8/14/21 - Synod Closing Mass & Concluding Report

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1/10/20 - Kelly Henderschedt - Pathway to Discipleship

Relevant materials for presentation:

• Powerpoint presentation
• Personal reflection questions
• Resources for Parish Evangelization

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11/4/19 - Synod Weekend Videos

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10/18/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 9: Food & Drink

Dear Delegates:
ONE WEEK! I cannot believe it. We were a the Farmington Marriott yesterday planning final arrangements! It is SO exciting!
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I know I have said this the past couple of weeks but IT IS CRUCIAL, IMPERATIVE, and ESSENTIAL that you open those Synod binders and study and pray with the documents! Please do NOT put off reading the Synod materials until the day before. Do it NOW! The fruit of your study and prayer with these documents will make a difference at the Synod Meeting. You committed to being prepared so just do it! 
 
Today we continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from FOOD AND DRINK. Consume only the bread and water you need, as your health permits, maybe only consume water for the day. During this day prayer for the wisdom and humility of all the delegates of Synod 2020—that all those participating in the upcoming Synod will be open to the will of God during this experience.  
 
Here is this week’s video to help us prepare for this fast!
 
Let’s join together in prayer and fasting.  See you next Friday!!! 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans 

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10/10/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 8: Your Phone

​Dear Delegates:
 
TWO WEEKS UNTIL OUR SYNOD MEETING! I cannot believe it. It seems only like a few weeks ago we were gathering names from Pastors for consideration as Delegates and here we are already two weeks away! 
 
I know I have said this the past couple of weeks but IT IS IMPERATIVE that you open those Synod binders and study and pray with the documents! Please do NOT put off reading the Synod materials until the day before. Do it NOW! The fruit of your study and prayer with these documents will make a difference at the Synod Meeting. You committed to being prepared so just do it! 
 
Today we continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from YOUR PHONE. Avoid using your cell phone or make sure to only use your phone to actually make phone calls. Instead of wasting time on the phones scanning social media and watching YouTube videos spend that time praying for the discernment of Archbishop Blair and the leaders of this Archdiocese that aided by the Synod they will have the wisdom to guide this local Church into the future.
 
Here is this week’s video to help us prepare for this fast!

Let’s join together in prayer and fasting. 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans 

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10/4/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 7: Trash

​Dear Delegates:
 
Seriously! Do you realize we will be meeting in just 3 weeks? The anticipation is real! The excitement is palpable! I hope you have you opened your Synod Binder and begun to study and pray with the documents! Your commitment is vital to the success of our Synod. Please do NOT put off reading the Synod materials until the day before. Do it NOW! Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to His guidance and wisdom.  
 
Today we continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from TRASH. Live out your day in a way that creates no (or at the most very little) garbage that needs to be thrown out, or find other ways to be more environmentally friendly, like keeping the lights off, taking a cold shower, or hanging the laundry out to dry. Instead pray for all those on the margins – that they might always know their dignity and worth as children of God and that we might find fruitful ways to dialogue with them. 
 
I hope you have been finding this Synod Fast as rewarding as I have. Here is this week’s video to help us prepare for this fast!
 
Let’s join together in prayer and fasting. 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans

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9/27/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 6: Comments

Dear Delegates:
​
Have you opened your Synod Binder? Have you prayed asking the Holy Spirit to guide our Synod? Have you considered spending a holy hour each week as we make this final stretch to the Synod? Your commitment is crucial to the success of our Synod. Please do NOT put off reading the Synod materials until the day before. Do it NOW! Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to His guidance and wisdom. One month until we are together! Let’s all commit to praying with the documents this coming week!
 
Today we continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from COMMENTS. Prevent yourself from complaining, gossiping, judging others, writing unkind internet posts, or engaging in negative communication. Instead pray for the renewal of our priests and for an increase in vocations! 
 
Let’s join together in prayer and fasting. 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans 

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9/20/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 5: Media

​Dear Delegates:
 
It is hard to believe but the date is drawing near! Five weeks from today we will gather asking the Holy Spirit to guide our time together and stir up our hearts with new energy and zeal to the mission of our local Church. It is exciting!
 
Today we continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from MEDIA. Prevent yourself from watching any TV, Netflix, and movies or from looking at time killing websites and social media! See the inspirational video below. 
 
I got a perfect filler for your added time to your day, OPEN YOUR SYNOD BINDER and begin to read, reflect, and prepare for our Synod meeting!
 
Let’s join together in prayer and fasting. 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans 

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9/12/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 4: Comfort

Dear Delegates:

​We continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from COMFORT. Sleep without a pillow, place a pebble in your shoe all day, or find some other way to experience some kind of extra discomfort. 

It is not too late to join us in this Novena even if you haven’t started yet. START NOW! Please see this novena as a way to unite together spiritually as we offer sacrifices and prayers during these coming weeks asking God’s divine assistance in our upcoming Synod meeting. This novena can be done each Friday leading up to the Synod Meeting or you can choose to offer the fast throughout the whole week. Please be sure to make any adjustments you need to accommodate your own health and personal situation. Let’s join together in prayer and fasting. 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans

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9/5/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 3: Speed

Dear Delegates:
​
We continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from speeding.  

It is not too late to join us in this Novena even if you haven’t started yet. START NOW! Please see this novena as a way to unite together spiritually as we offer sacrifices and prayers during these coming weeks asking God’s divine assistance in our upcoming Synod meeting. This novena can be done each Friday leading up to the Synod Meeting or you can choose to offer the fast throughout the whole week. Please be sure to make any adjustments you need to accommodate your own health and personal situation. Let’s join together in prayer and fasting.  
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans

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8/29/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 2: Snoozing

Dear Delegates:

We continue our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena this week with fasting from the snooze button.  

Please see this novena as a way to unite together spiritually as we offer sacrifices and prayers during these coming weeks asking God’s divine assistance in our upcoming Synod meeting. This novena can be done each Friday leading up to the Synod Meeting or you can choose to offer the fast throughout the whole week. Please be sure to make any adjustments you need to accommodate your own health and personal situation. Let’s join together in prayer and fasting. 
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans

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8/23/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena, Week 1: Overindulgence

​Dear Delegates:
 
Let’s do this! Join us on our Synod 2020: Grow + Go Fasting Novena. I hope you already started it since we sent you the information earlier in the week. What an inspiring video Father Gworek has put together to start this spiritual process for us. Be sure to check it out by clicking below. Let’s join together in prayer and fasting.  
 
