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PASTORAL PLAN FOR THE GARY CLUSTER |
OVERALL REPRESENTATION OF THE CLUSTER AND PARISHES
 | Currently, five parishes make up the Gary Cluster: Holy Angels, Holy Rosary, St. Mark, St. Mary of the Lake, and SS. Monica and Luke. The people of the Cluster are involved in any decision to change this composition. Parishioners are called to participate on both the parish level and the cluster level. |
| Each parish continues to have its Parish Pastoral Council and its Finance Committee. Commissions include representatives of all the parishes. |
| Parishes continue to have activities and events specific to their parish. |
Examples of parish activities:
Liturgies in the liturgical style of the parish
Social events
| Cluster activities and events are held for all parishes. |
Examples of Cluster activities:
Celebration of Pentecost, Thanksgiving
Training for Ministries (lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, etc.)
Evangelization
Confirmation
THE PASTORAL TEAM AND LAY LEADERSHIP
| Priests and Deacons are assigned to serve all five parishes. |
The Deacon’s role is sacramental, social justice, ministry of charity, and member of the pastoral team.
The Priest’s role is sacramental, spiritual counseling, presence, member of the pastoral team, and pastor to all.
| The priests live together in one house. |
| Each parish has a trained Lay Ecclesial Minister. This person provides overall pastoral and organizational leadership for this faith community, and helps empower the people of this faith community to carry out the mission of the church. The Lay Ecclesial Minister is understood to be a unifying presence within and a ministerial leader for the faith community. |
| Each Lay Ecclesial Minister is of service to the Cluster through his/her collaborative leadership role and relationship to one Cluster Commission. |
| A description of ministry, qualifications, and training expectations are in place for the position of Lay Ecclesial Minister. |
| Each parish has a secretary. |
| The Cluster has a “pastoral team” consisting of all the priests, the lay ecclesial |
minister from each of the parishes, and all the deacons.
Pastoral Team = Priests + Lay Ecclesial Ministers + Deacons
| Lay leadership is essential to ministry in the parishes and in the Cluster. Lay leadership members participate with the Pastoral Team, e.g. meeting with the team three to four times per year. | ||||||||||||
| One of the priests serves as the Priest Moderator for
the Cluster. His role is to:
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The priest moderator has a term limit, e.g. 3 years, and the pastoral team
discerns who the moderator will be. Priests “rotate” terms as moderator.
SOME OPERATING PRINCIPLES
| Subsidiarity and consensus are in place for decision-making in parishes and in the Cluster. |
| The Parish Pastoral Councils meet together twice each year, in May and November. |
| In each parish, the Finance Committee proposes the parish budget and the Parish Pastoral Council approves it. |
| The Cluster Finance committees propose the Cluster budget and the Cluster Parish Pastoral Councils approve the Cluster budget. |
| Buildings/Property are the responsibility of the respective parish. |
| The Pastoral Plan will be implemented fully by July 1, 2007. |
| The Pastoral Plan was shared with Parish Pastoral Councils, Finance Committees, Commissions, and lay employees in January and February 2005. |
| Initially, a draft of the Pastoral Plan was presented to Bishop Melczek on February 1, 2005. |
| Bishop Melczek approved the Pastoral Plan at an open meeting with members of the Cluster Renaissance Team and parishioners of the Cluster Parishes on May 4, 2006. |
| The Pastoral Plan was shared with the people of the Cluster parishes after the initial review by the bishop. It will be shared again after the bishop’s approval. |
| Openings for Lay Ecclesial Ministers will be announced after the approval of the plan. |
Two-fold Role of the Lay Ecclesial Ministers
Each Lay Ecclesial Minister in the Gary Cluster has a role in a parish and a role in the Cluster.
PARISH ROLE
In the parish, the Lay Ecclesial Minister leads the care for the people of the parish and what takes place in the parish. The Lay Ecclesial Minister also directs the organization part of the parish. Altogether, in the parish, the Lay Ecclesial Minister takes care of (1) pastoral care, (2) the ministry of prayer and worship, (3) the ministry of formation, and (4) administration, such as coordinating activities in the parish and overseeing day-to-day finances. The Lay Ecclesial Minister encourages individuals and groups of the parish to work together to minister in each of these areas.
CLUSTER ROLE
Part of the service of the Lay Ecclesial Minister is within the Cluster and includes serving the entire Cluster through one of the Commissions of the Cluster. The Lay Ecclesial Minister collaboratively leads one particular Commission and focuses on the ministry of that Commission. The Lay Ecclesial Minister is responsible to the Priest Moderator of the Cluster.
Position Description for the Lay Ecclesial Minister
PASTORAL LEADERSHIP
MINISTRY OF PASTORAL CARE
The Lay Ecclesial Minister accomplishes the ministry of pastoral care in the parish in
collaboration with other members of the parish and other Cluster leaders including the
priests and deacons. The Lay Ecclesial Minister is available to and provides needed
support and presence to individuals, families, and groups of parishioners.
MINISTRY OF PRAYER AND WORSHIP
The Lay Ecclesial Minister calls parishioners together to plan, prepare for, and carry out
prayer and worship in the parish. The Lay Ecclesial Minister collaborates with Cluster
priests and deacons who preside and actively participate in Eucharistic liturgies as well
as providing other sacraments for the parish.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION/FORMATION
The Lay Ecclesial Minister supports the education/formation process within the whole
parish including the catechumenate process, Generations of Faith, adult education,
and sacramental preparation. He/she involves the parish in preparation for the educational
experiences as well as the implementation of the experience.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
The Lay Ecclesial Minister upholds a Vatican II model of Church, i.e., one that is
collaborative and values team ministry. He/she promotes a climate of stewardship in
the parish; is committed to the concept and activities of the Cluster; and understands
and supports diocesan policies. The Lay Ecclesial Minister is responsible for the
administrative duties of the parish. The Lay Ecclesial Minister is a member of the pastoral team
consisting of all the priests, the lay ecclesial minister from each of the parishes, and all the deacons.
Pastoral Team = Priests + Lay Ecclesial Ministers + Deacons
CLUSTER LEADERSHIP
MINISTRY OF THE CLUSTER
In a spirit of collaboration, the Lay Ecclesial Minister supports the ministry of the Cluster to help
achieve the mission of the Cluster.
COMMISSION WORK IN THE CLUSTER
The Lay Ecclesial Minister is in a collaborative leadership role with one of the Commissions of the Cluster.
Qualifications for the Lay Ecclesial Minister
PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS
The Candidate is an active participant in Roman Catholic lifestyle and worship; is a
“team player” and a “people person,” able to work well and cooperatively within the
parish, Cluster, and diocesan setting. He/she is culturally sensitive, communicates
effectively, and able to maintain confidentiality. The candidate is able to delegate
well and is able to carry out the multi-dimensional role of the Lay Ecclesial Minister in
the Cluster.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
The Candidate has at least 3 years experience in working within a church staff, administrative experience, and experience in working with issues that may be included in the specific Commission. Preferably, he/she is bilingual, able to converse in both Spanish and English, and can write well in at least one of these languages. The Candidate is certified as a Lay Ecclesial Minister according to the standards set forth by NALM (National Association for Lay Ministry) or is working toward certification. Certification must be completed by the end of the third year as Lay Ecclesial Minister.
Copyright 2007 Gary Cluster Parishes All Rights Reserved
Last Modified: 08/02/2007 08:09 PM -0400