Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
November
24, 2008
Mr.
Edward J. Miller
Chairman
Archdiocesan Tracking Committee (ATC)
305 Michigan Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226-2605
Dear
Mr. Miller,
Thank
you for the opportunity to update the Archdiocesan Tracking Committee on the
progress that the
Trinity Vicariate has made to date, where improvement is needed, and the plan
to move forward.
Section
1:
Parish Cluster/Merger Status
Significant
change has occurred in the Vicariate in the past 6 months. 9 parishes were
involved in 4
clusters on 6/1/08; Currently, 10 parishes are involved in 4 clusters, but
3 of the clusters are either new or
revised.
Clusters
·
St.
Benedict St. Gregory Madonna Blessed Sacrament remains the same
·
St.
Suzanne/ Gate of Heaven - St. Thomas Aquinas are a revised cluster with St.
Mary's of
Redford leaving the cluster and having a new pastor/administrator..
·
St.
Luke's and St. Cecilia cluster has been dissolved; St. Mary's of Redford is
their new cluster
companion
·
St.
Cecilia and St. Leo (originally in (2) separate Vicariates) have clustered
and decided to be part
of the Trinity Vicariate.
With
3 new or revised clusters since July 1
st
,
much of the time has been spent getting acquainted with
each
other, and it is anticipated that cluster planning will commence in early
2009.
Designated
Cluster Partners (if needed)
·
SS.
Peter and Paul and St. Christopher have had discussions in the past, but mutual
agreement has
not been reached.
·
Presentation/Our
Lady of Victory St. Scholastica
·
Our
Lady of Grace and St. Sabina, which is in a different Vicariate. At this time,
the pastor of St.
Sabina is completing a chaplaincy; if they do decide to cluster, they must
choose which Vicariate
they will be in
Merged
Parishes
Corpus
Christi (formerly St. Gerard and IHM)
St.
Peter Claver (formerly Precious Blood and St. Francis De Sales)
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
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Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
·
St.
Bartholomew - St. Rita
St.
Catherine of Siena (formerly St. Gemma and St. Christine)
With
(4) parishes resulting from mergers in the last 5 years (or less), administrative
issues may have been
worked out, but the sense of becoming "one parish" takes several years (5
10) to develop. While some
of these parishes are willing to explore other cluster opportunities, others
indicate that the "one parish"
dynamic needs to be established before considering other cluster partners.
Question
Marks Parishes with Concerns
Gesu
Health of the Pastor
St.
Hillary Pastoral and Financial
St.
Peter Claver - Pastoral and Financial
St.
Catherine of Siena - Financial Operate St. Christine's Soup Kitchen
Christ
the King Approval of Collaboration with St. Fabian, Farmington Hills
St.
Benedict St. Gregory Madonna Blessed Sacrament Merge plans are on
hold.
St.
Suzanne Financial (loss of charter school, pending lease to St. Don Bosco.
)
While
not all the question mark parishes are experiencing the same problems, pastoral
and financial issues
seem to be a common thread. While some may say that this would be the perfect
time to cluster, it should
be noted that two (2) of the parishes experiencing difficulties are recent
mergers.
Section
2 Support of Initiatives in Lay Leadership
The
status of the current plan can be found in Appendix A.
The Regional Archdiocesan Young Adult Minister for Detroit is a member of
one of our Vicariate
parishes.
In a collaborative effort, the Archdiocese pays her salary, while the 3 city
Vicariates
split her benefits and expenses.
17 full time students at Sacred Heart Major Seminary are from the Trinity
Vicariate. An
unspecified
number study at the seminary part time. A large number of lay people finished
the
Ministers of Service Training this year.
The Annual Leadership conference continues to be a success, with 110 people
attending the
October,
2008 event.
No progress has been made in identifying specific individuals for financial
support.
Section
3 Youth and Young Adult Ministry
As
indicated in Section 2 , Trinity Vicariate, in collaboration with (2) other
city Vicariates and the
Archdiocese, have hired a Young Adult Minister. Joi Hunter has completed a
survey of the activities of
the Trinity parishes, and is actively encouraging parishes to reach out to
their youth and publicize events.
Although the number of youth and young adults active in the Trinity Vicariate
is small, we will continue
to emphasize this effort, which is vital to the future health of the Church
in Detroit.