Asking God’s choicest blessings,
Father Romans 

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8/23/19 - Grow + Go Fasting Novena

In the lead-up to Synod 2020, we would like to heed the inspiring words of Pete Burak and seriously consider the power of fasting. Therefore, all delegates of the Synod are invited to participate in a “Fasting Novena” that will begin on Friday, August 23, and continue until the official opening of the Synod in October.

Now, we usually only think of “fasting” in terms of food, but this Novena will try to shake things up a little, presenting nine separate fasting categories to help us all expand our mindsets on fasting and to, hopefully, make this an approachable challenge that anyone can do in his or her everyday life. Generally speaking, we can be more successful in sticking to a fast that’s real, attainable, and specific, so that’s what we’ve attempted to offer.

On each of the nine Fridays during the time period mentioned above, participants are welcomed to join together with others in our community of Synod delegates in a weekly fasting experience. Each “fast” can be done solely on that Friday or throughout the subsequent week until the following Friday when the next fast begins. In addition to the sacrificial fast being done each week, a specific prayer intention has been provided that can be remembered and prayed for during that time.
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Here are a few additional thoughts before we set out together on this fasting experience:

• Please be sure to make any adjustments needed to all of these fasts in accordance with your health and personal situation. It's the meaning and prayer behind our fasting that counts more than the specific action itself.
• If any of the fasts are either completely unattainable or simply don’t apply to you, pick something else that day or week that you think would be a proper and appropriately inspiring alternative.
• These opportunities are meant as a time of sacrifice and also a time of prayer, so please use them as reminders to ask God for his divine assistance in inspiring this Archdiocese toward a successful and meaningful Synod.
• This is an experience that we, as the Synod 2020 delegates, are undertaking together. Both in terms of accountability to each other and support of each other, assuming this spiritual effort as a community is sure to help with its success. As you fast, then, remember the Synod, and remember your brothers and sisters who are fasting along with you.

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6/10/19 - Pete Burak's presentations from the second delegate-wide Synod meeting

On Saturday, June 8th, Pete Burak, of i.d.9:16 Renewal Ministries, gave two inspiring presentations to the Synod delegates, at St. Bridget School in Cheshire. Below are both presentations in their entirety.

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4/8/19 - A recap of the first delegate-wide Synod meeting

On Saturday, March 30th, Synod delegates from every parish in the Archdiocese of Hartford converged upon St. Thomas Becket Church (part of St. Bridget of Sweden Parish) of Cheshire, for the first Archdiocesan-wide delegate meeting. The meeting included much mingling between delegates before and after Fr. Romans and Archbishop Blair gave opening remarks, Fr. Steven Boguslawski, O.P. presented and took questions, and Joan Kelly, Ph.D gave a history of the Catholic experience in Connecticut. Videos of all presentations are available below, not just for the benefit of delegates who could not attend, but for anyone who is curious about where we are and where we are going as an Archdiocese.

Fr. Romans and Archbishop Blair Offer Opening Remarks to the Archdiocesan Synod Delegates

Fr. Steven Boguslawski, O.P., Presents to the Archdiocesan Synod Delegates

Joan Kelly, Ph.D., Presents a History of Catholics in Connecticut

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3/25/19 - Minutes from Deanery Listening Sessions

Please use the dropdown to see the minutes from all seven deanery meetings.
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Legend to frequently-used acronyms in these minutes:
AAA - Archbishop's Annual Appeal
AOH - Archdiocese of Hartford
CTM - Catholic Transcript Magazine
OEEC - Office of Education, Evangelization, and Catechesis
HBF - Hartford Bishops' Foundation
OBCM - Office of Black Catholic Ministry
RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
WJMJ / ORTV - The radio station and TV studio of the Archdiocese

deanery 1

November 30, 2018 – Deanery 1

I. What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?

Restructuring

• Pastoral Planning – respect/consideration of various worship sites
• Pastoral Planning Implementation
• Run parishes as business

 
Liturgy and Sacraments

• Archbishop or Bishops visit parishes for Confirmation

 
Financial

• AAA helping those who need help
• AAA support of Catholic schools
• AAA – VOP – advertise it more

 
Media/Communications

• Used communications well ORTV/WJMJ/CTM
• Archbishop Blair communicates well regarding sexual abuse crisis
• EWTN

 
OEEC

• Opportunities to put faith into practice

 
General

• Good support of Hispanic communities
• Good transparence regarding abuse
• Open to new ideas
• Archbishop listened
• Catholic Schools/Religious Education
• Empowerment of laity/vocation of laity/serve – hearing peoples’ ideas
  
  

II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• Not offering help to those grieving from Pastoral Planning
• Some felt they were not heard in the process of Pastoral Planning

 
Clergy

• Priests need to be better educated to speak from pulpit on issues and not hesitate - such as Pro-Life
• Bishops not courageously addressing moral issues of our time
• Not giving guidance to clergy or laity on how to address issues of today – moral issues like transgender – informed conscience – silence on guns
• Need more deacons
• Torrington – priest turnovers – need more stability
• Vocations – need to get kids on fire
• Catholics not being given guidance by clergy – silence of Bishop

 
Financial

• Not managing assets of church properly, empty rectories, etc.
• Advertise the AAA more

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Not properly reaching post-Confirmation Catholics
• Not reaching young adults
• No college aged programs
• Teenagers vs. young adults

 
OEEC

• Evangelize young people – not reaching them – not aware of likes/dislikes – issues affecting young people – seek to reach them
• Not building community – need programs like Renew
• No family events at the Archdiocesan level

Media/Communications

• Need more communication in additional formats – innovative formats
• Not outspoken enough about sexual abuse scandal
• Improve daily social media presence
• Practical daily messages

 
General

• No visit from Archdiocese of Hartford to get feeling/sense of people
• Not responding to letters/calls
• Archdiocese of Hartford should have a Youth Synod
• Not giving stability to parishioners – builds trust
• Not bringing families together
• Not providing enough services for Hispanic population – Hispanics in New Milford – losing Hispanics
• Need to see Archbishop Blair more often
• Schools – all parishes
• Not defending the Catholic faith and doctrine in an ever growing anti-Catholic and anti-Christian society

 
 
III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Restructuring/General

• Use empty buildings for refugees or deacons
• Properties – need Archdiocese of Hartford direction
• Great offices in Archdiocese of Hartford, but they are only in Hartford – need to branch out Archdiocese of Hartford offices to other locales – not just one geographical location
• Need more transparency on Pastoral Plan – managing properties
• Address “still separate despite merger”

