in formulating that alternative model at fiof@stgregorythegreatchurch.org.

 

Faith in Our Future - Who’s Who at The Diocese

Msgr. Len Troiano

Terry Ginther

LETTER FROM FR. MCCLANE

• Collaborative (a group of parishes working together to reduce costs, joint events, etc.).
• Linking (two or more parishes remaining autonomous but sharing a pastor).
• Merger (two or more parishes forming one parish).
• “In Solidum” (a team of priests serving a group of parishes).
• Parish Life Director (a deacon, religious, or layperson appointed by the bishop to be responsible for a parish’s daily operations, with a priest providing sacramental services).
• Personal Parishes (without any territory, e.g., language-based).

• Linked Parishes between St. Gregory the Great & Our Lady of Sorrows–St. Anthony.
• Linked Parishes among St. Raphael-Holy Angels, St. Vincent de Paul, & St. John the Baptist.
• Collaborative Parishes among all parishes in the cohort, developing areas of collaboration.


•  

LINKED PARISH MODEL

• The parishes remain distinct canonical and corporate entities
• The parishes are encouraged to work toward combining parish council meetings and to establishing common committees where possible
• According to canon law, Linked Parishes must have separate finance councils
• Linked Parishes do many things cooperatively, such as programs and in-services 
• Joint staff meetings where cooperative planning happens are marks of well-functioning Linked Parishes

The Conversation Continues...

We continue with our parishioner couple’s conversation about Faith in Our Future.
Wife:  Remember, we talked about Faith in Our Future and how it would take a look at what we and our neighboring Cohort parishes are doing to spread God’s Word and His love and, then, make a plan to do it better together.
Husband:  So what?  I mean so what does this Faith in Our Future thing mean to us at St. Gregory the Great?  Or, for that matter to me?
Wife: Despite belonging to different parishes, we are one in the Spirit who dwells in us all.  We need to think in terms of that oneness in facing the challenges of today.
Husband:  So, does that mean we are all going to pack into one church each Sunday?
Wife:  Not at all, but it does mean that our parishes need to pull together in resolving common concerns – like the shortage of priests, dwindling mass attendance, a need for a revitalized evangelization, etc. The Bishop has provided a number of models the Cohort parishes can use to base their suggestions for meeting challenges and responding to opportunities.
Husband: Models? What do you mean models?
Wife: Models that build Church, such as Collaborative Parishes, Linked Parishes, and Merged Parishes.
Husband:  I still say – So what?
Wife: The Cohort recommended that our parish, Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, St. Raphael-Holy Angels, St. Vincent DePaul and St. John the Baptist join in a Collaborative Model, where parishes enter into formal cooperative relationships with other parishes for the sake of promoting the Gospel and serving the spiritual needs of their people. In this model, we would work together on things like promoting vocations, supporting our schools, coordinating Mass schedules, reaching out to inactive Catholics, training liturgical ministers, coordinating youth and young adult outreach, and initiating cooperative efforts across parishes to make best use of our resources. 
Husband: So when is all of this collaboration going to start happening?
Wife:  At this point, the Collaborative Model is simply the Cohort’s suggestion. In the next step, the Diocesan Planning Council will provide their recommendations on the Cohort’s suggestions.  A final decision on the accepted model will come from the Bishop in the late fall.
Husband:  Can’t we just go on doing like we always do? 
Wife: Do we need to start this conversation over again with the Oneness of the Church and the challenges it is facing?

Please email questions to the following address: fiof@stgregorythegreatchurch.org.

For a fuller explanation of the parish models mentioned above, visit dioceseoftrenton.org/faithinourfuture and click on GENERAL INFO.

MODEL ONE: COLLABORATIVE PARISHES
A formal cooperative relationship is formed among parishes in order to serve a unified mission.

MODEL TWO: LINKED PARISHES
When two or more parishes share a pastor.

MODEL THREE: MERGED PARISHES
Two or more parishes come together to form a new parish community.

MODEL FOUR: IN SOLIDUM TEAM
A team of priests serving three or more parishes.

