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PASTORAL PLANNING IN THE BALLARAT DIOCESE
18
‘Pastoral planning is the process of praying and thinking together
about the actions of the Body of Christ in a particular time and place’.
(Pickett – A Concise Guide to Pastoral Planning 2007)
2008 in the Ballarat Diocese is certainly a time when our Diocesan
community is called to pray and reflect on how we as a Church
are fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ in a challenging and ever
changing world. The ways of the past which have served us well
may or may not be useful today.
Our Diocese continues to respond to the issues identified at the
2004 Diocesan Assembly: the decline in priest numbers and an
ageing clergy profile, the challenge of engaging our young people
with the Church and a changing demographic, particularly in
northern areas of our Diocese.
Emerging out of discussions by the Diocesan Pastoral Council,
feedback from the 2007 Regional DPC Forums, responses from
the College of Consultors, and input from the Diocesan agencies,
a working operational plan for the Diocese has emerged. This
plan identifies four key mission priority areas for the Diocese in
2008 / 9:
• Young People for Mission
• Formation for Mission
• Communication for Mission
• Resourcing for Mission
Young People for Mission
The celebration of World Youth Day in Sydney in July this year
provides an opportunity for our Diocese to reenergize the mission
capacity of our young people. Through their participation in
the pilgrim preparation program, involvement with the Sydney
experience and the development of faith networks beyond July,
we pray our Diocese will be able to engage with the lives of over
three hundred Diocesan community members. The challenge
is for all this newly generated energy to be maintained in the
weeks and months following July. The working operational plan
includes the development of a youth leaders’ formation program,
a Diocesan youth gathering in 2009 and for each parish or region
to plan for the participation of young people in the life of the parish
and/or the region following WYD08.
Formation for Mission
Fundamental to the mission of the Diocesan Church is the
provision of opportunities for all people to respond to their
baptismal call. The Diocese is working towards the development
of a multi faceted ministry resource which will provide direction
for individuals, groups or parishes to identify formation resources
which are appropriate for the particular situation. An excellent
basis for this resource is the research already undertaken by
the Faith Formation & Spirituality Working Party of the Diocesan
Pastoral Council.
A pilot project in parish leadership is currently being implemented
in the Cororooke parish. Three parish coordinators have recently
been appointed to coordinate all the activities of the Parish. These
coordinators work in conjunction with the Visiting Priest who leads
the sacramental ministry of the parish. This pilot project which will
be evaluated over the next two years has implications for parishes
across the Diocese as one model of parish leadership.
Other priorities in the area of Mission Formation include:
• the provision of formation opportunities for the 30 – 49 age
group in our Diocese as the key group who will be our leaders
into the future;
• strategic support for employees and volunteers who have
responsibility for administration and financial accountability in
our parishes;
• a continuing dialogue with our priests around the role of laity
as leaders in our communities;
Communication for Mission
In a diocese the size of our Ballarat Diocese it is important
that the life and mission of the Church is enhanced through
the establishment of effective and up to date communication
systems. The production of the Diocesan print publication ‘Our
Diocesan Community’ and the fortnightly distribution of the
‘Diocesan E-News’ are two strategies for ensuring the whole
community is kept informed about the life of our Diocese.
Over the past twelve months the Diocesan website, www.
ballarat.catholic.org.au has been launched. The challenge
now is to maximise the mission potential of this website. A key
strategy will be the continuation of targeted training across the
Diocese.
Resourcing for Mission
The profile of our Diocesan Church will continue to change.
We cannot continue to make decisions based on the way our
Church was twenty or thirty years ago. It is important to ensure
that the resources of the Diocese, personnel and financial,
are deployed in such a manner as to optimize the mission in
2008 and beyond. The establishment of a clergy deployment
schedule based on predicted clergy numbers at 2011 and
2016 will allow the Diocese to be strategic in the placement of
our priests rather than reacting to each situation as it arises.
Aligned to this is the continued exploration by regional clusters
of parishes for opportunities of working together on common
ministries, fostering mutual support, sharing resources and
the joint planning of key elements of pastoral life and mission.
At a Diocesan level the leaders of the Diocesan agencies in
education, welfare, pastoral ministry and finance will continue
to look for opportunities of interagency collaboration.
The use of the term a working operational plan accurately
describes the intent of this document. It is not a comprehensive
strategic plan for the Diocese for a set period of time, but rather
a guide for our Diocesan activities which will continue to evolve
as we as a diocesan community pray and think together about
our actions as the Body of Christ in 2008.
Vin Dillon - Pastoral Planning Reference Group
Our Diocesan Community - April 2008