 
Clergy

• What is Archdiocese of Hartford doing to work for vocations?  Need a new plan for recruiting vocations
• Need to focus on workload placed on our priests – load on priests is too much – reach out to laity
• Priests need long-term stability – leave priests in place – need direct relationship with priests – not present to flock
• Women priests
• Need more deacons in communities without residential priests – perhaps live in empty rectories – no casual encounters anymore
• Entice deacons or retired deacons to re-fire Northwest corner – money would follow
• Pastors need to evaluate leaders

 
Liturgy/Sacraments

• Confession

 
Financial

• Where there is no residential priest, attendance/donations decline
• Run parishes like corporations
• Need to pay lay staff more

 
Youth /Young Adults

• Youth as directors
• Youth Synod for Archdiocese of Hartford  - post-Confirmation, younger, college aged

 
OEEC

• Bring in good speakers
• Evangelize and convert Protestants and Christmas and Easter Catholics
• More vital religious education programs – Catholic education program – resources to enliven are not coming from OEEC
• OEEC should be more focused on Catholic Schools than Religious Education and youth groups – these are left behind
• Need a diocesan program like Renew-to build back up community-or Welcome Back
• Come out and visit parishes, parish programs – who are the people leading the groups?  Should be move visible.

 
Media/Communication

• Quarterly newsletter to inform people about progress of Pastoral Planning
• More advertising – biblical knowledge
• Better use of press – not tooting our own horn enough
• Need to reach out more, promote, communicate what we’re doing

 
General

• Exhibiting for all contributions of Catholic church to intellectual field
• Church should reach out more to laity to help with temporal matters
• Promote lay ministry program more – especially Spanish
• Reach out more to lay people
• Exhibiting the rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church and its contributions to society in general - science, literature, ethics, psychology, mathematics, engineering, architecture, philosophy, biblical study, etc. 

deanery 2

September 28, 2018 – Deanery 2

I. What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?

Restructuring

• Reorganization was fiscally responsible
• Excellent guidelines used
• Understand the merging and closing of parishes
• Merger 3 years ago was hard, but now can see it was  the best move – implemented changes have worked-now one family, one parish
• Executed a bold pastoral plan to revitalize our parishes

 
Vocation

• Vocation directives were solid

 
Liturgy & Sacraments

• Confirmation celebration at the Cathedral
• Monday Night Confessions during Lent

 
Finance

• AAA
• Allocating a significant portion of funds from the AAA to programs and services, which foster the proclamation, education and development of our Faith

 
OEEC

• Great at the local parish

 
Media/Communications

• CTM
• WJMJ TV Mass
• Liked Archbishop on TV to answer questions
• Liked seeing Archbishop fielding questions on the fly
• Good use of social media
• Overall communication
• The Transcript, communications, WJMJ
• Twitter and Facebook are solid media
• Work of Archbishop i.e. writings, etc. – promote even more

 
Youth and Young Adults

• Youth movements at the Cathedral
  
  

General

• Archdiocese of Hartford does so much/helps so much
• Provides good resources
• Archbishop candid and forthright in written and verbal statements concerning the most recent revelations about the sins-of both commission and omission-of clergy

 
 
II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• Very little support given to church closings
• Actual execution of Pastoral Plan not well communicated – shocked – no support
• Structure of the Church – Hierarchy is out of touch with what is happening in parishes
• Feel the Archdiocese is being operated as a corporation with lay people who are CEO’s of huge companies-(HBF)-running Archdiocese as if it was their company.

 
Clergy

• Priestly conduct – renewal and holiness
• Priests to honor their vows in earnest
• Need more priests in hospitals
• Relations with the local parish-clergy assignments-due consideration should be given to the impact on the local Parish Family that loses two parochial vicars in relatively short span
• Better process for vetting seminarians
• More encouragement of all vocations
• Priests and deacons who have left ministry should be allowed to serve in some role
• We need more support for vocations; priests should be seen  wearing their “habits” in public

 
OEEC

• A grand awareness – “Let the Light Shine” before others – uncover our lamp
• Strengthen publicity of our message – “Let the Light Shine”
• Need to promote ourselves better
• Do not reach out enough to the LGBTQ community – divided – reassure Catholics
• Do not reach out enough to divorced/remarried Catholics – does  not  reach out often enough to the elderly community
• Need a more charismatic movement

 
Financial

• AAA and Hartford Bishops Foundation – no allocation for Catholics who left church – reach out  - signs of a Come Home Campaign
• No allocation in Capital Campaign to reach out in evangelization,

i.e. Catholics Come Home

• Financial accountability/transparency
• Increase in Cathedraticum – lots of missing areas and parishes need to determine accountability but what about the Church--Where is the money going?
• More details in report – why drop $30 million in investments - $30 million change in assets
• Closing grammar schools in inner city – how are we reaching students in the inner-city grammar schools?
• Too many campaigns are asking for money at the same time
• No collection for hurricane victims
• AAA not enough
• Financially driven and not from the Gospel
• Tired of getting raffle tickets in the mail or notifications of another fundraiser for this corporation

 
Youth and Young Adults

• Reach out
• Find a way to  reach out to millennials – keep them engaged
• Teach Catechism to kids outside of Catholic School

 
Communication

• Better way to deal with negative press
• Archbishop is not seen enough – only seen in video
• Publicize more parish success stories
• Would appreciate more communication from the Archdiocese of Hartford
• CTM was more applicable as a paper
• Large Latino community in Archdiocese – CTM should have more in Spanish, not just the Archbishop’s letter
• No footnotes in Catholic Transcript
• Sex Abuse – get the bad news out there
• Website is lacking
• The Transcript is not as locally based as it should be – no information – glossy and brief with some fluff articles – not enough information
• Catholic Transcript is not the same-why have articles in Spanish-my immigrant parents had to learn English, Hispanics should not be treated any differently-other nationalities in the Archdiocese do not get to read articles in their native language.
• Publicity or what is called in the business world “brand awareness”

 
Sacraments

• Focus more on spirituality for pre-Cana and wedding prep

 
General

• Concerned that Holy Family Monastery is acting as a parish – scheduling Masses – collection appeal – concern about drawing parishioners out of nearby parishes
• Archdiocese of Hartford is out of touch with what happens in parishes
• Lack of transparency at Archdiocese of Hartford about everything
• Laity will to help but have to be asked
• Negative response for Family Life Office about Natural Family Planning
• Natural Family Planning should be encouraged
• More roles for women – more promotions of female religious
• Roles for women need to be in more prominent roles in the Church
• Happy that we pray the Prayer to Saint Michael however would prefer the Act of Entrustment

III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Restructuring

• Use closed churches and schools to be stewardship schools

 
Communication

• CTM  should address issues going on in the world
• Issue of relativism – especially regarding abortion and marriage