MODEL FIVE: PARISH LIFE DIRECTOR
The Bishop may appoint a deacon, religious or lay person to be the day to day leader of a parish community under the supervision of a priest, who would also provide sacramental support.

MODEL SIX: PERSONAL PARISHES
Parishes established by reason of the rite, language or nationality of the Christian faithful of a given territory.

 

May 16, 2016

The five parishes comprising Faith in Our Future’s “Cohort 6” first came together in mid-March.  Each parish brought to the table information about past trends and their current status.   In the ensuing weeks, Cohort members have shared their thoughts about strengths and concerns.   The discussions quickly led to a realization that we have many themes in common and that by working together and sharing resources, we can better meet the faith needs of our community.  Areas identified as common ground are:
 

1. The Diocese expects to lose a significant number of priests in the next 10 years due to retirement.  The anticipated resulting priest shortage will require changes in the way we operate.  Greater collaboration amongst parishes is needed.  A greater share of administrative tasks may need to be delegated to the laity to allow priests to focus their attention on Sacramental duties.   Mass schedules will likely need to be altered and coordinated across the cohort. 

2. Mass attendance continues to drop across most parishes in the cohort.  Efforts must be dedicated to encouraging inactive Catholics to return to Mass and to increasing participation in parish ministries.  Particular attention must be dedicated to engaging the youth and young adults of our parishes as they are our future.  Our parishes can work together to develop youth and young adult oriented ministries and service programs.

3. We must continue to promote the Catholic Faith by strengthening our ministries, continuing to develop Faith Formation Programs, better promoting vocations, and further encouraging parents to take a greater role as the primary educators of their children.  The Cohort parishes can work together to develop programs and share costs.

4. With declining Mass attendance and ever increasing operating costs (particularly for pensions and healthcare), our parishes face significant financial challenges today.  The three cohort parishes with schools currently heavily subsidize their educational programs.  Greater financial cooperation is required across the parishes to help support our Catholic schools.  We must also pursue collaborative agreements to help find ways to further reduce operating costs in the schools and parishes.

May 1, 2016

One of the five goals of the Faith in the Future process is to make suggestions which will strengthen and enliven the parishes and diocesan ministries.  We can no longer live with the belief that things are “fine just the way they are,” when  every  year  mass  attendance  falls,  fewer  young  people  participate  in  parish life, buildings sit empty, and more Catholics drift away from the practice of the faith.  
 
Too often, a parish grows at the expense of its neighbor, and the challenge of reaching inactive Catholics or sharing the Gospel with those who seek God goes un-attended.  Across the diocese, not just a few, but every parish must flourish for circumstances to improve.
 
There won’t ever be enough money, or enough time, for a small number to do the work that belongs to all of us.  Certainly, more than cooperation on a few programs will be required.  In every parish real progress will mean letting go of personal preferences and prioritizing our use of resources.  We must be willing to challenge assumptions about the way things have to be done, and choose a new way forward.  

 

CONVERSATIONS OF FUTURES AND MOUTAINS

Recently, conversations overheard around the parish went something like this: “Didn’t we do this survey last month?  Why are we doing it again?”  “I don’t understand all of the repetition.”
 
A similar conversation took place in the home of a parishioner:

Wife: I need to finish writing this column for the Easter bulletin.

Husband: Oh, is it about that Mountains thing.

Wife: No, I’m not on the Faith to Move Mountains Team.  This is about Faith in Our Future.

Husband: Future! Mountains! I don’t get it.  It all sounds the same to me.

Wife: Faith in Our Future is about first looking at what we and our neighboring parishes are doing to spread God’s Word and His love and then, making a plan to do it better together.  Faith to Move Mountains is about a campaign to secure resources for our parish and our diocese to carry out our plans in the years ahead.

Husband: We don’t need a plan.  People just need to go to church.

Wife: I don’t think it works quite that way.  Even St. Paul and the apostles made plans to bring the Gospel to the nations.  It is believed that they journeyed to places like Turkey, Greece and even as far as Great Britain and Africa.

Husband: Next you are going to tell me that the apostles ran a capital campaign.

Wife: Not exactly a capital campaign. However, their followers did financially support their work in spreading the gospel. It says so in the bible.

