Category Archives: SJSP Collaborative

Question 20: I feel like I’ve probably missed some of the questions that have been published in this section of the Bulletin. Where can I learn more about Collaboratives?
All of the questions we’ve published so far can be found on the St. John’s web site – click
ST. JOHN-ST. PAUL COLLABORATIVE NEWS under “Quick Links.” In addition, the Archdiocese regularly updates a detailed website: www.disciplesinmission.com.

We welcome your comments and feedback.  Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to – stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com.

Question 19: Since Phase One is underway already, has the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission noted any challenges or surprises with these initial Collaboratives?

As we all know, change is rarely easy! Phase One Pastors have embraced major change: they left familiar  surroundings and started working with new staffs and parishioners. They are learning the culture of their new parishes while trying to keep up Mass schedules and levels of involvement with their parishioners. These Pastors have committed themselves to grow strong, intentional, and effective centers for the Archdiocese’s New Evangelization.  One area which posed some surprising false starts for the Collaboratives was IT. Getting the proper networking, internet, phone, and wiring in twelve Collaboratives up and running proved to be more complex than anticipated. Things are going more smoothly now; patience and persistence is paying off.

We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to: stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com 

For more information and to the view this entire series of “Frequently Asked Questions” please visit the St. John – St. Paul Collaborative News page on our website.

Question 17: Once our Collaborative is formed with St. Paul’s, is there a “blueprint” of how we’re supposed to operate?

Yes. After our Collaborative is formed and is up and running, the Pastor will appoint a team to write the Local Pastoral Plan for our Collaborative. The Plan will contain the details of how St. John’s and St. Paul’s will engage in the work of the New Evangelization (reaching out to Catholics who are not currently active in the Church and welcoming them back to the active practice of the faith). Our Local Pastoral Plan will contain the details of how we will run our programs, how we will promote vocations, and how we will engage in radical hospitality. The Local Pastoral Plan will also contain specific goals and how we will measure movement toward these goals. The Local Pastoral Plan will be different for each Collaborative and will be approved by the Archbishop.

We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to: stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com 

For more information and to the view this entire series of “Frequently Asked Questions” please visit the St. John – St. Paul Collaborative News page on our website.

Question 16. I’ve heard that when the Parish Collaboratives form, all the Pastors in that Collaborative Phase have to resign. Is this correct?
Yes. However, the Archbishop will appoint the best Pastor for the unique needs of each Collaborative. It may be the case that the best Pastor for a given Collaborative is one of the current Pastors or Administrators (interim Pastors), or it may be the case that the best choice is someone new, from another Parish altogether. In Phase One, which began in the summer of 2013, half of the twelve Collaboratives got a new Pastor, and the other half retained a Pastor from one of the Collaborating parishes.

We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to: stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com

Question 15. When will St. John’s officially begin its Parish Collaborative with St. Paul’s? Is St. John’s and St. Paul’s going to be one of the first Collaboratives to form in the Archdiocese?
The Archdiocese is implementing the Pastoral Pl,an in phases. Phase One began on June 4, 2013, when twenty-eight parishes came together to form twelve Collaboratives. Phase One is being carefully followed by the Archdiocese. Phase Two parishes were announced in September, 2013 and these Collaboratives will begin on June 3, 2014. In Phase Two, forty-four parishes will come together to form twenty-one Collaboratives. Each year going forward, about twenty new Collaboratives will form. We don’t have an exact date yet for the collaboration of St. John’s and St. Paul’s, but we will make an announcement as soon as we have any information.

We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to: stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com

Question 14. It has been said that evangelization is a critical component of the Parish Collaborative process and the long term strength of the archdiocese. What does it mean to be an “evangelizing parish”?

Evangelization (reaching out to our brothers and sisters and drawing them more fully to Jesus Christ) is a component of the Parish Collaborative Process because evangelization and collaboration are two critical ways to enable the mission of Christ and the Catholic Church to grow stronger. To make our Catholic community stronger, we need to find ways to welcome our brothers and sisters back to active practice of the faith. Evangelizing parishes exercise what is called “radical hospitality.” They are always mindful of the lost. They pay careful attention to what they look like to people coming through the door for the first time. They make excellent and bold use of social media. They are committed to forming disciples, who in turn form other disciples. They have a strong focus on adult religious experiences, and adult faith formation, especially in small groups. We all know Catholics in Wellesley and elsewhere who have drifted away from the Catholic Church. To make our Catholic community stronger, we need to find ways to welcome our brothers and sisters back to active practice of the faith.

We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to: stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com

Question 13: What is evangelization, really? Why is “New Evangelization” highlighted as a key part of the Parish Collaborative Process? How are the two related, anyway?
Evangelization is the work of reaching out to our brothers and sisters and drawing them more fully to Jesus Christ. Cardinal Sean, echoing the teaching of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, has repeatedly emphasized that the Church will only be strengthened to the extent that every practicing Catholic embraces the “New Evangelization,” the particular work of reaching out to Catholics who are not currently active in the Church. Evangelization is a component of the Parish Collaborative Process because evangelization and collaboration are two critical ways which will enable the mission of Christ and the Catholic Church to grow stronger. We all know Catholics in Wellesley and elsewhere who have drifted away from the Catholic Church. To make our Catholic community stronger, we need to find ways to welcome our brothers and sisters back to active practice of the faith.
We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to – stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com

Question 12: It is my understanding that each Catholic parish has its own local governing body, the Parish Council. How will this work once we start our Parish Collaborative?
St. John’s and St. Paul’s will have one combined Pastoral Parish Council, made up of parishioners from both parishes. Although each parish will maintain its own identity (each will keep its own name, buildings, and canonical rights), there will be one Parish Council to assist and advise the Pastor in the mission of the Parishes of the Collaborative. The Pastor will seek to structure the Pastoral Parish Council in such a way that all parishioners will be able to have open and honest communication with him, both through the Parish Pastoral Council and in other settings.
We welcome your comments and feedback. Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to – stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com