 
Clergy

• Let priests be priests – remove unnecessary burdens

ie. Schools be centralized

• Make parish life matter vs. values of the world
• Senior priest residence – at the Pastoral Center – even for those disabled

 
Liturgy & Sacraments

• Too many Catholics lack basic understanding of faith – who is Jesus – need continuing education – “You can’t live what you don’t understand.”
• Confirmation homilies should be more on Confirmation
• Confirmation Program should not just focus on social justice issues – focus more on Mass
• Confirmation Program with the young – not keeping young people focused on getting to Mass, etc.
• Need renewal in Catholic identity
• We are losing our young adults-Confirmation service homily should be more directed about the Sacrament of Confirmation and reasons why these young adults should be involved in their parish

 
Youth and Young Adults

• Training youth ministers
• Reach out to the young people
• Evangelization of Young Catholics – discipleship
• People under 40 need to be addressed
• Youth Ministry – keep kids in the center – Catholic Stewardship Schools
• What are we doing to make our faith relevant to youth and young adults in the face of the secular onslaught that either demeans our faith or worse ignores it completely?
• Should be a Youth Ministry team in each Deanery

 
OEEC

• Evangelize our people who don’t realize they need to be evangelized
• Evangelization – teaching – proactive in our faith - prayer
• Don’t know what the ministries of the Archdiocese of Hartford do
• List the ministries of the Archdiocese
• Collaborative ministries
• There is no plan
• Awake the faithful
• Create welcoming environments – good homilies – meaningful music
• Seek out the lost
• Make parish life matter
• More adult education
• Lay leadership training in the Archdiocese of Hartford
• Who is the flock-registered, active Catholics-lapsed Catholics, non-Catholics, not Christian or not religious at all? – Need to evangelize all of these groups

 
Financial

• Advertise AAA donations can be direct from IRA’s
• Financial Transparency
• Archdiocese should focus less on Catholics that have lost their faith and more on why Catholics are leaving the Church.
• Concern was expressed over the $100 million fundraiser.  Parishioners don’t know what it is for.

 
General

• Need a healing process to address scandal and anger - safe place for victims
• Suffering, anger, pain – healing needed because of sex abuse scandal – support groups – reach out to the victims
• Needs personal healing – ownership – say sorry to people
• Address reality of sin, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Confession
• Don’t avoid sin, hell, purgatory
• Sex Abuse – people tempted to leave – not finding healing and personal
• Sex Abuse ownership – leaders need to take ownership – it’s personal
• Sex Abuse – sense of respectability – needs of laity – want to help find solutions
• Sex Abuse – PA Grand Jury Report – Get in front of the Sex Abuse Cases – Form a lay commission
• Want more parking at Cathedral of Saint Joseph rather than a park
• Archdiocese of Hartford should run the schools
• Archbishop’s homily needs to be more geared towards young people
• Music, homilies, liturgies, joy
• Need to build a more trusting relationship with Catholics in the future
• No sense of tradition
• Continuing education for the elderly
• Catholic Schools Closing – publish more good things about schools – even healthy schools suffering – effects that they leave out
• Parishes should emphasize prayer – lectio divina and centering prayer.
• Archbishop speaking in parishes would be appreciated.

 
 
Laity

• More lay leadership training
• More lay responsibility – with regards to sexual abuse help address issue and find solutions
• What is the relationship with the Archdiocese of Hartford – what is the role of laity in living faith
• There needs to be a Lay Commission.  So, if something is reported about a priest or bishop, the Commission could make a report that is independent of the Chancery.

 

deanery 3

November 27, 2018 – Deanery 3
 
I. What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?

Restructuring

• Task of Pastoral Planning
• Involving parishioners in Pastoral Planning

 
Clergy

• Formation of new priests/deacons

 
Liturgy and Sacraments

• Diversity of Archdiocese of Hartford reflected in liturgies

 
Financial

• Social programs made possible by AAA - VOP
• Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, ministries of the Archdiocese
• Sale of Archbishop Mansion
• Know where AAA money goes – Financial Report
• Inner-city parish appreciates AAA help

 
Media/Communications

• ORTV/WJMJ
• WJMJ changes
• Catholic Transcript Magazine – bilingual
• Letters from Archbishop Blair

 
OEEC

• Sponsoring New Catechumenal Way
• OCSJM/Women’s Conference
• Office of Faith and Culture
• OEEC Office  and its restricting and accessibility – partnering with OCSJM
• Support and training of OEEC
• OEEC website

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Focus on youth in community
• Youth Programs becoming wider initiative

 
General

• Listening Session – care what needs of people are - concerns
• Addressing sexual abuse from top to bottom – availability of PGC seminars – teaching children Child Lures, too – number of programs - commitment
• Support of Catholic Schools – Helping kids get into Catholic Schools
• Outreach to Hispanics
• Malta House of Care
• Outreach to poor – community outreach
• Parish App
• Archdiocese of Hartford Family – unified body
• Archdiocese Women’s Conference
• Sense of welcome
• Social Action

 
II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• Rate of change not responded to appropriately
• Lack of Pastoral Planning transparency
• Progress carried out in Archdiocese of Hartford, but local parish needs not being addressed

 
Clergy

• Don’t help extern priests be better understood
• Forcing retirement on priests/deacons
• Not all priests and deacons can preach well
• Falling short in hospital visits
• Not enough care of ill priests
• Clear women to preach – poor preaching from priests/deacons
  
  

Sacraments and Liturgy

• Mass schedule is not flexible – poor coordination of Masses/daily
• Need more parental involvement in kids’ sacramental prep
• Other groups are using their church

 
Financial

• Transparency of finances in Archdiocese of Hartford
• Seems that request for funds is the only thing they get from Archdiocese of Hartford – need more promotion of our good works, etc.
• Financial accountability
• Financial consequences of abuse

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Not reaching youth/young adults
• Not addressing youth who are not going to CCD/CYO
• CCD kids not going to Mass – 22 year olds are the youngest people at Mass – get them to Church and involved at Mass – field trip, conference, etc.
• Failing with our “installed base” – losing Catholics – kids not practicing faith – losing our youth
• Need to get young people back to the Church, tap young people to lector, serve, do stuff in the Archdiocese
• CCD calendar formed around the kids sports stuff – calendar shrunk to meet parental needs - Kids and parents need to be accountable

 
OEEC

• Spread word of God – Evangelize – What is the purpose of the Archdiocese?
• Not reaching former Catholics
• Not meeting the needs of those searching
• Not teaching children about the Mass
• Hispanic Office/Black Catholic Office done away with, new Faith and Cultural Office not meeting needs of various communities – no plan
• Not adequately meeting spiritual hunger of everyday society – spirituality not religious
• Evangelize better to poor, inner city, minority populations –reach out
• Training and development of the laity
• Reach out to divorced Catholics – support groups
• Reach out to people who don’t speak English well
• Light the fire!

