Pastoral Plan
IntroductionWho are We?
Canadian Martyrs Parish, located in Old Ottawa East, is a small Catholic community of about 200 households characterized by openness, friendliness, diversity and a strong family orientation. Our parishioners come from across the City of Ottawa and are a blend of old and young, many national backgrounds, long-time members and newcomers. The parish has been blessed by a long line of wise and holy Oblate pastors who have nurtured and sustained a strong leadership role by our laity. Our identity is best expressed by our Mission Statement:
Holy Canadian Martyrs Parish is a welcoming Christian community reaching out to all who seek God. We joyfully live, renew and share our Catholic faith through worship, prayer and service, especially to those in need, under the leadership of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and our laity.
What is a pastoral plan?
If we at Canadian Martyrs are the ‘People of God’ alive in our parish and journeying together towards the Kingdom, then a ‘pastoral plan of action’ is our road map, setting out how over the next few years we nourish those things that give life to our spirit and to our community, what we see as our priorities and objectives, and what we intend to do to reach them.
The pastoral plan is intended to:
• affirm our identity and give life to our mission statement
• strengthen and guide our ministries
• help us to focus our finite resources and energies
• let parishioners and newcomers know what lies before us
• help Pastoral Council to review our progress and report back to the Parish
How this Plan has been prepared
The pastoral plan is the product of a long process of analysis, reflection and consultation within and outside the parish. In March 2008, the parish community adopted the Mission Statement developed by Pastoral Council, and in September 2008 Pastoral Council assigned a planning team to develop a plan of action to guide the parish in fulfilling its Mission Statement for a 3-5 year period.
Using a model in the planning guide Making Your Pastoral Council Work, the planning team gathered data on the history, finances and demographics of the parish, on its ministries and on the surrounding community. Almost 100 persons replied to a parish survey in February 2009 on the needs, interests and expectations of parishioners. Pastoral Council and Finance Committee focused their annual retreat in June 2009 on the report of that survey, which was presented to an open house ‘town hall’ meeting of parishioners in October 2009. The planning team has consulted neighbouring Christian churches, St. Joseph’s parish, St. Paul University and Immaculata High School, as well as former pastors, to get a broader perspective.
The Pastoral Plan is neither a business plan nor a detailed workplan for the various ministries and committees of the parish. It is a broad, dynamic and flexible framework that shows how the major themes, activities and concerns of the parish come together to give practical expression to our Mission Statement. It is also meant to be realistic: there are many things that we would like for our parish, but the Pastoral Plan tries to articulate what this parish is capable of at this time.
How is this Plan organized?
The point of departure for the Pastoral Plan is the vision that emerged from the parish survey of three major areas within which life and activities in Canadian Martyrs Parish tend to take place:
• Living our Faith
• Being Community
• Stewardship
In practical terms, we can look at the ways in which we live our faith, in which we are community and in which we manage our parish under various headings which naturally overlap and complement each other because it is the same Spirit which moves us in all these ways. The pastoral plan identifies ten such categories, which it calls Themes, and for each of them assesses the life-giving Strengths found in what the parish has accomplished or established, as well as the Opportunities for improvement or innovation.
Based on these strengths and opportunities, the Plan then recommends within each theme certain Objectives for Canadian Martyrs Parish over the next few years and some specific Actions that should help us to reach those objectives. Some actions may easily address more than one objective or theme, but for simplicity’s sake the Plan tries not to be repetitive.
The Ten Themes
In the Gospels, Christ tells us how we are to live our faith and how we are to be community. Our faith consists not only in the beliefs we hold and the prayers we say, it is also how we share our love and God’s love with others. Thus, the Plan sets out four themes under Living Our Faith:
• Expressing our faith through worship and prayer: we celebrate and enrich our relationship with Christ in the Mass and other sacred liturgies of worship, in private and public prayer, through the sacraments, etc.
• Understanding our faith, so that we can discern not only what God is telling us in Scriptures and the Church in our creed and doctrines, but also what all this means in our daily lives and in the world around us.
• Putting our faith into practice as Christ has taught us, by the way we lead our lives and reach out to those in need.
• Sharing our faith by bringing the ‘Good News’ to those in our community and outside it who are seeking God, and in ecumenical relations with other Christian churches.
Similarly, Being Community is the way we are called to live as family in Canadian Martyrs. We are community at different levels: most intimately, in our community of faith at Canadian Martyrs; then, in the local sense of our neighbourhood and city; and in the broadest sense, as part of the ‘outside world’. Community is an essential part of our Catholic identity - it is not just praying together to our God, it is sharing our love and God’s love with others and rejoicing in Christ’s presence in our midst. Thus, the three themes in this area are:
• Knowing Our Community, so that we can better understand its needs and express the solidarity and friendship of brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Building our Community, in which we grow as a family of faith, work together to make our community alive, reach out to share what we have with others, and celebrate our good fortune.
• Caring for Our Community, reflecting the importance we attach to sharing Christ’s love of us with those in need, our elderly and our children, as well as with the world we live and work in.
