In 2005 Bishop Hanna promoted the idea of Parishes within the Wagga Wagga Diocese creating Parish plans to help the direction and life within each parish. This document sets out such a plan, and is a direct result of the Parish Pastoral plan evening held in early 2006. The plan discusses the way we celebrate our Faith at Sacred Heart, to review what we do and what we would like to do.
The overall expected life of this plan is for 24 months from the time of adoption (late 2006). The idea is to have a flexible, dynamic plan that is open to modification if necessary, but also a plan with tangible outcomes.
In essence, the development of a plan is only one part of parish life, the final outcome of any such plan depends on the commitment of the parishioners themselves.
Sacramental life of the Parish
Proclamation of the Word
Outreach/Mission
Liturgy
Church-School links
Lay Spirituality
Aim: To review the preparation for, and deepening the understanding of the Sacraments; namely Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation (including the State School Program), Baptism and Marriage.
Goals:
To increase participation of children receiving Sacraments and their parents in Parish Life by:
- Commitment Ceremony
- Parental involvement
- To run a program aimed at recruiting people for the State School Program
- To recruit more couples to help with the marriage and baptism programs
- To increase the participation of families in Church life at the time of baptism by:
- Commitment ceremony
- Encourage baptism during mass
- To investigate a deanery level approach to Marriage Preparation Courses
- To continue to promote RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults) programs
Aim: To lead to an improved understanding of the Scriptures and presenting them more effectively at Mass
Goals:
To conduct a training day for lectors. This is to be arranged by the liturgy committee and to be conducted within the first half of 2007. The Parish Council will contribute to financing such a training day. The aims of this training day include:
- Presentation of the Scripture readings in a way that engages and inspires the congregation
- Effective use of the microphone
- Confident presentation through prior preparation
- Voice projection techniques
- Provide resources for lectors
- A booklet will be produced by the Liturgy Committee for Lectors
- The Parish Council will subsidize training/seminars for interested persons
- Involve more youth—Youth Masses to be conducted at least once a term, invite lectors at Youth Masses to become part of the roster for lectors
Aim: To spread the Christian message through action. This is broad area including activities such as the East Timor Project, Men's Breakfast, Ecumenical Support and Family Groups as particular examples
Goals:
- East Timor Project
- Continue financial support for Occussi province through Caritas
- To conduct at least 2 fund-raising events/community events each year for Caritas
- Parish representatives to visit Occussi province, provided financial support from Diocesan level
- Continue to seek more feedback from Caritas
- Men's Breakfast
- To conduct at least 4 men's breakfasts per annum
- Family Groups
- To have a monthly cup of tea following Mass
- Support for local charities
- To appoint a Liaison volunteer
- To provide more support for Guadalupe house
- To contribute to a drive for more volunteers for St Vincent de Paul
- Ecumenical Support
- Continue Good Friday ecumenical Stations of the Cross
- To involve the media in Good Friday celebrations
- To continue to invite speakers from other denominations/religions
- Publicity
- To appoint a publicity officer to improve liaison with the Together newspaper and other media
- To develop a database for Parish Activities
- To continue "Our Special Heart" as a quarterly publication
- New Parishioners
- To develop a Parishioner handbook/folder
- To develop a Parish database
Aim: Preparation for the celebration of Mass and other prayer events
Goals:
- To conduct liturgy meetings approximately every 2 months
- To refine and develop the computerized projection system
- Liturgy Committee to develop a lectors' handbook
- Liturgy Committee to be responsible for all Ministers gathering before Mass to:
- Ensure all are present
- Pray together
- Assist in preparation of the Mass and to act as Greeters
- Parish Council to subsidize, and Liturgy Committee to develop Liturgy and Music Workshops
- Liturgy Committee to be responsible to renew and develop musicians and singers
- To conduct Youth Liturgy at least once a term, ideally once a month
- To liaise with Religious Education co-ordinators at both St Anne's and Xavier High School
- Training for Altar Servers— to run a short program to train altar servers on a regular basis, at the start of every 2nd year and to overhaul and update rosters
- Greeters at Mass – the responsibility of Ministers for the Eucharist to arrive prior to Mass and to greet people at the doors
Aim: Striving to create a more effective interaction between the Parish, St Anne's and Xavier
Goals:
To develop and maintain strong links between schools, and to increase the profile of both schools in the Parish by:
- Establishing a contact person within each school
- Place Parish events in school newsletter and school events in the Parish bulletin
- School brochure in new parishioner folders, school posters
- More religious artwork from students to be placed in the Church (developing a sense of involvement/ownership
- To develop faith education for parents in conjunction with the sacramental program
- To establish a youth program in the Parish and to establish a youth Liturgy Group
- To help recruit volunteers for reading assistants at St Anne's
Aim: To improve the Prayer life of the Parish and deepening parishioner's relationship with God
Goals:
- To conduct a Week of Guided Prayer once every 2 years
- To provide more opportunities for parishioners to develop their prayer life
- To involve more people in the Lent/Advent programs
- To conduct a Parish Seminar at least every 2 years
- Parish Council to provide resources for people interested in study groups
- To advertise and to maintain a database on study groups available
- Promote Christian Literature in the weekly Mass bulletin through the Catholic bookshop