 
Media/Communications

• Not marketing our message – play less defense – tell what we are doing
• Communication – involve laity in process
• Not using general media to communicate our message
• Want Hispanic radio brought back
• Too much on the defensive – need to promote our good works more – need to shine a light – get on TV
• Website is unhelpful – difficult to navigate
• Positive marketing needed
• Communication -  Listening Sessions not explained – priest didn’t say

 
General

• Women leadership – not enough women in leadership roles – no sense of equality for women – have limited roles – not cheap labor – empowerment of women
• More diversity in Archdiocese of Hartford – meet needs of communities – pay more attention to different cultures
• Only 20-25% go to church – why?
• Not enough focus on time and talent – too much on treasure
• Breach of trust with Archdiocese of Hartford and the flock
• Not supporting Catholic Schools well – need to subsidize schools more – paying for Catholic School vs. free public schools – seem to be excluding poor from Catholic Schools
• Involve more lay people – need to be part of the process
• Transparency of sexual abuse – scandals have been addressed – cover up – What is church doing now? – Why aren’t we promoting our positive response? – tremendous breach of trust – believe the hierarchy is evil – not present – persons need urgent care – victims need human love and support – action needed – human connection - Investigation/prevention/prayer – all important but have to minister to the victims
• Confessions – sins inflicted – apologize – did devil make people do it – sin vs. devil
• Saint Michael Prayer not appropriate
• Not easy being Catholic
• Failing with base – “former Catholics”
• Big school/big CCD but no Mass attendance
• Loss of St. Agnes Home

 
III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Restructuring/General

• Pastoral Teams to staff parishes include women and lay persons
• Connect parishes to share best practices

 
Clergy

• Need more Pastors – more priests - bring in priests from other countries
• Best practices with other parishes – perhaps on deanery level
• Fostering vocations – support from families
• Increase role of deacons - preach
• Priests don’t answer phones—priests/pastors need to respond
• Nights and weekends – very difficult to get a priest - centralized list of priests who care

 
Financial

• Financial accountability – publish true financials – transparency - trust
• Limit fundraising – how many times go to the well? – numb to it
• High School expensive – analyze – scholarships to altar servers
• Publish money, increased trust, get more money – don’t avoid the downside of financial statements

 
Youth /Young Adults

• Youth-wide  Campaign – families, etc. make it relevant in their busy over crowded lives
• Allow youth to take liturgical roles – participation
• Be bold in vision – start with youth
• Work with young men from young age to address vocations
• Mentoring program for youth
• Fresh voices

 
OEEC

• Reach out to families
• Outline difference between priest and pastor
• Need for evangelization

 
Media/Communication

• More communications with people of what is happening in other parishes
• Social media – homilies – need to get our message out there – social justice- service, etc. – educate – put sermons on Facebook

 
General

• Address expense of Catholic School education – bold vision for schools
• Hartford is the “mission”  - reopen the schools
• Transparency – how and why things being done
• Be doers of the Gospel
• Want leadership to walk more among people – needs to be more visible
• Leadership should reflect diversity of people
• Remember Archbishop you represent us – your authority comes from our trust – currently lack of trust
• Ignoring vocation of the laity – increase lay leadership
• Role of women in  protection of kids – need to include women more in roles of leadership
• Cover-up due to provision in canon law to not give scandal to church
• Cohesive strategy across cities/states
• Declare the outcome – start with the goal
• Continue to the dialogue
• No response from Archdiocese of Hartford - share long-term goals – not getting response when sending a letter
• Help to handle changes that have become difficult
• Be good Christians – not just Catholics – be like Pope – love, acceptance, and service
• Lack of trust between parish and Archdiocese
• Will anything come of the Synod?  Will we hear about it?

 

deanery 4

October 19, 2018 – Deanery 4

I. What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?
 
Restructuring

• Facing realities of attendance/structure
• Good job and transparency with consolidation process – good communications
• On-going work at Cathedral - upgrades
• Recognizing declining Church attendance
• Merger seems to be helping

 
Clergy

• Young priests are very good homilist/relevant

 
Liturgy

• Archbishop Blair’s request for Holy Hour
• Prayer to Saint Michael
• Upholding traditional Mass
• Mass near CCSU Campus

 
Media/Communications

• Catholic Transcript Magazine – more communicative
• TV/Radio WJMJ
• Outreach to young with Podcasts for sermons- stay connected to Church

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Support in Archdiocese for young adult ministry is very good
• Youth love having a voice- retreat experience great-feel a part of the Church

 
General

• Malta House of Care
• New music director

II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• Should have closed more churches
• Phase 2 of Pastoral Planning is not clearly communicated

 
Clergy

• With respect to priests: face up to harm done due to scandal; address lack of credibility – expose priests who were in scandal – remember priests are human – moving priests is not a solution – more help for accused priests – don’t move priests who are accused
• Should spend more time with parishioners

 
Vocations

• Don’t hear vocation stories – more talk about “What’s involved”

 
OEEC

• Help people know they are valued in eyes of God
• Encourage family rosary, scriptures to be more Christ centered
• Cultural outreach
• LGBTQ outreach
• Reach out to divorced Catholics
• Elderly ministry

 
 
Media

• Communicate what is going on in parishes
• More and better communication from Archdiocese of Hartford – especially regarding Cathedral/sex abuse/mergers, etc.
• CTM does not include Mass schedule for priests and parishes
• Better communication between parishes
• Youthful/contemporary music on WJMJ
• Word does not get out about programs – young adults are confused about the teachings of the Church – teach the truth about the love of God
• Communication needs to be improved – more support for lapsed, separated, divorced Catholics – have questions regarding separation and divorce - especially separated and divorced about sacraments

 
Liturgy/Sacraments

• Encourage families to pray together

 
Youth

• More collaboration work with youth
• Nothing after Confirmation for our young people – gap of 10-15 years before they return to the Church
• Incorporate more contemporary/youthful
• Life Teen group should be implemented – post Confirmation
• Reach out to our youth, 7 – 10 years olds
• Transfer of priests disrupts the flow of young people
• More programs for teens – 30 years older to keep them interested

 
General

• Future of Catholic schools not being addressed – more support of teachers/schools – promote schools more – cost too high? teacher compensation is poor/lacking – more Archdiocesan support – more parish support
• Archbishop not visiting churches enough – compensated to visit parishes – Archbishop addressed matter regarding stipends
• Business Managers to travel parish to parish to help lessen burden on priests – to handle administration of parishes to let the priests focus on ministry
• More transparency about who Archdiocese is and what it does

 

III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Restructuring

• Not being honest about what churches will be closed
• What churches will be closed next? -  Lack of honesty on the closings.
• “Weighted” about bringing things into parishes after consolidation

 
Clergy

• Program to lighten load on priests – more time to shepherd
• Majority of priests are good – need to support them/defend them

  
 Vocations

• Serious vocations problem – low number of priests over next 10 years - consider marriage issue
• Open priesthood to married clergy – consider an open discussion on this issue

 
Financial

• Stop posting names of those who give large donations
• Where does the money go?  Why to the Archdiocese? – more honesty
• Is there a master plan?  Why wait to tell us?

