Search
Close this search box.
EN ES
Search
Close this search box.
EN ES
Search
Close this search box.

Church

Church Overview: Phase 2

by

The focus during Phase 2 of Beacons of Light is establishing a compelling vision for the future, one that will be the reference point that everyone in your Family of Parishes will strive for in the coming years. The Church principle invites people to understand that they are part of something bigger than their individual parishes — even bigger than their Family of Parishes. They are part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and of the Universal Church, which has Jesus Christ as its foundation and center. 

During Phase 2, leaders will discern, articulate and share your vision for your Family of Parishes. As a Family, you must continue to lead your people to come together, to see themselves as part of the Family and to begin to make the vision of your Family their own. You will seek opportunities to come together as people of faith so that, over time, you will become a community in union with Christ and one another.

To fulfill this great goal, you must be rooted together in prayer with open minds and hearts, listening for and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You should also seek ways to bring people together socially, either through new events for your Family or by broadening the scope of gatherings that were previously just for one of the parishes in your Family.

Phase 2 is also a time for ministry leaders to join with others in your Family of Parishes, so that all may benefit from the mutual sharing of gifts, talents and resources. Doing so will rely on every person involved to understand themselves as members of Christ’s Body, the Church, multiplying the ministry of which they are a part.

0.1 Church – Confirm Vision Assessment Complete

by

To prepare for Visio Day, it is beneficial to have an understanding of where the Family of Parishes stands in relation to each of the vision points in the Church principle. Use the Family Vision Assessment Tool to isolate which vision points are strengths and which need attention as part of establishing a comprehensive vision for your Family of Parishes. See the Vision Assessment Tool.

0.2 Build and Assess Signs of Family Identity and Engagement

by

Coming together as a community of faith takes time and relies on intentional processes that bring people into greater union with Christ and one another. There are many things your Family leaders can do to increase your parishioners’ sense of their identities as members of your Family rather than solely as members of their respective parishes. Engaging people within your Family as disciples who are journeying together creates a deep sense of belonging that leads to fuller participation in Mass and the sacraments, ministry, giving and evangelization, as members share their faith, time and resources.

Church Reversed

“Each of us is called to actively participate as a member of a parish, the Universal Church and our local Church, led by our archbishop. Parishes continually deepen the bonds of communion with other parishes.”

Your Family Leadership Team, Pathway Team and pastoral council(s) share in leadership as each group seeks ways to unify parishioners with one another, creating more robust engagement and helping people identify with your Family of Parishes as well as their own parishes.

To-do: Build and assess signs of Family identity and engagement.

0.3 Discern Future State of Pathway Planning Team

by

In the early months of Beacons of Light, most Families of Parishes created a Pathway Team, sometimes called a Transition Team or Planning Team. Often, staff and parishioner representatives from each parish within a Family of Parishes comprised that team. They were tasked with advising the pastor about early steps to bring the people of the parishes together, seeking opportunities for prayer, social time and early steps toward building community in the Family. As Family Leadership Teams are now formed in many Families and staff and councils are more often focusing on the Family of Parishes (not a single parish within the Family), the question arises whether the Pathway Team is still necessary or advisable. Entering into Phase 2 and focusing on vision is an appropriate time to discern the future state of the Pathway Planning Team, where one exists.

Church Reversed

“By September 1, 2022, every Family of Parishes must form a Planning Team, led by the pastor, to coordinate pastoral planning geared toward the unification of the Family by June 30, 2027.” (Beacons Parameter 3)

Questions to Consider:

  • Does your Family of Parishes have a Pathway Planning Team?
    • If yes, what has been its role and contribution to date?
  • Has a Family Leadership Team (FLT) been identified?
    • If yes, how has its role been delineated from the Pathway Team?
  • Have you established a unified Family Pastoral Council, or do your parish pastoral councils meet together, at least occasionally?
    • If yes, how has its role been delineated from the Pathway Team?
  • Are there areas of pastoral life that could be addressed by the Pathway Team that are not within the purview of the FLT or unified Family Pastoral Council, for example, initiatives to build community, enhance common prayer or social time, connect parishioners with one another, identify potential parishioners for new or expanded ministries, etc.?

If your Pathway Team continues, clearly identify its roles and responsibilities. Consider presenting the team at the end of Mass, offering time after Mass for parishioners to share ideas and ensure the team is included in your Family’s website.

1.1 Church – Visio Day

by

Visio Day provides an opportunity for your Family Leadership Team (FLT) to learn the importance of creating a vision for your Family of Parishes and how to best create, communicate and enact that vision within your Family. This one-day workshop will not create the final vision for your Family of Parishes but will jump-start that process and prepare you for the Family Visioning Process.  

Some Families of Parishes participated in Visio Day early in 2023. We encourage all other Families, not engaged in the Catholic Leadership Institute’s Next Generation Parish process, to attend one of the two sessions scheduled for fall 2023.  

Learn more.

1.2 Church – Family Visioning

by

The Family Visioning Process follows Visio Day and is a comprehensive process to create a vision statement for your Family of Parishes. This process is designed to define your vision, build consensus around the vision with key leaders and assess the impacts of that vision for each Beacons principle within your Family. 

Refer to Leadership 1.2 for details on the Family Visioning Process.

I am convinced that Beacons of Light, born of great hope, will enable us to form stronger parishes, centered on the Eucharist, that radiate the love of Christ and joy of the Gospel… God has abundantly blessed our first two centuries and will certainly bless the next.

— ARCHBISHOP DENNIS M. SCHNURR