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
2 of 11
Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Section
4 Evangelization
The
status of the current plan can be also be found in Appendix A. There will
be a major presentation at
our February Vicariate meeting on Evangelization.
All
Evangelization goals are listed as "in progress",
and
will be reviewed by the Leadership Team and the Vicariate as a whole after
the February meeting.
which will focus on Evangelization. There may be some small scholarships offered
to parishes who
develop creative evangelization efforts.
Section
5 Coordinated Outreach
Again
the status can be found in Appendix A. The Vicariate will review the status
after the beginning of
the year and determine ways to move this initiative forward.
One
recommendation calls for hiring a
consultant
to direct a study of Christian Service outreach in our Vicariate, one which
will include
Catholic, ecumenical and secular sources of care for those in need. Christian
Service is the focus of the
March, 2009 Vicariate Meeting.
Section
6 Catholic School Support
The
Trinity Vicariate has established, through the Archdiocese, a revenue sharing
plan where a percentage
of the rental income from charter schools is directed to the Vicariate schools.
Last year, $ 219,332 was
donated to the Schools' Office of the Archdiocese from parishes with charter
schools. 75% of the funds
were returned to the Catholic Schools in our Vicariate This amount does not
include the funds given
directly to St. Scholastica School from their charter school or the amount
that St. Thomas Aquinas gave to
St. Mary of Redford School, which was part of their parish cluster. In addition,
the Vicariate principals
will make a presentation at the January, 2009 to update the Trinity Vicariate
on what additional steps need
to be taken to keep our schools healthy.
Refreshing
the Vicariate Plan
The
changes in our member parishes and progress to date on the ambitious plans
(see Appendix A)
previously provided by the Trinity Vicariate in Leadership, Evangelization,
Outreach and Worship to the
Tracking Committee indicate that much work needs to be done.
The
Trinity Vicariate has committed itself to proceed on a two pronged approach.
First, we will continue
to focus on the specific topics of lay leadership, evangelization, Christian
service outreach, Catholic
schools, and young adults as well as update the tracking committee on the
cluster-merger-close process
among the Vicariate parishes.
Specific
Meeting Topics: The Leadership Team has designated the following topics to
be discussed in
greater detail at the monthly Vicariate meetings. The general format is to
get a guest speaker from the
Archdiocese, questions and answers, and a review of the current plans.
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
3 of 11
Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
The
schedule for 2008 2009 is as follows:
September
2008:
Youth/Young
Adults
(Krista
Bajoka)
October
2008:
Parish
Life Conference (Multiple speakers from the central offices &
parishes)
November
2008:
Lay
Leadership (John Thorne)
January
2009:
Catholic
Schools (Committee from Catholic Schools in the Vicariate)
February
2009:
Evangelization
(Paco Gavrilides)
March
2009:
Christian
Service Outreach Report (consultant to be named)
Vicariate
Vision: Second, we will use energy to focus on a new Vicariate vision for
the future. At the
November 18
th
meeting, the Vicariate consensed to developing this vision over the next 6
months, with
the
emphasis being on the key question:
How
do we move beyond the pattern of Clustering, Merging and Closing to a
new vision of how to be Church in the urban setting of the Trinity Vicariate?
A
10 member committee will be meeting over the next 7 months to collect the
required information,
contact and utilize Archdiocesan resources and set the groundwork for the
following events:
April
2009: Plan for Visioning workshop
May
2009: Hold day-long workshop, the purpose being to begin to gather creative
models and
speakers to share how we might best do parish ministry in our urban setting
June
2009: Evaluate/make future plans
Thank
you again for the opportunity to update you on the Trinity Vicariate's Together
in Faith efforts.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.
Yours
in Christ,
Rev.
Donald Archambault
Mr.
Gerald S. Szczepanski
Vicar
Chairperson
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
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Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Appendix
1 - Trinity Vicariate Focus Area Development - 9/2007
Area
1 - Leadership Long Term Goals and Short Term Strategies
Goal
1:
Mentor,
Train and Develop Professional Lay Leadership and Volunteer Lay
Leadership.
Status:
Yellow In Progress. 17 students associated with Vicariate parishes are
studying full time at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, no count is available for
those
who are pursuing part time studies.
