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A Letter from the PastorDear St. Angela Merici parishioner,
It is hard for me to believe that I have been pastor at St. Angela for almost nine years now. Reflecting on all that has happened in that span of time reminds me of how wonderful those nine years have been.
Shortly after I arrived in 2014, I began working with the Pastoral Council on a five-year Pastoral Plan for our Parish. A survey was conducted among parishioners, and the results of the survey led to six areas that became the focus of the Pastoral Plan. Many of the facilities, ministries and organizations that we now take for granted as essential elements of our Parish life resulted from your efforts to make that plan a reality.
As that five-year plan will come to its conclusion in the next year, we have again embarked on planning for the next five years of our Parish. The following Pastoral Plan is the work of the current Pastoral Council based on the results of the input you provided in the survey we conducted last year. It represents, more than anything, the growth of our Parish and the continuation of the good things being accomplished here at St. Angela Merici.
I ask all parishioners and organizations to embrace this new plan and to see it to completion. I believe the future of our Parish is hopeful and filled with unlimited opportunities to grow in our faith and in community with one another. Please join me and the Pastoral Council in welcoming the bright future that lies ahead.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. John E. Cahoon
Pastor -
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Based on a survey performed in 2022, the parishioners at St. Angela Merici expressed their ideas about the future of our Parish and what next steps can be taken to strengthen our sense of community of God. From the survey, the following four topics were selected. You can see below in detail how we plan to address each of these four objectives.
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Pastoral Plan Objectives
- Objective 1: Parishioner Engagement
- Objective 2: Youth and Young Adults
- Objective 3: Debt Reduction
- Objective 4: Community Outreach
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Statement:
Foster and expand parishioner engagement with the understanding that all parishioners should have equal opportunities to participate in the Parish Life and Evangelization.Goal Actions Ideas Improve parishioner engagement at Mass Communication campaign to encourage increased attendance at Mass Work with Liturgical Committee to help congregants be truly present at Mass Members of the Liturgical Committee to attend Mass at different churches for ideas and different ways to keep congregants truly present at Mass Re-educate parishioners on the fundamentals of being a Catholic Guest speaker (series), videos and small discussions, using visual aids during Mass (projector and screens) related to the components of the Mass; add this element to all levels of Catechesis Support parishioners in their journey to live a Christ-centered life Provide educational and spiritual opportunities Retreats, prayer groups, Eucharistic Adoration, speakers Celebrate special feasts and liturgical seasons Give educational/prayer cards during St Angela Merici’s feast day; provide liturgical season booklets with prayers, calendars, etc., could be using QR codes or hard copies Build Parish community by creating and enhancing activities for St. Angela Merici Work with the Stewardship committee to identify activities that support community engagement Annual Gala, Trunk or Treat, Gumbo Cook-Off, International Cultural Fair, donuts/coffee Sundays Facilitate increased participation in Parish Ministries Implement a next-level communication about opportunities Enhance ministry fairs (increase frequency and change strategy), bulletins, Grapevine, pulpit announcements, Narthex tables, install a permanent banner in the Narthex with a QR Code to access information about opportunities
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Statement:
To strengthen the faith and increase the active participation of our youth and young adults in the Church. We do this by creating more faith-centered programs that help them understand the important role they play in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.Goal Actions Ideas Develop a committee or program to connect new college students with the Catholic Ministry at their college to help them stay connected to their Catholic faith when they are away from home Connect high school seniors with Catholic ministries in their respective new campuses and with youth parishioners attending those colleges. Have a graduation celebration for high school seniors where we can also get their information (college they will be attending and email) and work on connecting them with the Catholic ministry at the college campus or connecting with other members of our parish that attend the same college Educate parents on their role in developing their child's Catholic faith by offering opportunities for parents to gather in fellowship Provide educational talks as well as praying sessions with parents Once a month or every few weeks, have an informational session for parents (while their child attends faith formation class) to help them understand what their child is learning and ways they can help further develop their Catholic faith at home together. Have Rosary “walks” for parents during faith formation class time. Develop more service, social, and spiritual activities for our youth and young adults Foster opportunities to connect with the youth/young adults and help them grow spiritually. Have events such as Father/Daughter, Mother/Son dances, retreats for younger youth and young adults
Develop informational programs for young adults to discuss topics such as current affairs and the Church’s views, vocations, parenting, managing finances, entering the workforce, marriage, etc. Develop a bank of talent to provide educational sessions for young adults. Invite parishioners who would be willing to offer their time and expertise to educate our young adults in the areas of parenting, managing finances, entering the workforce, marriage, etc. Create a vocational forum sponsored by SAM. Invite seminarians, nuns, deacons, and priests to speak about vocations Encourage our youth and young adults to take leadership roles in our Church
Develop creative communication tools to communicate needs and opportunities to get involved. Send out more frequent reminders to the Parish via flock notes, Grapevine, social media, and bulletin on how our youth can be involved (ex. lector training, EMHC, ushers and greeters, choir, altar server, catechist). Develop a Mentorship Program Embrace our culturally diverse parish by having more multicultural events
Create an atmosphere of solidarity across all youth and young adults about our diverse community. Annual cultural fair
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Statement:
Bring the remaining debt down by at least 25%, reducing the debt by $1M, over the next 5 years.Goal Actions / Ideas The Pastoral Council will reach out to the congregation quarterly at all Masses to provide updates and encourage financial participation to coincide with a second collection Pulpit Talks
Thermometer
Donations via portable debit/credit card swiper
Hold two fundraisers per year specifically for capital debt reduction Spring Gala – sponsored by Pastoral Council via a standing committee
Fall event (i.e. raffle)
Establish ongoing fundraiser – bricks/pavers
Align with Parish physical growth Develop information strategy to keep the congregation informed on progress Visual aids such as posters/charts displayed in the Narthex that are updated monthly
Updates in bulletin and Grapevine from the Pastoral Council
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Statement:
Community Outreach needs to be defined and better marketed within the Parish to increase participation.Goal Actions / Ideas Identify current St. Angela Merici Church organizations that provide charitable support, the areas of need they support and how they provide support (i.e., fundraising, donations, time/labor etc.). Reach out to organizations like Knights of Columbus, Saint Vincent De Paul Society
Provide activities where parishioners can be involved Organize activities like: Food drives, back to school drives (backpack, school supplies and clothing drives), diaper or bottle drive for pregnant mothers, Christmas collections (Christmas tree, pick a star and get gifts for needy families)
Identify other areas of need that St. Angela Merici can support Assess community needs within the following: children of incarcerated parents; children with deployed parents; women’s shelters in Fort Bend; Dress for Success; Grief Ministry
Identify alternatives that don’t involve asking for money and require different levels of commitment When reviewing alternatives, look for ones that provide opportunities other than just fundraising and ones that provide opportunities for different levels of commitment. Develop a communication plan to promote awareness and increase participation by the church community in charitable support Develop communication tools like calendar of events, visuals for the Narthex, etc.
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Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” We serve and volunteer with confidence, knowing that God has prepared the way for us.
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Read Full Pastoral Plan