 
Media/Communications

• Utilize social media to evangelize - encourage bloggers, etc.
• Don’t let the media crucify us with the group that is doing wrong

 
OEEC

• Address the crisis of faith
• Create a program to educate parishioners on the teachings of the faith
• Reach out to the aging population of our parishioners
• Program on evangelization – across the board
• More Neo-catechumenal Way opportunities – more support from the bishops
• Address the anti-Catholic attitudes
• Evangelization – formal Archdiocesan program for all parishes
• Lack of faith formation – lack of foundation
• Address why do we go to Mass?

 
Laity

• More guidance for Lay Ministries

 
General

• Deanery collaboration regarding Mass times – eliminated competition
• Go back to basics in teaching faith – in defense of the faith
• Watch the anti-Catholic atmosphere
• More NFP in marriage prep

deanery 5

October 15, 2018 – Deanery 5

I. What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?
 
Restructuring

• Pastoral Planning
• Reducing excessive number of buildings
• Parishes working together
• Reorganization of parishes

 
Liturgy & Sacraments

• Archbishop attends Confirmations
• Confessions in Lent and ad campaign for it
• Better focus now on Faith Formation / young adults / bring young people back into focus
• Sacramental availability despite shortage of priests
• Sacraments strong
• Mass at Holyland
• Corpus Christi procession
• Adults making their sacraments

 
Financial

• Support of/from Agencies of the Archdiocese of Hartford
• Outreach Programs of AAA – Care for the poor, charitable work, Catholic schools, etc.
• Malta House of Care – Hartford and Waterbury
• Saint Vincent de Paul Shelters
• Hartford Bishops Foundation – effective tool
• Poor /addicted assistance
• Hartford Bishops Foundation - is an effective tool to stop shrinkage of the Catholic Church and to save money for the Archdiocese in the future
• Monies for Catholic Schools

 
Media/Communications

• WJMJ/TV Masses - a Catholic voice
• CTM – more user friendly – more family friendly
• MyParish  App
• Archdiocese of Hartford website – great resource
• Communications
• Archbishop taking out a full page letter in major newspapers to address the (sex abuse) issue and to explain what the diocese is doing to implement safety and transparency going forward, and to apologize personally and in the name of the Church

 
OEEC

• Improvements in OEEC programs
• Catholic Biblical School

• Combined youth groups

 
Laity

• Involvement of laity in ministries
• Lay Ministry Program
• Volunteers

 
General

• Mobile clinics
• The parish meetings we’re having now.
• Seeing the Archbishop at functions outside of the Cathedral

II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• Apostolic leadership not seen enough among people
• Don’t know what the Archdiocese does
• No transparent enough – especially regarding Pastoral Planning
• Support more collaboration among parishes
• More responsive to parishes and their needs
• People want to be with their Bishop
• Too parochial
• Few but very exemplary schools needed – vocations

 
Clergy

• Better speaking foreign priests
• Care better for priests – priests lonely, okay
• Too many priests in Hartford offices
• Nurture priests – needs to be 2 by  2
• Homilies – should not simply repeat the foregoing Gospel message
• Inconsistency of Pastors – pastor shopping, AOH ignorant of what pastors can and can’t do - priests doing things differently

 
Vocations

• Continue to decrease

 
OEEC

• Not doing enough to keep membership up
• OEEC not responsive to calls – calls not returned – no options / resources
• Parish level faith formation
• Should establish 3 or 4 curriculums to choose from with support
• Wrong emphasis on Catholic education – too much focus on secondary schools not elementary
• Scripture education / adult education – much needed - Adult education programs not enough - Expand adult catechism programs
• OEEC – incomplete, insufficient regarding adults
• Catholic Bible School
• Knowing Jesus Christ
• Adults ignorant of the Church are teaching
• Parishioner numbers not increasing - newcomers and non-Catholics, particularly Hispanics , feel ignored and unwelcome
• Reaching out to young adults
• Provide training, seminars, catechetical formation in Spanish and locally instead of being centered in Hartford

 
 
Financial

• Not enough money, time, effort put into supporting Catholic schools
• Be more transparent – finances – staff numbers
• Cathedraticum is too high
• Some of AAA goes to non-Catholic entities – and pro-abortion groups
• Parishes should keep more revenue – especially those with schools
• Same money programs – continuity among bookkeepers

 
Media

• More public awareness about what church is doing
• Speak up more – guidance on social issues
• Public relations – things worth boasting about
• Cross-diocese communications
• Transparency – objectives, strategies, goals, timetables

 
Sacraments

• Be more welcoming at baptisms and weddings
• Support families to bring family up in faith

 
General

• More outreach to divorced Catholics – don’t feel welcome
• Reach out more to lapsed Catholics
• Lay people to do administrative work in Hartford to free up priests
• SCC (Small Christian Communities) closure / Bookstore closure
• Hispanic community feels ostracized
• Respond to e-mail
• Support for parents to assist children
• Slow approval for major projects
• Poor efforts to keep membership
• Reactive not proactive
• Crisis – how do children cope – how do youth cope – discuss with youth – I’m not going to go to Church
• Sex abuse scandals – coping skills among adult different from kids – AOH guidance on this – how to talk to young people about this
• Can we come up with more business survey approaches to the stuff
• Providing services to the elderly
• Helping families with special needs

 
III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Clergy

• Collaborative leadership – not just the priest as the sole of pastoral care; need to collaborate more with team of leaders – priest and laity – ministry leaders
• Better homilies – homily guidance from AOH
• Allow married clergy
• Hold Confessions at night for those who work

 
Vocations

• Promote vocations aside from priesthood
• Promote nuns and deacons
• Speak more about vocations