Trinity
Vicariate is collaborating with the Archdiocese in providing a Youth Adult
Minister for the (3) Detroit City Vicariates. The Archdiocese is paying the
Youth
Adult Minister's salary, while the Vicariates are picking up benefits and
expenses.
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement: Identify Resources; i.e. Vicariate
Training Library (Move to St. Mary's ?), Archdiocesan Classes/Courses,
APLC Lay Leadership (Ann. Parish Leadership Conference)
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred: Maintenance/Upkeep of Video
Library, Certification Costs
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement: Professional Lay Leadership
Goal
2:
Select
4 Job Descriptions of Key Professional Lay Leaders Uniformly Develop
for Trinity Vicariate
Status:
Red No actions taken. Survey should be taken of Vicariate pastors
to determine whether this goal would produce useful results.
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Obtain
Various Job Descriptions (JD's) for:
Professional/Lay/Volunteer: Christian Service, Pastoral Associate,
Pastoral Administrator, Business Manager from Parishes,
Archdiocese and the Internet
Review,
Create and Evaluate JD's
Make
JD's Publicly Accessible
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Time
associated with research, collect/gather, evaluate and refine
data
Committee:
planning, meeting, coordinating, launching
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
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Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Leadership
(Continued)
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement: Pastors
Goal
3:
Identify
4 people within Vicariate to attend training and receive Vicariate support
Status:
Yellow In progress. Young Adult Minister (Joi Hunter) is a parishioner at
a Vicariate parish. Other leaders have not been identified
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Develop
Criteria and Application Process
Secure
Archdiocesan Grant Funding
Screen
Candidates
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred: Financing Formation, i.e.,
tuition, etc.
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Review
Committee
Pastors
Candidates
and Families
Goal
4:
Continue
APLC (Annual Parish Leadership Conference)
Status:
Green On-going success. The Leadership Conference held in October,
2008 had the most participants in the Archdiocese (110)
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
At
the Archdiocesan Level Secure: Dates, Locations and Resources
Administration:
Identify Site Coordinator, i.e., Elizabeth Bey, Food,
Registration, Workshop Preparedness, Identify Milestone Chart
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Participants/Attendees
pay their own way
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by
launching/achieving this objective or needed for achievement:
Elizabeth Bey (St. Scholastica Site)
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
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Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Area
2 - Evangelization and RCIA Long Term Goal and Short Term
Strategies
Goal
1:
Benchmark
3 successful evangelization models as inculturating (insertion of
gospel message into cultures) the Word of God in our communities
Status:
Yellow (ongoing) Goal to be further refined by Vicariate visioning
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Visit/Review
three successful evangelization models; i.e., St. Sabina -
Chicago, Sacred Heart Parish Detroit, Sign Me Up
Visit/Review
various other churches to identify a model of inculturation
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement: Fr. Clarence Williams, Alex Jones, Fr.
Norm Thomas, Parishioners, Leadership Groups (conferences),
Neighborhood Links
Goal
2:
Learn
to Understand and Appreciate Communities' Diverse Cultures
Status:
Red No action taken, goal has no measurable targets. Will be
addressed at February, 2009 Vicariate meeting, which focuses on Evangelization.
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement: Workshops, Seminars, Revivals,
Retreats, Missions
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred: Approximately $200-$300 for a
session or retreat
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement: Leadership, Evangelization
Coordinator
Goal
3:
Investigate
ways to bring inculturation (insertion of the gospel message into
cultures...) into our church art, worship and music
Status:
Red goal is vague, needs to be refined. The Vicariate visioning should
seek to find out which cultures are currently in the Vicariate and identify
those
which are not being included in art, worship and music.
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Visit
at least three area churches to study the use of art, worship and
music
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
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Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Area
2 - Evangelization and RCIA (continued)
Conduct
a mini research regarding the influence of church art,
worship and music in spreading the Good News in at least three area
churches.
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Minimal:
travel related expenses, etc.
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Inreach:
Spiritually marginal parishioners
Outreach:
Inactive Catholics and Unchurched Non-Catholics
Society:
Promoting social justice activities for the betterment for our
society.
