WELCOME from The People of

St. James Cathedral Development Planning

The Cathedral parish Development Planning began in January of this year when Fr. John McCormick met with parish leadership and staff during a Discovery Day to consider our Cathedral’s strengths and opportunities. Collaborating with staff, Fr. McCormick initiated a process within our Cathedral parish to accomplish the following:

1. Clarify the Cathedral Parish Mission

2. Create a Lay Leadership Structure

3. Discern a Vision and an Action Plan

4. Implement Stewardship and Development

5. Initiate an Annual Cycle of Planning and Development

By March, a coordinating team had been appointed representing many facets of our parish life. The team consisted of: Oto Alvarez, Andrew Bell, Mark Bruno, Anna Lee Cathcart, Tom Connors, Kathleen Evers, Andrea Miller, Frank Sevick, Alec Sithong, Al Stinson, and Tom Wilkes. The team met in March to prayerfully consider the planning process envisioned.

Events that you have experienced in completing the Reflecting On Our Faith Journey survey and attending Listening Sessions have helped us look to the future. Over 2,200 surveys in English and Spanish were mailed to all registered families in our parish, and electronic surveys were available on our Web Site. A total of 400 surveys were returned by parishioners. A survey was also created for our youth of the parish and school from Grade 5 through High School.

Over 70 people attended Listening Sessions in May and responded in some way. Also in May, 44 lay parishioners, our Rector and Associate Pastors, and members of the Coordinating Team gathered in the Social Hall for a Discernment Day to consider what we had heard from our parishioners and to discern prayerfully how this might impact the future vision of our worship home, the parish of St. James Cathedral.

This group considered the information provided by parishioners during the Listening Sessions and proposed ideas and priorities relating to our Mission Statement. From the Reflecting On Our Faith Journey survey, they learned that parishioners rated very highly our Faith Formation program, the new format of the bulletin, that all youth programs were judged as a very safe environment, and that our Cathedral school was family friendly and safe.

They also learned that recipients of pastoral care and outreach found the volunteers to be Christ-centered, competent and caring. The Sunday liturgies were judged warm and welcoming. Parishioners highly valued their desire to grow in their understanding of the Mass to help them experience God’s presence more deeply in the Word, Eucharist, and the community. Parishioners responded favorably that the music enhances the liturgy, but were less favorable when asked if they could hear/understand the lectors, readers, and priests. Many parishioners would like the liturgy to be more relevant to their children.

The youth survey also provided useful insights for Cathedral parish planning. Students were positive about attending Mass, and felt it made a difference in their lives, is meaningful, and gives them strength. However, the need to attract greater participation in teen and young adult programs paralleled the results of the Adult Survey and the comments received at the Listening Sessions.

At the Listening Sessions, parishioners were asked to reflect on their needs, expectations and dreams for St. James Cathedral. Comments were:

St. James Cathedral was recognized as a faith community to celebrate

St. James Cathedral was encouraged to renew its Youth Ministry

St. James Cathedral was viewed to need structure and process for its many ministries

St. James Cathedral needs groups for women, needs greater evangelization toward inactive and returning Catholics, and more communication and public relations

In June, the Coordinating Team gathered again to discern the final recommendations to be presented to Fr. McCormick. Recommendations included a Mission Statement, priorities for the Cathedral parish for the next five years, and a structure for our many ministries. The purpose would be to permit greater communication and collaboration with major ministerial commissions such as Worship and Liturgy, Evangelization and Faith Formation, Pastoral Care and Outreach, Community Life, Stewardship, and Finance. Again, objectives for the Pastoral Council will come from what you have envisioned for our Cathedral parish community in our survey and spoken during the Listening Sessions. The Pastoral Council and key staff will meet to implement the new lay structure and begin working in Fall of 2008. Watch the bulletin for more information.

We ask you to pray for our Pastoral Council and this new lay structure. Your spiritual gifts are important, and we thank you for sharing them for the benefit of our Cathedral community.