February 15, 2026 - "Pastoral Goals"

More recently Bishop Juan Esposito, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, wrote to the priests of the Archdiocese of Washington that Cardinal McElroy has assigned a Pastoral Goals Task Force to seek further input from priests and their communities.  The intent of the survey is to collect ideas and existing resources, programs, and initiatives that may be in our community or ideas that should be implemented locally or across the Archdiocese of Washington.  I am asking our Parish Pastoral Council to assist me in answering this survey.   

To help us with this task, I am going to list the survey questions and invite you to respond to the questions of the survey so that we can collect ideas and existing resources, programs, and initiatives that may be in our community or ideas that should be implemented locally or across the Archdiocese of Washington.  I am going to list three of the goals and three questions we need to answer for each of the first three goals.  I’ll list the other three goals and the questions we need to answer for them next week:

 

Goal #1:  Personal Encounter with Jesus Christ:  Foster a Parish Culture which Piercingly Invites People in a Personal Encounter with Jesus Christ.

1. Ideas, programs or resources that are useful in accomplishing the goal of inviting people to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ which could be implemented at the parish level?

2. Ideas, programs or resources that are useful in accomplishing the goal of inviting people to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ which could be implemented at the archdiocesan level?

3. Any strong feelings about what does not work?

 

Goal #2: Sacramental life of the Church: Formation to deepen the Sacramental Life of the Church.

1. Ideas, programs or resources that are useful in accomplishing the goal of deepening the Sacramental life of the Church which could be implemented at the parish level.

2. Ideas, programs or resources that are useful in accomplishing the goal of deepening the Sacramental life of the Church which could be implemented at the archdiocesan  level.

3. Any strong feelings about what does not work?

 

Goal #3:  Formation of the laity as Missionary Disciples: Formation of the laity as Missionary Disciples.

1. Ideas, programs or resources that are useful in accomplishing the goal of forming the laity as Missionary Disciples which could be implemented at the parish level?

2. Ideas, programs or resources that are useful in accomplishing the goal of forming the laity as Missionary Disciples which could be implemented at the archdiocesan level?

3. Any strong feelings about what does not work?

 

Until next week,

Fr. John