Serving God's People

As a businessman, Tom Roberge learned long ago that it pays to study the competition and emulate what works.

Although it’s not competition or business, the Cathedral of St. Jude parishioner takes that perspective along during his visits to other parishes as part of the Deanery Planning Process. He enjoys seeing how his “neighbor” parishes work, learning about their ministries, and discovering new ways that each can become stronger.

The Deanery Planning Process is being piloted in the Citrus and Lower Pinellas Deaneries. The Process is designed to help the deaneries – geographic groups of parishes within the diocese’s five counties – develop strategies for meeting current and future challenges of the church: anticipated shortages of priests, shifting demographics, and the access and utilization of resources.

Dioceses across the eastern United States have embarked on similar planning efforts over the last decade. Eventually, every parish in the St. Petersburg Diocese will take part in this process.

Catholics already involved in Deanery Planning learned about it earlier this year when they were asked to participate in a parish survey and attend town hall meetings. The process now has moved to the parish visitation stage, where at least two representatives from each participating parish visit their neighbor parishes to learn about the ministries, operations and facilities there. Feedback and impressions from those visits will be considered as the deaneries establish a course of action.

Parish life looks different in person than on paper.  Jim Connelly serves on the Deanery Leadership Team as the lay representitive from St. Paul Parish in St. Petersburg.  He described his visits to parishes in the north St. Petersburg area as “eye opening.”

“It’s one thing to look at statistics and the numbers of parishioners,” he said. “But it’s important to get a feel of how the parish works, instead of just looking at statistics on paper.”

Before his visit, Tom Dooley of Transfiguration Parish didn’t know a lot about the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Mission in Largo. He left surprised and impressed that members of the mission were so many and so dedicated. He said he had no idea attendance at Mass was so high.

It was much the same story in Citrus County, said Our Lady of Fatima Pastor Father James Johnson, Vicar Forane of the Citrus Deanery. Although priests get to know all the parishes, lay people involved in the Citrus Deanery visits were surprised to find nearby parishes hosted numerous, similar, and often very active, ministries.

The visits in Citrus also revealed challenges specific to the diocese’s less densely populated areas, the priest said. Catholic parishes in Citrus are fewer and farther apart than those in south Pinellas, and coming up with a plan on how to serve geographically distant parishes with fewer priests will not be easy.

“There are some challenges that come with (the planning process),” Father Johnson said.

Roberge walked away excited by the possibilities. He said the Deanery Planning Process overall has been a positive experience at the Cathedral parish, and he sees many benefits in forming ministerial and practical partnerships with other parishes.

Nothing stays the same, he said. But people can rise to the challenge and be better for it. Declining numbers of priests means the laity will need to take a bigger role and become more involved with the clergy in meeting parish goals. And faith-filled neighbors working together can only lead to a stronger local church.

“It’s like we’re all one community,” he said.

“We’re going to make mistakes, but change is good. It gives you a chance to grow.”

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