St. Anthony and four other parishes in our area are partnering with the Catholic Leadership Institute in the Next Generation Parish (NGP) program.
Desiring to create a network of support around the pastor, his team, and his parishioners, this experience (through the collection and analysis of data) will help St. Anthony envision the future and overcome obstacles that might hinder that vision from becoming a reality.
The process takes nearly 3 years to complete, and in the end we hope to be a stronger, more vibrant community because of our work with the Catholic Leadership Institute.
The parish was invited to take the Disciple Maker Index Survey in Fall 2019, and the results were analyzed by the Catholic Leadership Institute and shared with the pastor and Envisioning Team.
In 2019, Fr. Bob selected parishioners to serve on an Envisioning Team. The team meets to go over the survey data, identifies three top priorities for parish life, and helps the pastor formulate a plan to address the three priorities. During this time, the pastor also undergoes training from NGP and receives support from the program in forming a vision for the future of the parish. Fr. Ben transitioned in during this step and finished step 2 of the NGP process with the Envisioning Team. He continues to receive coaching from our NGP Leadership Consultant, Lori Tedjeske.
During this step, the Implementation Team meets with our NGP Leadership Consultant, Lori Tedjeske, on a monthly basis to plan how to integrate the three priorities into parish life with help from parishioners, school families, and ministry leaders. St. Anthony's Implementation Team members are: Fr. Ben, Karla Donlon (who served on the Envisioning Team) and Lesley Kirzeder (Director of Ministries).
Implementation will be kicked off parish-wide at our September Parish Mission. This three-day event will be dedicated to spiritual renewal, reforming our community after COVID, and rejoicing in Christ's presence. Each day will focus on one of our NGP priorities. After the Mission, we will dedicate 3 weekends to continue the momentum of the Mission via homilies, discernment, and ministry sign-ups. These weekends will aim to continue a culture shift by inviting and empowering parishioners and families to take ownership of our community in real ways.
The Disciple Maker Index Survey is administered again to find where we have improved and any weakness in overall parish health. Successes are celebrated and nurtured and areas of improvement are addressed.