Week of 3/30/08 Update: Father Tom Wilson and Deacon Jim McDonald, the liaisons from the Comprehensive Assignment Board (C.A.B.) met with the parish leadership, transition team and numerous parish members on April 1, 2008. The purpose of the meeting was for the Archdiocese to have an understanding of what the parish is proud of, what has not gone well and what the parish hopes to achieve in the next five years. The purpose of the meeting was not for selecting a new priest. The C.A.B. liaisons bring any concerns and information mentioned at the meeting to the Comprehensive Assignment Board. They were very pleased and impressed by the large turnout of approximately 40-50 people. The audience was divided into three groups to respond to the following questions and identified these items: 1. What has the St. John the Evangelist community done well during the past five years? Integration of the Hispanic community with the overall church body, increase in church membership, success of the grade school, introduced new features and ministries such as the children’s collection during Mass and the prayer shawl ministry.
2. What could the community have done better during the past five years? There could be better or more integration of the Hispanic community, more community involvement (ie.., more members volunteering at the church) and improved youth programs and/or participation, particularly for the confirmation age group.
3. What would we like to see done in the next coming five years? Sustainability and increase at the school, steady financial planning/contributions needed for pending building maintenance, increased awareness & education of social justice issues and increased involvement by the younger generation. Week of 3/23/08 Update: The Transition Team met with Maureen Geddes and Bob Seidel (Transition Team volunteers for the Archdiocese). The open forum allowed for questions to be asked of both Maureen and Bob by the group; they shared beneficial information on the transition process that different parishes experience. Several of the key points they emphasized (based on their experience) were: 1. Having a clear, well-rounded informational booklet available for pastoral candidates is important. This booklet should include brochures, a parish description, a parish history, information regarding the school, etc.. St. John the Evangelist does have a booklet put together and has shared it with the Archdiocese and several candidates.
2. Provide a welcoming environment to all visitors during this time as many pastoral candidates visit the parishes they are applying at.
3. There is a period of grief, both for the outgoing pastor as well as the community itself that needs to be worked through. It is important that the out-going pastor be recognized for his contributions. The community is encouraged to work through their grief with prayer, open dialogue and appropriate time for healing.
4. Pray regularly and publicly for a new pastor. | The Catholic Spirit recently ran a series of articles related to pastoral transitions.
Click the links below to read these articles. Transitions - Part I: Pastor Changes How a pastor is picked Five key points for successful transitions One priest's perspective |
Pastoral Transition 