Husband: So why were there two surveys?

Wife: Faith in Our Future and Faith to Move Mountains are like 2 sides of the same coin.  The “Future” survey was to collect people’s thoughts on how we might better spread the love of Christ, whereas the Mountains survey was to collect people’s thoughts on how we can support that effort.

Husband: It still sounds all the same to me.

Wife: Oy vey! (What the apostles might say in Aramaic for “Woe is me”).

Stewardship & Leadership Survey Results

This is our final report on the results of our parish Faith in Our Future Survey. Thanks again to all those who took the time to participate. We carefully reviewed the answers to all questions and considered all comments in forming our future action plans and in discussions with our cohort.
 
This week we present the results for Stewardship and Leadership which addresses our facilities, finances, and staff. The comments below are highlights of what we saw and read. 

Please email questions or concerns regarding the survey results or future plans to the following address: fiof@stgregorythegreatchurch.org.

Based on the results of our parish survey and open comments we have learned:
 
Our Areas of Strength:

• Property and facilities are well maintained and worship space is appropriate for the size of the congregation

• More programs, service and faith enrichment opportunities are needed for parish youth and young adults
• How and when we communicate financial information and status to congregation
• How we convey the need for stewardship and the call to share our time, talent and treasure in service to our faith
• Need for additional meeting space on parish campus

Communal Life Survey Results

This is our third report on the results of our parish Faith in Our Future Survey. Thanks again to all those who took the time to participate. We have learned a great deal.  Know that each of your comments was read by the Core Team and considered in assessing the results and in formulating future action plans.
 
We continue this week with Communal Life, which largely addresses our ministries and how we care for those in need. The comments below are highlights of what we saw and read. 
 
Please email questions or concerns regarding the survey results or future plans to the following address: fiof@stgregorythgreatchurch.org.
 
Based on the results of our parish survey and open comments we have learned:
 
Our Areas of Strength:

• The parish is a welcoming and faith filled community
• We work very hard at outreach, building community and helping those in need
• There are multiple ministries and opportunities for all parish families to be involved

• Communication between parishioners and ministry groups, and coordination of ministry efforts
• Communication among the parish at large, academy families, and the religious education program
•  Welcoming opportunities and process for new parishioners

Evangelization, Catechesis, & Catholic Schools Survey Results

This is our second report on the results of our parish Faith in Our Future Survey. Thanks again to all those who took the time to participate. We have learned a great deal.  Know that each of your comments was read by the Core Team and considered in assessing the results and in formulating  future action plans.
 
We continue this week with Evangelization, Catechesis, & Catholic Schools. The comments below are highlights of what we saw and read. Please email questions or concerns regarding the survey results or future plans to the following address: fiof@stgregorythgreatchurch.org.
 
Based on the results of our parish survey and open comments we have learned …
 
Our areas of Strength:                                                        

• The Parish understands that its mission is to spread the Gospel and bring people to faith in Jesus Christ                                          
• Practical ways are provided for parishioners to grow in their life with Christ (Bible study, prayer groups, small group faith-sharing)                                                              
• Adult Faith Formation Programs are available continuously throughout the year                                                             
• The Parish effectively utilizes electronic means (website, email, text, social media) to communicate                                                                    

Our areas for Further Attention:                                                                     

• Enhanced support and continued development of the Gregorian Youth Ministry                                                               
• A ministry to engage young adults (18-35) more actively in parish life and encourage them in their faith walk                                
• Outreach to and welcoming of inactive Catholics                                                                     
• Support of parents in their responsibilities as the primary religious educators of their children                                                                Capacity to accommodate non-English speaking Catholics                  

Sacramental Life Survey Results

This is the first of four reports on the results of our parish Faith in Our Future survey, conducted in February 2016. The chart below depicts the percentage of responses to each question. Areas of Strength and Areas for Further Attention were derived from both the survey questions and open comments provided by our parishioners. Results for our questions related to Evangelization, Catechesis, & Catholic Schools; Communal Life; Stewardship & Leadership will be published in the coming weeks. Click here for a pdf of the Sacramental Life report. 