Stewardship is the essential ‘infrastructure’ for the practical operations of our parish. A Christian Steward is one who receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord. The Pastoral Plan addresses Stewardship under three themes :
• Leadership, which is provided by the pastor, Pastoral Council and its committees, the ministries and all those who are active as volunteers.
• Finance and the care of the material resources and facilities of the parish.
• Communications, as the way to keep parishioners well-informed and engaged, and to make the parish better known to others.
Most of these categories are inter-related, of course. For example, everything we do can become an expression of our faith, an act of worship and prayer. Communications is both a practical theme and a cross-cutting issue that touches on all the other themes. Again, our food baskets and Development and Peace are ways to put our faith into practice, but they are also ways to build community and to use our material resources justly.
In other words, the themes, objectives and actions are not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive, they are simply tools to help us work together towards the overarching goal of the Pastoral Plan: to enable the community of Canadian Martyrs Parish to live fully its Mission Statement.
Each of these ten themes is set out in a separate chart on the following pages, with its corresponding strengths and opportunities, objectives and actions, which have been reviewed and approved by Pastoral Council and Finance Committee at their Annual Retreat on May 29, 2010. Pastoral Council will oversee the implementation of the Plan, reviewing its progress regularly and updating the Plan annually as the parish evolves and our needs change.
Living Our Faith: Theme #1
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Expressing Our Faith “For where two or three of you are gathered in my name, I am there among you...”(Mt18:20) We express our faith through worship and prayer: we celebrate and enrich our relationship with Christ in the Mass and other sacred liturgies of worship, in private and public prayer, through the sacraments, etc. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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CMP is a life-giving place to worship and pray: * a joyful choir * inspiring homilies * active involvement of the laity * a place for children in the liturgy * the Eucharist at the centre of parish life Worship and prayer are what bring us together and hold us together. |
* To maintain and reinforce liturgy and prayer at the heart of our community.
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* Learn how other parishes are engaging children and young adults in the liturgy
* Explore the demand for new or expanded worship and prayer activities
* Seek to involve more volunteers in the liturgy and prayer ministries
* Offer all parishioners the opportunities they need to deepen their life of prayer |
Note: CMP = Canadian Martyrs Parish
Living Our Faith: Theme #2
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Understanding Our Faith “...It is all to bond you together in love and stir your minds so that your understanding may come to full development...” (Col. 2:2) We understand our faith when we can discern not only what God is telling us in Scriptures and the Church in our creed and doctrines, but also what all this means in our daily lives and in the world around us. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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Our pastor’s weekly homilies teach and inspire us to better understand Christ’s message and to live it more fully.
The Children’s Liturgy makes the Gospel message come alive.
Are there other ways in which CMP could support faith development, especially for adults? |
* To enable parishioners to better understand Holy Scripture, the life of faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
* To provide occasions to reflect on the great moral and spiritual questions of the day. |
* Form a parish team to develop a program for adult faith development (e.g., scripture studies, retreats, home-based Christian discussion groups, etc.), drawing upon resources in the parish and in the diocese.
* Promote opportunities for parishioners to inform themselves about Catholicism & issues facing Christians today (e.g., guest speakers, Catholic newspapers and magazines for sale at the back of the church, movie nights, Theology on Tap, etc.). |
Living Our Faith: Theme #3
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Sharing Our Faith “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Good News to all creation” (Mk16:15) We share our faith by bringing the ‘Good News’ to those in our community and outside it who are seeking God, and in ecumenical relations with other Christian churches. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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Many people in our secular world are seeking the peace, light and love that mark our faith community at CMP |
* To reach out to people who are seeking God and wish to learn about the Catholic Faith.
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* Strengthen, promote and expand the RCIA program
* A ‘welcoming brochure’ about CMP, to be distributed to all households in Ottawa East
* ‘Come to CMP’ posters and welcoming brochures at St. Paul’s, Immaculata, and other centres in Ottawa East
* Continue to greet and welcome new faces at our Masses so that they will wish to return. |
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Many Catholics drift away from the Church because they have not found the warmth, openness and vitality we have in CMP. CMP has deep roots and presence in Ottawa East and natural links to St. Paul’s and Immaculata through its Oblate history and its proximity. |
* To reach out and offer occasional and estranged Catholics the experience of a Catholicism they may not have known.
* To attract more students from St. Paul’s and Immaculata to CMP. |
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CMP has built a good relationship with other Christian churches around Palm Sunday and other ecumenical services. |
* To strengthen the Christian presence in Old Ottawa East. |
* Work more closely with other churches on more ecumenical events (World Day of Prayer, Remembrance Day, Advent Fair)
* Invite pastors of other churches as guest speakers at CMP |
Living Our Faith: Theme #4
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Putting Our Faith into Practice “Love thy neighbour as thyself”(Mt19:19) We put our faith into practice as Christ has taught us, by the way we lead our lives and reach out to those in need.
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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CMP has shown that it can respond generously to the needs of the poor through food hampers, special contributions and Development & Peace.
Do our efforts fully reflect our community needs and our identity as an Oblate parish? |
* To develop a social justice program to address the needs of the poor in our city, our country and overseas.
