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St. Thomas of Villanova Parish Pastoral Plan
2007-2008

Our Parish Mission Statement

St. Thomas of Villanova Parish is an Augustinian, Roman Catholic community. As the Body of Christ, we share our time, talent and treasure to fulfill our Baptismal commitment. Following the example of St. Thomas of Villanova, our patron, we take as our challenge the mission of Jesus and strive to love and experience God through worship, social justice, education and evangelization.

The Councils and Committees of St. Thomas of Villanova parish strive to fulfill and accomplish this mission statement and the general goals of our parish in their specific areas listed below. Combined  these are the Parish Pastoral Plan.

Parish

1. To model and live Stewardship in all aspects of our parish and to challenge a fuller commitment by the parish community to embrace Stewardship as a way of life.

2. To enhance the level of faith understanding within our Parish community through education at all levels.

3. To bring our everyday experiences to the source and summit of our Christian life, the liturgy, in order to foster awareness of the vision necessary to respond to the heartfelt needs of the world.

4. To strengthen the sense of community within the Parish and to create an atmosphere of Catholic Christian fellowship, welcome, and love at all times.

5. To transform the hearts and minds of our Parish community so that we can be a powerful force for bringing about a kingdom of love and justice.

Pastoral Council

1.  To model strong connections between the Council and the rest of the Parish as evidenced by productive communications to and from the other Councils, Committees, Staff, and Parishioners. 

a) Continue to implement the “Councils Corner” to provide updates in the bulletin from each of the Councils and have point people from each of the Councils plan content to run regularly in the bulletin.

b) Provide greetings at the beginning of Sunday liturgies on a rotating schedule managed by the three councils. 

c) Hold regular Parishioner meetings throughout the course of the year to gather feedback in informal settings.  Utilize personal outreach to invite potential attendees.

d) Receive a quarterly financial report from the Finance Council, which will provide a brief, high-level overview of the key issues, performance vs. last year, and performance vs. budget.

e) Have Pastoral Council provide updates to Finance and Stewardship Councils at least once each during the year. 

f) Manage succession planning to ensure execution of a thoughtful and timely discernment process to identify new members to ensure that the Council will continue to be vital and active.

2.  To unify the Parish through development and implementation of a coordinated set of objectives and action plans that are tied to the mission and goals of the Parish by each of the Staff, Councils, and Committees.

a) Develop a true Pastoral Plan - coordinate with each Council and Committee to submit specific objectives and action plans and publish a unified plan.

b) Hold a joint meeting of the Councils, Committees, and Staff to plan for the year and to share objectives across these key groups. 

c) Conduct a mid-year review of progress. 

3. To strengthen the sense of Christian community within the parish by utilizing personal outreach to deepen the participation of active parishioners and by reaching out to those who are inactive (Evangelization).

a) Utilize Parish Key Events Calendar to coordinate planning and participate in key Parish events

b) To strengthen a connection with the Evangelization Office of the Archdiocese to glean suggestions for outreach relating to practical tips for evangelization. 

4.  To collaborate with the parish staff in the process of understanding the “Domestic Church” and the possibilities that it holds for engendering faith formation in the Parish. 

a) Reserve agenda time on on-going basis for Ernie Sherretta to update Council on developments and opportunities on an as needed basis.

Finance Council

1. Maintain regular monitoring, budget review, cost analysis, and communication with the business manager and pastor to ensure our parishes continued financial stability

a) Bi-monthly meetings of Finance Council, Pastor, Business Manager

b) Standardized reporting of STV finances

c) Process for vendor review and competitive bid review implemented

d) Preparation and distribution of annual financial report

e) Alignment with processes specified by the Archdiocese

f) Regular reviews of financial statements by Finance Council members

2. Ensure that we have better understanding of Pastoral Council objectives so that Finance Council can better support their efforts

a) Finance Council representation at Pastoral Council meetings

b) Pastoral Council updates provided at Finance Council meetings

c) Participation and collaboration of councils at annual retreat

3. Continue to enhance physical environment of STV through careful consideration and monitoring of capital needs and commitments; in addition, the Building Sub-committee will establish a 3-5 year plan for the parish buildings and an on-going maintenance schedule

a) Creation of Building Committee

b) Strategic planning – 3-5 year plan in process for building needs and maintenance

c) Building Committee presents at bi-monthly Finance Council meetings

d) Alignment with capital expenditure processes as outlined by the Diocese

4. Conduct analyses of data such as our income from parishioners developing a report showing contributions according to age, amount etc. in order to develop metrics and analyze the data to better understand and ultimate improve parishioner participation.

a) In process - the Committee needs to continue the analysis of data and discuss which metrics will be most informative/helpful.

Stewardship Council

1. Consistent use of stewardship language in parish publications in order to improve our parish wide communication.

a) Continue to use ICSC resources as appropriate.

b) Continue to develop materials for distribution to various groups within the parish for enhanced communication of stewardship concepts.

c) Evaluation of various parish publications with concern for consistency of communication about stewardship.

d) Incorporation of feedback from parents and staff on the way stewardship opportunities are described, with particular attention to age-appropriateness for younger and older children.