 
Financial

• Financial training for priests – pastors lack basic business understanding
• Why give hard earned money when all they do is pay out monies for settlements for 30-50 years ago
• Overly focused on financial things
• Need to show proof of cost cutting measures
• Too much emphasis on monies and finances and not on faith
• Transparency – where is the money going – where is the money coming from to pay settlements, how are settlements paid, Pope’s collection
• $30 million gap without explanation – financial statement is helpful but lacking
• Cancel AAA dinner – use money for charity
• Naugatuck Valley – don’t see money
• Worst financial report ever seen
• Lower the price of renting the Seminary
• Ensure that Catholic Charities in Waterbury is helping undocumented parishioners; they seem to cater to the evangelical churches and do very little to help the Catholic parishes

 
Media/Communications

• Focus on the little ones; need to do more with publicizing good things happening in Catholic Education
• AAA – do a better job of telling the general public of what we’re doing
• Need to tell general public about the sex abuse stuff
• Pursue EWTN to air on WJMJ
• Communication – news national, international, locally
• Don’t like the Catholic Transcript – more information
• Advertise / publicize what Catholic education does for students
• More communication like old CTM
• Better usage of social media to evangelize – use local media to educate
• Provide links to parish websites and schedules
• Communication needs to begin from the bottom up, not from the top down; instead of issuing edicts, come and talk to the people; better inform priests and deacons about decision affecting their parishes and not at the last moment

 
OEEC

• Inter-generational catechesis
• Reach out to new Catholics; lapsed Catholics
• Reach out to minorities
• Young adult programs
• Need template for basic Catholic faith – Family Mass for any parish throughout the AOH – common feast day (?)
• Catholic education importance
• Evangelization – maintenance to mission
• Catholic mentors in non-Catholic school / colleges
• Prayer time in parishes for parents while kids are in religious education
• Adult faith formation and family focused faith formation are critical
• Church should offer activities for children, teens and young adults
• More retreats, formation and evangelization – in both languages
• Better defense of church teachings; we hear very little from the Archbishop publicly defending what the church actually teaches and believes; too focused on money and buildings

 
Laity

• Role of women in parishes – need to do more in parishes – considered second rate citizens – underused – undervalued
• Bring children to Church
• Need to seek collaborative ministry less focus on priests more inclusive of lay ministry leaders

 
General

• Reverence of the Holy Eucharist; kneeling at the communion rail
• Parochialism needs to go away and do more collaboratively with other parishes
• Simpler annulments
• Healing Masses
• Focus on Jesus – not money
• Archbishop needs to be more present
• Tabernacle in center in every Church
• Lay people are smarter than you think we are
• More collaborative efforts
• Tear down walls – sharing – among parishes
• Archbishop should be more visible and public in parishes and not just at Confirmations or for AAA
• Tear down the parish silos!
• Parishes should share and cooperate more with funding and events.
• Should have both greeters and security personnel at the Church doors at Mass times.
• More representatives from the Archdiocese visiting parishes-to see first hand
• Move the priests, especially the young ones, out of the Chancery and place them into the parishes where we need priests
• Provide better services to the elderly, addicts and those suffering from depression
• Follow through on our suggestions; don’t just read them and do your own thing, but listen and implement
• Advertising better Archdiocesan events in both languages

 
 
 

deanery 6

October 22, 2018 – Deanery 6

I. What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?
 
Restructuring

• Merging of the parishes – handled as well as could have been – guidance from Archdiocese

 
Clergy

• Good priestly fraternity – support – people – feel it

 
Liturgy & Sacraments

• Church tries to be inclusive – sense of welcoming
• Lenten Confessions – Masses
• Archbishop’s visibility at Confirmations

 
Financial

• AAA – promotion – DVD – use of funds
• Philanthropy – transparent where AAA funds go – charitable outreach

 
Media/Communications

• ORTV – TV Mass
• Increased level of communications
• Catholic Transcript Magazine is now appealing
• Video presentation at parishes
• Synod Listening Sessions

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Youth support opportunities

 
General

• Archbishop Blair’s vision is impactful – influence strategies then at parish level
• Inclusivity efforts

 
II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• Need more help with Pastoral Plan – financial help with 16 buildings- not getting support
• Reassignments of priests – awful – find/consider needs of the parish
• 60 – 70% left the parish

• Sudden changes in schedules and lack of communication bred an ever-increasing toxic environment – led to big drop-off in attendance and financial support. 

 
Clergy

• Better promotion of religious life
• People helping the priest
• Head of the Tribunal – needs to ensure a timely response time to annulment process

 
Vocations

• Raise the age that someone can become a Deacon – promote diaconate better
• No reaching out to vocations?

 
OEEC

• Religious Education needs better training for catechists – think outside the box to make it more invigorating – use leading practices and approaches
• Bring people back to Church – especially regarding divorced and remarried – kids welcome at Religious Education but parents aren’t welcomed at Mass – total lack of empathy from the diocesan office regarding being a divorced Catholic
• Need more cultural sensitivity within the Archdiocese of Hartford across the board
• More for adults than just Bible studies

 
Financial

• More assistance to new parishes to face financial issues
• Kids cannot participate in events because of costs

 
Media

• Communications – ahead of time not at last minute - use all tools available to us – get ahead of the curve and don’t repeat stuff
• ORTV – underutilized facility – can’t get radio station in Hamden – popular music rather than faith
• Apps

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Lacking in support of Young Adults – need to do more outreach – youth ministry but then notified for 18+
• Confirmation age through Young Adults – what can we do to attract them – how do we get them to stay connected
• Young married couples need support
• Youth events in Archdiocese of Hartford not possible for Hispanic children of immigrants – not culturally sensitive
• I am an anomaly in my parish – I’m 30 something and newly married – how does a parish connect with that?