* To engage more parishioners in social justice programs.
* To coordinate more closely the social justice activities aimed at the ‘outside world’ with those directed at the needs within our parish
* To support Oblate mission work in Canada and overseas. |
* Pastoral Council to establish an Outreach Committee to plan and coordinate Parish activities for social justice within our parish community and outside. (ref. Theme # 7)
* Make the mission work of the Oblates better known in CMP and better integrated into a parish social justice program. |
Being Community: Theme #5
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Knowing Our Community “You must all think of what is best for each other and for the community...” (1Thess. 5:16) We seek to know our parish community so that we can better understand its needs and express the solidarity and friendship of brothers and sisters in Christ. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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CMP is a small family-oriented community where personal connections are possible.
We have a dynamic and open pastoral team.
Parish volunteers know each other well and know their ministries.
A good picture of the needs, concerns and expectations of parishioners came out in the parish survey. |
* To keep abreast of the changing membership, needs and interests of the CMP community. |
* Conduct parish surveys at 3-5 year intervals in order to identify needs, concerns, demographic data about CMP.
* Develop communications tools that are accessible and interactive for all parishioners (website, suggestion box, etc.).
* Hold periodic forums for parishioners to brainstorm about parish activities, needs and interests.
* A welcoming ministry to follow up with new parishioners, inviting them to mix with old parishioners, share their thoughts on CMP and become involved. |
Being Community: Theme #6
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Building Our Community “Continue always to love each other as brothers and sisters, and remember always to welcome strangers.” (Heb. 13:1-2) We build our parish community when we grow as a family of faith, work together to make our community alive, reach out to share what we have with others, and celebrate our good fortune. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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Parishioners are strongly attached to CMP.
CMP has an active core of committed and connected volunteers.
CMP has various activities where people come together and have fun (coffee house, BBQ, cleanup, etc.).
CMP has good cooperation with several local churches and is close to schools and universities.
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* To broaden the range of spiritual and social activities that bring people together in CMP and strengthen their sense of belonging.
* To reach out and strengthen our links to our neighbours in the broader community. |
* Ministries to brainstorm about expanding activities and involving more parishioners.
* Meet with St. Paul’s and Immaculata about closer ties, resources and events, involving more students, etc.
* Develop and promote the potential of the website for involving and connecting parishioners.
*Expand ‘greeters ministry’ into a ‘welcoming ministry’ for new parishioners (ref. Theme # 5) |
Being Community: Theme #7
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Caring in Our Community “Do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.” (Deut. 15:8) By caring for our parish community, we reflect the importance we attach to sharing Christ’s love of us with those in need, our elderly and our children, as well as with the world we live and work in. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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CMP has a core of dedicated, resourceful and generous volunteers.
CMP has a range of ministries and activities for grief support, seniors and special needs.
How can CMP ensure that the elderly and ill who are house-bound do not lose touch with the community?
Several neighbourhoods near CMP have large immigrant/refugee populations |
* To reach out to all parishioners in need of support.
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* Pastoral Council to establish an Outreach Committee to plan and coordinate Parish activities within our parish community and outside. (ref. Theme # 4)
* Pastoral Council to establish a home visits ministry.
* Invite Catholic Refugee Services to talk about how to work with refugees in our parish neighbourhood
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Stewardship: Theme #8 Leadership “Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit.” (Romans 12:11) Leadership in our parish is provided by the pastor, Pastoral Council and its committees, the ministries and all those who are active as volunteers. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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CMP has a dedicated pastoral team and a Pastoral Council committed to renewing and improving the parish.
Crowded and detailed agendas and coordination with ministries are constant challenges for Pastoral Council.
The core of volunteers who keep CMP’s many ministries going risks being over-extended.
As CMP grows, it will need to measure progress and look at lessons learned. |
* To enable Pastoral Council to focus on strategic decision-making in the parish.
* To make parishioners better informed about Parish Council and Finance Committee.
* To get more parishioners actively involved in parish life.
* To establish an on-going system for developing pastoral plans and assessing progress.
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* Pastoral Council to adopt a committee-based structure in which detailed discussion of issues and coordination of ministries takes place in committees, leaving Council to focus on the overall planning and guidance for the parish.
* Periodic ‘state of the union’ events by the Chair of Council.
* Post Council and Finance Committee minutes on the website.
* Designate a Council member as volunteer coordinator, charged with looking at new ways to involve, train and recognize volunteers.
* Designate a Council member or members to review and evaluate progress on the Pastoral Plan. |
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Stewardship: Theme #9
Finance “Every Sunday, each one of you must put aside what he can afford.…” (1 Cor. 16:2) Finance entails the care of the material resources and facilities of the parish. |
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Strength/Opportunity |
Objectives |
Action |
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CMP has a stable and experienced Finance Committee.
Recent revenue increases are encouraging in addressing the parish’s need for balanced annual budgets.
Is CMP making full use of opportunities for bequests, tax-based donations and fundraising?? |
* To achieve a stable revenue base to cover core parish activities, new priorities and unfores |
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