Beacons of Light
Pastoral planning pathway
Stella Maris & Beacons of Light
Not surprisingly, the Lord continues to do good things in our Parish Family as we move steadily along on our Beacons journey.
As you may recall, Beacons of Light is a pastoral planning process. It has been designed to best arrange the many resources of the Archdiocese to proclaim the gospel and create inspired disciples of Jesus Christ. It’s a multi-phased, multi-year approach built upon key principles, common expectations, and specific milestones for all of our Parishes.
12-18 Mo
Building a Family Leadership Team (FLT) and a unified Family Pastoral Council (FPC) will establish the depth and breadth of staff and lay leadership which will engage in Beacons of Light project.
Outcome:
Family Leadership Team
Family Pastoral Council
6-9Mo
A vision is a rallying cry for a vital and missionary Family of Parishes. The FLT must collaborate with lay leadership to cast this vision. Visio Day and the Family Visioning Process foster collaboration and support from a broader group.
Outcome:
Vision Statement
6-9 Mo
Vision only works if it is purposefully incorporated into the parish family life and ecclesial culture. The Culture phase will enable the FLT and other leaders to align their strategies and activities with the vision of a vital and missionary Family of Parishes.
Outcome:
Strategy for Culture Management
6-9Mo
Now that a vision and ecclesial culture are defined, Family leaders collaborate on a strategic plan that identifies the strategies, work steps, resources, and timelines necessary to achieve that vision and continue to foster the ecclesial culture defined by the vision.
Outcome:
Plan
9-15 Mo
Implementing those action steps is how the FLT and Family of Parishes achieve that vision and change the Family of Parishes culture to support unity, parish vitality, and missionary discipleship. This then becomes an ongoing mode of operation as the Family of Parishes continues to plan and execute.
Outcome:
Vibrant Parish – Making Disciples!
Status Update
Current Phase
Our Stella Maris Family is currently in Phase I of this process. Over the past year our focus has been on bringing four unique parishes together as a single community. To that end, we have begun unifying our staffs and ministries, sharing resources, and bringing talents family wide. RCIA and Confirmation Prep are now a Family process. The Grace Ministry is now opened to all four parishes and our first Stella Maris Men’s Retreat will occur this coming Spring.
The past year has also seen the creation of several new and inspiring programs, all geared towards deepening our faith and strengthening our relationship with Jesus Christ. We launched the Summer School of Prayer 2023, Revitalize and the Surrender Initiative. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is now up and running at St. Peter’s. All of these have been a blessing and extremely well received by our Parish Family.
So, what’s on the horizon for us? Well, we still have a few things to complete prior to wrapping up Phase I. Most important is the rounding out of our Family Leadership Team and creation of a Unified Family Pastoral Council. These groups will work closely with Fr. Tim and fellow parishioners to take us into Phase II. There we will more fully develop not only a vision for our future, but the specific plans necessary for accomplishing it.
