MARY QUEEN OF HEAVEN
PARISH PLAN
2006 – 2009
This three-year plan is the result of two years worth of work, first
begun with Parish Leadership Day held in June, 2004. On that day, approximately 40 leaders of
parish ministries gathered for a day-long workshop focused on mission and
vision that would become the foundation for this project. During the first year that followed, the
Parish Pastoral Council worked on updating our parish mission statement and in
cooperation with the parish Finance Council and all parish commissions and
ministries, then began to identify goals for the parish in line with that
mission. During the second year of this
project, the Commissions of the parish became involved in developing plans to
concretely achieve our goals. What
follows is the result of many hours of dedicated service by leaders of our
parish to set parish priorities for the next three years.
Much of this work has already begun.
What you will find here is an outline of our parish plan, along with a
timeline for achieving our goals. Some
of these goals are short-term; others will involve work that will not be
completed for two or three years. Every
year, our Parish Pastoral Council will evaluate progress on our goals and will
revise them as parish needs change.
This plan sets the direction and priorities of our parish for the
coming three years. Many thanks to all
of those serving in our many parish ministries and on committees in our parish
who shared in the development of this parish plan.
MARY QUEEN
OF HEAVEN PARISH
Mary Queen of Heaven is a compassionate community of
faith that strives to exemplify Christ’s mission. In the spirit of Vatican II, we take our role
as the People of God seriously and value the participation and empowerment of
the laity in the mission of the church.
We appreciate the history of this faith community, its generous spirit,
and openness to the future, knowing that the Spirit of God is truly guiding us.
We work together to share in the mission of Jesus by
reaching out to those who are hungry, thirsty, lonely, sick, or otherwise in
need. We nurture and care for each other
with simple acts of kindness and love.
There is a simplicity about Mary Queen of Heaven that can be seen in its
physical structure and is mirrored in its people. We strive to be people of integrity who
demonstrate our care and compassion for others through our daily lives.
We value youth as the future of the Church and our
world. We understand the importance of
helping our youth to learn to give of their time and talents in order to help
them serve in a way that is meaningful for them. We recognize the power that is in them for
good. We place an emphasis on the
religious education and formation of youth in our community.
We invest time and energy on programs for the
initiation of children and adults into the Catholic Church. We promote small faith communities as a way
to deepen our own spiritual lives and grow in faith together as a parish
family. We work to develop strong leadership
of our staff and volunteers, in a continuing effort to strengthen our
community. We encourage the
participation of everyone in the ministries of our parish. We share our faith with one another so that
we might be examples of Christ’s love for His people.
We are a welcoming community that seeks to provide a
place of comfort and an atmosphere of acceptance and love for all. We have diverse needs and talents and
different experiences and images of God.
We recognize the value of family and understand that in order to live
God’s Word we must strive to support all the families of our parish. Together, we have a strong sense of being
part of God’s family; we are connected to one another and believe we are
accountable to one another. We want Mary
Queen of Heaven to be a place where everyone feels valued. We place an importance on inviting others to
join us on our journey of faith. We
enjoy being with each other and we enjoy worshipping God, through powerful
liturgies with beautiful music. We are
God’s people, living our lives through faith, hope, and loving service.
PARISH PLAN
2006-2009
MARY QUEEN OF
HEAVEN PARISH WILL DEEPEN ITS COMMITMENT TO EVANGELIZATION AS ITS
BY TAKING THE
FOLLOWING ACTIONS:
Goal 1
Share our Catholic faith with
others using all ways possible
To meet this goal we will:
·
Put MQH Name, address, phone, email, website on
publicity pieces for all ministry events (immediately)
·
Make our Sunday Eucharistic celebrations as
meaningful and beautiful as possible (immediately)
·
Begin to send welcome packets to all new
·
Provide training for parish leaders on
evangelization (1 year)
·
Conduct parish mission for entire parish focused on
evangelization (1 year)
·
Develop and operate successful Catholic
mission-based pre-school as a way of connecting more young families to the
church (1 – 3 years)
·
Develop and operate successful multi-generational
catechesis, using Generations of Faith or similar program (1-3 years)
|
Goal 2 Be a welcoming
community that recognizes and appreciates diversity among people |
To meet this goal we will:
·
Raise awareness by adding section to PPC and
catechist binders on diversity and copy to all ministry leaders (1 year)
·
Be intentional about including diverse ethnic
representation in different areas of parish life. (2-3 years)
·
Research and celebrate religious traditions of
ethnic groups represented in our parish community (2-3 years)
·
Create opportunities for welcome and support for
families in Catholic/non-Catholic marriages (3 years)
Goal 3
Create a stable
financial environment for the sustained growth of our parish through effective
stewardship of time, talent, and treasure
