Focus Questions as we look to the future or St. Patrick Parish.
1. How do we continue to honor our 108 year legacy of faithful witness in this community, holding onto all that we have been taught and all that we have become?
2. How do we see this moment of change as an opportunity for growth and evangelization?
3. How do we prepare to welcome new leadership and be open to new ideas?
4. How do we inspire and challenge parishioners to stay committed to this parish during this period of transition?
Our Fears
& Concerns
Managing Transition Video from Amazing Parish
https://amazingparish.org/managing-transition/
Looking to the Future
On May 24, 2018, we celebrated our 107th birthday!
Fr. Noga will celebrate his 70th birthday in March of 2019. He has been our faithful pastor for 34 years and is beginning to consider retirement. THERE IS NO DEFINITE DATE YET. However, as a parish we are beginning to look at this transition and how best to prepare for it. How do we celebrate and honor all that Fr. has shared with us AND be prepared to welcome a new leader.
Speaking of a new parish leader, we may be asked to welcome a Lay Parish Leader and a Canonical Pastor rather than a Resident Pastor which we have been accustomed to. There are three parishes in Mahoning County and two more in other parts of the Youngstown Diocese that have adopted this leadership model. It's no secret that we have more parishes than active priests and that many of those priests have multiple responsibilities. This is a creative way to keep active parishes open and engage the gifts and talents of the laity. Details about these five parishes as well as other parishes across the country can be found to the right.
This is meant to be a resource page for our parishioners and others. We gathered information from our Diocesan Evangelization office as well as resources from other parishes and dioceses. We are hopeful that the more information we have and the better we understand lay leadership, the better prepared we will be for our own transition whether we are welcoming a resident pastor or a lay leader and canonical pastor. For a detailed explanation of these various roles, please see the resources listed below.
On the right side of this page is the letter sent to every registered parishioner at St. Patrick Parish regarding continued steps in our transition process. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any one of our team members.
Peace,
Vicki Vicars vicki-stpatricks@neo.rr.com
Parish Evangelization Coordinator
Transition Team Members
Ruthanne Grant Mary Green Colleen Hendel Carla Hlavac Carl James Brian Kennedy Tony Lape Fred Kurz Jeannie Mulichak Elizabeth Orlando Cynthia Sanders Tom Welsh
Resources from the Diocese of Youngstown
What is a Parish Leader Guidelines and Roles
“I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities.” Pope Francis, Joy of the Gospel, 33.
Letter to our