Area
3 - Outreach / Health Long Term Goal and Short Term Strategies
Goal
1:
Identify
all Currently Available Resources (Vicariate; Non-denominational)
Status:
Yellow. Survey of parish resources complete, but a summary has not
been issued.
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Survey
parishes in Vicariate and other area outreach programs (98%
complete; awaiting 4 responses)
Compile
data and make available/accessible on map and website
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Maps
Distribution
of Data
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Most
Affected: the poor and the needy
Those
Needed for Achievement: Parish Representative, Christian
Service Coordinator.
Goal
2:
Determine
Gaps in Service
Status:
Yellow.
Requires completion of Goal 1
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Review
completed Surveys/Maps of all Area Outreach Programs
(including Trinity Vicariate)
Monitor
Resources Variations
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
8 of 11
Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Area
3 - Outreach / Health (continued)
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Time
Talents
Tasks
(energy)
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Most
Affected: the poor and the needy
Those
Needed for Achievement: Parish Representative, Christian
Service Coordinators.
Goal
3:
Identify
Means to Fulfill Needs/Goals:
Status:
Yellow. Requires completion of Goals 1 and 2
·
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
·
Research
and Contact Organizations including non-profits for
monetary, grants and in-kind resources to fulfill goals
·
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
·
Hiring
an individual to write Grant Proposals
·
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
·
Most
Affected: the poor and the needy
·
Those
Needed for Achievement: Parish Representative,
Christian Service Coordinator
Goal
4:
Utilize
Joint Resources as Effectively as Possible to Maximize/Optimize
Results/Outcomes:
Status:
Yellow. Requires completion of Goals 1 3 and prioritizing efforts
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Create
a Network of Agencies with Resource Organizations
Develop
a Plan to Best Serve Community Needs and Goals
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Site
Creation to Deliver a Service
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Most
Affected: the poor and the needy
Those
Needed for Achievement: Parish Representative, Christian
Service Coordinator
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
9 of 11
Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Area
4 - Worship Long Term Goal and Short Term Strategies
Goal
1:
Sponsor
Speakers to Assist Individuals Develop a Deeper Worship Knowledge
Status:
Red No actions taken. It is recommended that the Vicariate, either
through the Priest's meetings or Visioning determine if this goal should be
pursued.
·
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
Identify
speakers and topics
Solicit
speakers: local and national
Topics
based on Liturgical Seasons
Engage
Archdiocese
·
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Speaker
Fees, approximately: $300 - $500; local speakers less
costly
Registration
Costs: site, supplies, refreshments,
Time
and Talents
·
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Parish
Worship Commissions
Youth
Involvement; Parishioners, age/group specific
Archdiocesan
Library
Goal 2:
Sponsor
Family Retreats
Status:
Red No action taken. It is recommended that the Vicariate, either
through the Priest's meetings or Visioning determine if this goal should be
pursued.
·
Major
Tasks Needed for Achievement:
"Re"
Bring Family Together
Location,
Events Planned and Time Span
"Start
Small: Get ball rolling, picnics to boost interest
·
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Rent
(if necessary)
Advertising
Cost
Food,
Refreshment Cost
Speaker
and Resource Fees
·
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
Page
10 of 11
Trinity
Vicariate Archdiocese of Detroit
"The
mission of the Trinity Vicariate, an assembly of Roman Catholic parishes and
communities in the
Archdiocese of Detroit, is to support, protect and affirm in prayer, word
and deed, each other's work in
making Christ known, visible and worshiped in our neighborhoods, cities and
world."
Area
4 Worship (continued)
Parish
Worship Commissions
Parishioners
Goal
3:
Sponsor
Adult and Youth Concert Choirs Between Communities and Parishes
Status:
Red No action taken. It is recommended that the Vicariate, either
through the Priest's meetings or Visioning determine if this goal should be
pursued. If so,, recruit a Vicariate or archdiocesan music director to spearhead.
Major
Tasks Needed for Objective #3 Achievement:
Utilize
Available Resources for Liturgical Calendar
Logistics,
i.e., communicating between parishes; scheduling
Estimated/Anticipated
Costs to be Incurred:
Refreshments
Advertising
Time
and Talents
Audience
likely to be most influenced/affected by launching/achieving this
objective or needed for achievement:
Parish
Worship Committees
Parishioners
Trinity
Vicariate Leadership Team
11/24/08
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