2. Call to mind the message of embracing total stewardship in parish life:

a) Renewal subcommittee is a standing committee of the Council.  We will continue to revise stewardship materials for clarity and ease of use.

b) Assess the effectiveness of our parish’s renewal program.

3. Promote education about stewardship as a way of life.

Family Life Committee

1. In Support of Marriage

a). Two “Living in Love” marriage retreats will be held.

b). Continuation of the training and development of parish couples who
provide ministry to the engaged called “Preparing to Live in Love”.

2. In Support of Parenting

            a. Two family nights with parenting speakers and entertainment and dinner for the children.

            b. Mom’s of Young Children Group will host seven gatherings. 

            c. Possible on-line parenting course co-sponsored with Family Forum.

3. In Support of Senior Citizens

a. There will be three lunch and lecture events, a monthly bridge club, and
two holiday lunches and an advanced art class.

            b. An annual prayer service and bus support for the March For Life will be provided.

4. In support of Community Building

            a. Four family community builder events will be held during the year.

            Palm Sunday Brunch                             Splash Party

            Breakfast with Santa                             Ice Skating Party

            January sporting event at Villanova geared to young teens and family

5. In Support of Building a Caring and Just Society

a). Martin Luther King Day of Service

b). The Palm Sunday Brunch will offer service activities for young children 

and families.

c) Two summer stewardship camps geared to middle school parishioners.

d). Occasional inserts and articles relevant to families will be available in the bulletin.

Health and Wellness Committee

1. To identify the health needs of the parishioners of St. Thomas of Villanova and make recommendations for programs to meet those needs.

2. To plan health related activities through already existing parish structures or by sponsoring new programs and services.

a). To provide leadership and active assistance in implementing Health programs.

b). To promote healthy lifestyles and work with individuals with health related concerns.

3. To invite parishioners to become volunteers for specific activities.

a) Blood Pressure Screening

b) Involvement with children at St. Thomas of Villanova Preschool

c) Visiting the Sick and Homebound

4. To provide health and wellness information for parishioners weekly through the bulletin.

5. To evaluate the Health Ministry Program at least annually and make recommendations for change.

Peace and Justice Committee

1. Education and Communication Sub-Committee will foster awareness of our mission through the bulletin and the parish website.  This committee will continue to explain Catholic Social Teachings and how these principles can be lived in our daily lives.  The committee will use excerpts for the weekly bulletin from Network, Bread for the World, Justice for Immigrants, Center for Social Concern.

2. Advocacy Sub-Committee will organize the Bread for the World spring letter writing campaign and continue to advocate to elected officials on issues of social justice (i.e. immigration, poverty, hunger).

3. Alternative Giving Sub-Committee will provide education through the bulletin about ways to simply the Advent and Christmas season, defining fair-trade while connecting to Catholic Social Teachings. Will work on organizing another St. Nicholas Shopping Day to raise awareness of fairly traded crafts or host an alternative gift fair in conjunction with other faith communities.

4. Gun Violence Sub-Committee will continue to work with the Interfaith Coalition to    Stop Gun Violence through Prayer, Education and Action.  The parish bulletin will provide information on the Prayer Vigils and upcoming legislation to prevent violence in our city.

5. During the season of Lent committee will sponsor a retreat focused on social justice issues and the social teachings of the church.

6. Work on making the parish website more easily accessible to accessing Justice and Peace issues and links.

7. Continue to determine the feasibility of introducing the Just Faith program to the parish.

Worship Committee

1: To promote “full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations.”

a) Evaluate parish worship using the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) as the foundational piece and the Philadelphia Liturgical Institute Report.

b) Address concerns of Pastor, Councils, and parishioners that are brought to the Committees’ attention to insure our worship continues to promote “full, conscious and active participation” of the faithful.

2: Promote the Triduum liturgies as the summit of parish worship.

a) Continue to review the parish’s celebrations of these days thus building on what worked and refining those areas what were weak.

b) Review liturgical seasons to insure that the liturgical life of the parish points to and supports its celebration of the Triduum.

c) Work with Pastoral Council and parish organization to connect our liturgical celebrations to our daily lives in an effort to form a seamless Christian life.

 

Welcome Committee

1. Origin on Welcome Committee: 2004 with monthly events. Currently- quarterly events, calls to new members, and use of email for update/recruitment/announcements. The parish office does a lot to support this ministry to register/welcome new members.

2. How the Welcome Committee fits into the Parish Mission and Objectives: We act out the parish mission and goals with our focus on stewardship and community building.

3. Recruitment: Committee recruits from new member and established members. Father Rich helps as well when he meets parish members.  JOIN us. (or know anyone who would want to join?), we are seeking.

4. What we do: Attempt to have a variety of events, at a variety of times. Reach out to new groups, new members, and have a method of follow-up for those contacts.  We represent the Parish and the Gospel in our actions and interactions. We discuss ways for new members to be active members and assist them with this process.

5. What we did this year/focus on the year: More “parish conversation” vs. social - - website update, incorporate service into events, have leaders of other ministries join the events as well as established members to join us. (examples: stewardship, youth, etc..)

6. Goals for next year: More events at the 10:30 mass.  Put pictures on the website and get new members, as well as be included in parish media/stewardship campaigns.