After consulting process, archdiocese aims to make clear central office’s mission, direction
As we begin our new year, I thought it would be appropriate to not only thank you for your inspiring support of the archdiocesan Church during the challenging circumstances of the past year, but also to update you on the work that lies ahead.
In recent months, the archdiocese partnered with a team of extremely dedicated experts from the global management firm in assessing the organizational effectiveness of our operations at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center (“ACC”). The ACC includes 29 offices ranging from my office to that of the Metropolitan Tribunal (which oversees marriage annulments) to The Catholic Spirit to Parish Accounting, as well as offices for vocations, safe environment, Latino ministry and evangelization and a host of other ministries. Through a broad survey, we were blessed to have the input of nearly 800 of you, representing not only our archdiocesan employees but also a wide range of others including pastors, staff, and lay leaders at our parishes, and administrators and teachers at our schools.
With the assistance of our management firm partners and several small teams consisting of representatives from across the archdiocese, we processed the survey results and began to set forth a plan for improving our organizational effectiveness. The plan has been dubbed “Project Isaiah.” Recalling the powerful readings from Isaiah heard throughout Advent, we desire to level our institutional mountains and fill in our institutional valleys to make straight the path for the Lord.
While we will be detailing more about those efforts in the months to come, I wanted to share with you some fruits that have already emerged from our work. In evaluating your input, we noticed two recurring themes: there is a foundational need for greater clarity about the role of the ACC and there is a desire for a more clearly articulated statement of the direction we as an archdiocese are heading. I am pleased to report progress on both fronts.
To provide greater clarity about the role of the ACC, we developed a working ACC Mission Statement: “To assist in the apostolic ministry entrusted to the archbishop, the ACC provides Christ-centered leadership and support to clergy, parishes, schools and other Catholic entities serving the evangelistic mission of this local Church.” The bottom line is that if my staff and I are not serving you by providing dependable leadership and effective support to fulfill the archdiocesan mission set forth in 2010 — “to make the name of Jesus Christ known and loved by promoting and proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed” — then we are not fulfilling our mission as the ACC.
Secondly, to clarify our near-term direction we identified four important strategic priorities for the ACC for the next two years (for example, until we begin to carry out the priorities that will be set through the work of our Archdiocesan Synod in 2022). Let me briefly explain each one.
Not surprisingly, the first of the priorities concerns the Synod itself. It is of paramount importance that we successfully complete the Synod and prepare for its eventual implementation. Building on the very positive first-year experience of our prayer and listening events, the second and third years of the Synod will help us further develop a culture of consultation and participation as we together discern how and where the Lord is calling us to serve.
The second of the priorities concerns our Catholic schools. The Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education, adopted in 2019, reflects the best thinking of national and local educational experts for ensuring that we will be able to provide effective and accessible Catholic education in this archdiocese for years to come. This priority is off to a great start, but important work remains as we address issues of talent management, curriculum and assessment, access and sustainability, and optimal models of governance.
The third priority is the implementation of Project Isaiah, improving the organizational effectiveness of the ACC in a way that increases our ability to lead and support those we serve. Pursuant to this priority, we will be working, for example, to improve key elements in our day-to-day operations to assist us in setting priorities, managing projects, making timely and appropriate decisions, communicating more effectively, introducing greater accountability, and developing talent in a way that enables individuals to best use their God-given gifts.
The fourth priority will be bringing into alignment our limited archdiocesan and parish resources (whether ministerial, financial or property) to serve the faithful through parishes that are both vibrant and viable. We have already begun the process of assessing pastoral needs across our archdiocese and projecting the human and material resources that will be available for meeting those needs. Necessary next steps are still being discerned.
Given those priorities, as well as our never-ending commitment to sustaining safe environments and assisting those who have suffered in any way from abuse in the Church, 2021 promises to be a unique opportunity for collaborating in the Lord’s plans for growing and strengthening the archdiocese. The abovementioned undertakings will require concerted efforts. Yet I am confident that together we can make substantive changes and move forward united in Christ. Please be so kind as to remember this intention in your prayers.