You may email questions or concerns regarding the survey results or future plans to the following address: fiof@stgregorythegreatchurch.org. 
 
Based on the results of our parish survey and open comments we have learned:
 
Our Areas of Strength:

• St. Gregory the Great is spiritually active and alive
• The number and times of Masses is appropriate for the size of the congregation
• Opportunities to participate in devotional services (Rosary, Stations, Adoration, etc.) are sufficient 

• Music volume, tempo and selection
• Homilies that more directly connect the scripture readings to our everyday lives and our ever changing world
• Liturgies targeted to the needs of youth and young adults in relation to homilies, music and opportunities for ministry
• Lack of reverence at Mass by some attendees

March 27, 2016

It is Easter! We joyously celebrate and sing alleluia because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and the power of sin and death has been destroyed forever.  This Good News is at the core of our beautiful Catholic faith and we are called upon to carry that message out into our community and beyond.
 
Recognizing that we face new and changing realities as a local Church, our Bishop has invited the parishes of the Diocese to be part of a planning process to define ways that we can most effectively bring the love and mercy of God to our families, friends and neighbors.  Through Faith in Our Future, all 107 parishes in the diocese are involved in working with neighboring parishes to assess their strengths, name their concerns, and explore how they can work together.
 
St. Gregory the Great parish is actively engaged in the Faith in Our Future planning process.  Fr. McClane and the Core Team have been meeting regularly since December.  A parish survey was developed and conducted, resulting in 430 respondents.  An in-depth analysis of survey feedback is underway and a final report will be disseminated parish-wide.  Input from the survey will be reflected in the parish’s planning efforts. 

A compilation of parish data relating to sacramental life, education and financials has also been completed. This “Parish Data Verification Form” is available here or see below. 

On March 16, St. Gregory Core Team members attended a meeting with our neighboring parish cohorts - Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, St. Raphael-Holy Angels, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. John the Baptist.  In the weeks ahead, our cohort discussions will lead to development of a suggested operating model to be provided to the Diocesan Planning Team at the end of May. 


 

March 10, 2016

The information below was provided to the Diocese and will be shared with our cohort parishes as part of our planning work.  By looking at trends we hope to identify opportunities to work together and learn from each other.
 
Sacramental Life and Evangelization Takeaways:

• St. Gregory's has experienced a decline in average weekly attendance over the past several years, consistent with other parishes in the Diocese.
• We have seen an overall decline in the number of Sacraments in the past 2 years but our parish remains spiritually active and alive.
• Our school enrollment is strong: we are at 97% of Diocesan recommended capacity.  Kindergarten enrollment is increasing and encouraging.

• Even though we have reduced total expenses by 13% since 2013, the parish continues to operate at a significant deficit.
  • Weekly collections are down nearly 8% in the past 2 years.  We currently collect approximately $32,000/week.
• As of 12/31/15, the parish owes over $3.5 million on its mortgage, plus another $1.5 million to the Diocese in assessments and other costs.
  • Mortgage principal & interest payments total over $300,000 annually ($25,000/month).  As part of Faith to Move Mountains we will seek donations to reduce, if not eliminate, the mortgage.
• Our annual income will be challenged further starting later this year.  The Hamilton Board of Education has been leasing the old convent building from the parish for $110,000/year.  The Township advised that they are canceling the lease this summer.  We are looking for a new tenant but could lose that income going forward.
• Unless we can significantly increase our weekly collections, and/or substantially reduce or eliminate our mortgage, we will continue to operate at a deficit and our ability to better fulfill our parish mission will be constrained.

The Core Team extends its sincere gratitude to all of those who took the time to complete the Faith in Our Future survey.  The total number of respondents, including online and paper submissions, was 430.  A wealth of information was provided and it will take a while to fully process the survey results. Once the data and comments have been consolidated, they will be used in reporting to the diocese. The information will also be shared with our fellow Cohort Parishes who will, in turn, share the results of their evaluations with us.  Thereafter, the Cohort Parishes will begin to develop planning suggestions that will be submitted to the Diocesan Planning Commission.  
 
As this important planning process continues, we will be keeping you, our parishioners, informed of the survey results and the progress of the Faith in Our Future project.