To meet this goal we
will:
·
Develop budget process that promotes accountability
of all parish leaders (now)
·
Review Religious Ed tuition, comparing costs of area
programs (annually)
·
Update parish website to include opportunities for
on-line parish registration and financial giving (1 year)
·
Improve weekly giving to eliminate parish
deficit (1 – 3 years)
·
Establish Stewardship Committee (2 years)
·
Establish Development Committee (2 years)
Goal 4
Recognize our
connectedness with the
To
meet this goal we will:
·
Publicize diocesan workshops/seminars, etc. (1 year
and ongoing)
·
Provide information to parishioners about diocesan
news, goals, and plans as needed (1 year and ongoing)
·
Participate in gatherings of regional PPC
representatives (2 years)
Goal 5
Sustain a parish
environment that facilitates effective communication and allows for
coordination of parish activities
To meet this goal we
will:
·
Ensure the development of a formal Technology
Committee (1 year)
·
Begin “Meet the Pastoral Life Coordinator” dinners
(1 year and ongoing)
·
Continue to publish commission accomplishments as
part of the annual report (1 year and ongoing), cont’d…
·
Provide Welcome Booklet to all newcomers (containing
parish mission statement and information about parish ministries), statement of
parish goals, and Stewardship packet to better understand what is involved in
responsible membership. (1 – 2 years)
·
Update parish website to include current
information, good Catholic links, and new features (1 – 3 years)
·
Develop new parish E-mail lists: General, Religious
Ed, Pre-school families, etc. (2 years)
·
Develop a planning schedule for budget process and
event planning so that annual calendar can be published of all known major
events (2 years)
Goal 6
Provide
opportunities for parishioners to discern their gifts for ministry
To meet this goal we will:
·
Invite new and returning Catholics to become
involved in parish ministries. (1 year
and ongoing)
·
Develop a whole parish Discernment day to help
parishioners discover their talents and gifts.
Follow Discernment Day with Ministry Fair. Send personal invitation to parishioners for
both. (2 years)
·
Redesign Ministry Fair to attract more people. (2 years)
Goal 7
Encourage our
youth to stay active, contemporary, and connected to the larger church. Help our teens transition from youth group to
young adult ministry
To meet this goal we will:
·
Establish a Youth Day for youth groups to observe
the working of the parish commissions to learn more about how a parish works
together. (1 year)
·
Have a Ministry Day for 8th graders to
learn more from ministry representatives about opportunities for service in the
parish. (1 year)
·
Include on parish bulletin board information
pertinent to teens (1 year)
·
Have a “Transition Celebration” for teens graduating
from high school, inviting them to register as adults in the parish. (2 years)
Goal 8
Develop a vibrant young adult ministry
To meet this goal we
will:
·
Sponsor events for
young adults such as a bowling night, co-ed softball league, dance classes.
(within 1 year)
·
Add a Young Adult
sponsored mass on Sunday evening (within 2 years)
·
Organize regular
brunch or dinner for young adults (within 2 years)
Goal 9
Provide adults with ongoing education and formation in areas of Catholic
Social teaching, spirituality, and family life
To meet this goal we will:
·
Promote
opportunities for spiritual growth through retreats and workshops (ongoing)
·
Continue Parish
Bible study opportunities – (on-going)
·
Provide opportunities to help with
parenting challenges, i.e. workshops,
speakers (ongoing)
·
Provide
on-going formation for people involved in parish ministries (within 2 years)
·
Provide for regular
Parish Mission (within 2 years)
·
Develop and operate successful multi-generational
catechesis, using Generations of Faith or similar program (1-3 years)
·
Record, when possible, on audio or
video, every adult learning experience for parish library circulation. (within
2 years)
·
Ensure that homebound parishioners are
made aware of these library opportunities. (within 2 years)
Goal 10
Recognize that our seniors are vital to the life of our community and
encourage their involvement in all areas.
Foster a culture, which demonstrates that they are appreciated
To meet this goal we will:
·
Invite seniors to participate in parish ministries
and activities (ongoing)
·
Hold a forum for seniors to learn their needs,
hopes, and desires for involvement in the parish. (within 1 year)
·
Invite seniors to visit classrooms to read to the
children (within 1 year)
·
Develop a list of drivers to pick up seniors for
parish activities. (within 1 year)
·
Provide informational opportunities for seniors to
learn more about electronic communications and internet use (within 2 years)
Goal 11
Develop relationships with churches and social service agencies as a
way of strengthening our mission of service to others
To meet this goal we will:
·
Initiate Pastoral Life
Coordinator’s participation in Elmhurst Ministerial Association to develop
relationships and begin shared activities with other churches. (initiate - 1
year; participation – ongoing)
·
Initiate participation
in Catholic Charities’ monthly Community Connections meetings ( initiate 1
year, participation ongoing)
Goal 12
Continue to
maintain and upgrade our facilities
To
meet this goal we will:
·
Establish preventive maintenance schedule for all
mechanical equipment (1 year)
·
Make needed repairs and upgrades required in the
parish, including those things required for the establishment of the pre-school
(1 year)
·
·
Paint interior of church (3 years)