 
General

• Catholic schools need a master plan – same as Pastoral Plan for parishes
• Closing of Catholic schools
• Annulment process – took over 2 ½ years – Archdiocese failed miserably in the processing – had to call numerous times to check on status - lack of training for the lay staff – lay person reviewed file and rendered opinion
• Translations of Archdiocesan materials from English to Spanish is not accurate
• Why wait until October Counts – so low - Archdiocese of Hartford should see the numbers diminishing and encourage participation
• Put women in leadership roles in Church – serious roles for women
• Immigrants needs to feel welcome – cut down on border talk
• Lay Ministry participation

III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Clergy

• More care for our priests
• Lack of preaching ability in the Archdiocese – priests are timid to preach the truth – go on offensive
• Get priests involved in CCD

 
Vocations

• Increase vocations of all – priesthood, religious, marriage

 
Financial

• Archbishop Blair should have a Christmas party at the Aqua Turf and after bill paid extra to AAA – more social activities to bring Catholics together
• Be more transparent about stole fees – publicize them – make the rationale behind them known
• Catholic school staff and employees – have to pay them more – educators cannot afford to work in their vocation to Catholic education – equality for quality education

 
Media/Communications

• Change the way we communicate – need rebranding – promote what we do – need to educate what we stand for
• Show more about our cultures within the Church

 
OEEC

• Promote all are welcome in the Church
• OEEC doing more for all schools – should come to them to help/promote rather than waiting for people to be dropped
• More workshops to educate our people – practice what we preach – teach what we believe – young people want to see that we live out what we profess
• Use best practices for bringing people back and evangelizing
• Need to rebrand the Catholic Church – self promote better
• Workshops to educate community – gender, cultural, sexual identity, sensitivity
• Reach out to busy families – torn in a million different directions

• Welcome people better - new people and sinners and fallen away Catholics

• Reach out to special needs kids

 
Laity

• Greater roles for women in the Church

 
Liturgy/Sacraments

• Need to recognize Marriage as a Sacrament – teach about it
• Recognize and form people for marriage better
• Adoration - Rosary – Fundamentals of our faith – need to be renewed/promoted
• More lively up-to-date music used in our liturgies
• Make Sacrament of Sick more available – more regularly – on a regularly scheduled monthly basis with no paperwork and questions asked
• Confession should be made available at other times than just Saturday afternoon – when people will be or are already at the church (before/after Mass, before/during/after adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Need to work with our youth – find out what they care about
• Rebranding can motivate our young people
• Newly married youth – nothing available for them
• Need to get the young people/young families back

 
General

• Care for our older people
• Think outside of box regarding what we can do regarding social justice issues – for example, use closed churches to house homeless
• Catholic Schools – Archdiocese of Harford should support schools like Public School System supports its schools
• More options for young families regarding Mass times
• Small Christian Communities help support people – should be revisited
• Bereavement support and training needed
• Support needs of students
• Transparency and  Synod
• Have sports centralized at schools
• Family Life Office is broken – training through Office of Family Life

deanery 7

November 26, 2018 – Deanery 7
 
I.What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well?
 
Restructuring

• Permanent Diaconate – quality of men, depth of their training/preparations, and responsiveness/hospitable
• Pastoral Planning – not rushed, careful, thoughtful – responding to big scheme
• Support for consolidation of parish schools

 
Clergy

• Supporting priests
• Pairing young priest with more experienced
• Religious order priests - Deaneries

 
Liturgy & Sacraments

• Saint Joseph Medal of Honor
• Promotion of Adoration
• Connected to Archdiocese through events like Wedding Anniversary Mass
• Ending the Mass with Prayer to Saint Michael

 
Financial

• Helping the poor, sick, elderly, disadvantaged through the AAA
• Financial matters
• Secular, financial, legal needs met through good stewardship
• Fundraising, AAA

 
OEEC

• RCIA/Virtus/Bible Study
• Workshops for volunteers/parish based employees
• Women’s Conference – 1st and 2nd
• Bible Studies – now closer to shoreline important
• Expanded availability of Catholic Biblical School
• Faith Formation Workshops
• Evangelization

 
 
Media/Communications

• Promoting Catholicism via WJMJ
• Letter from Archbishop regarding sexual abuse
• Promotion, communications, outreach, and film of AAA, new format
• Catholic Transcript Magazine - new look and mailed to all
• Socially active communications
• Broadcasting a daily Mass on TV for those who are homebound
• Communicating the need for consolidation – bulletins were very informative
• Glad Catholic Transcript is bilingual
• Facebook

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Youth programs – hiring of youth ministers – faith-based, quality education
• Focusing on the youth, their place in the Church and providing resources so they can grow in faith

 
General

• This type of forum
• Archbishop Blair is visible – visiting churches
• Archbishop is brave addressing scandal, as well as, mergers
• A lot of support from Archdiocese for parish staffs
• Good leadership across Archdiocese to address problems
• Hands on approach of Archbishop Blair for Pro-Life Mass and St. Patrick Parade Mass
• Small Christian Communities supported
• Home School Graduation Mass with Archbishop Blair – reaching out to the home schooled
• Good stewardship
• Role of women
• Listening sessions
• Saint Joseph Medal

 
II. What are we doing (as an Archdiocese) not so well?
 
Restructuring

• People not clear on Deaneries/structure
• Consolidations – not clear communication paths
• Yoking of the parishes – don’t see cohesiveness of the parishioners – why not just close the churches that need to be closed so there is one full church in parish

 
Clergy

• ESL should be provided to priests (externs) –no training for priests for public speaking
• Skill level of homilists varies

 
 Liturgy/Sacraments

• Occasional Latin Mass within each Deanery
• The wide variety of programs and preparation methods for the Sacraments is confusing to people – giving people opportunity to shop around and look for whatever is easiest.
• More focus on the sanctity of the sacraments rather than the number of youth that are in our programs.

 
OEEC

• Ministering to millennials
• Ministering to the LGBTQ community
• Education of young people watered down
• Teaching all Catholics or just the kids
• Address all generations in Faith Formation
• Address reverts and converts

 
Financial

• Decline in attendance, revenue – Hartford Bishops’ Foundation and AAA come at wrong time and are a bit much at a difficult time – want more stories of people who benefit
• More financial transparency from Archdiocese
• Too many mandated rules for offertory counters
• Financial transparency and communication
• Transparency - How much has been paid out for sex scandals
• Local support of Catholic Schools/High Schools

 
Media

• Market Archdiocese more effectively
• Don’t get our message out – good works, finances, sexual abuse
• Closure of OBCM not communicated
• Catholic Transcript Magazine not liked – not as much information – most prefer the newspaper format
• Communication on sexual abuse not as direct as it was for Pastoral Planning
• More done with audio visual aids
• More local news in Catholic Transcript Magazine
• Archbishop is not using social media
• Catholic Transcript has constant photos of the big shots who are placed on committees and panels -  replace with people who do so much for the Church
• Website needs attention/improvement

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Bringing people back into the fold – new ways to engage youth
• More could be done on college level for youth
• Reach out could be better for post Confirmation
• Modify youth ministry needs – not working: targeting youth when they are teenagers, focusing on large group events, Confirmation and factory style faith formation isn’t forming disciples – stop looking at numbers
• Education of young people is watered down

 
General

• Lack of transparency - regarding accountability the sexual abuse, no response to questions asked months ago.
• Archdiocese of Hartford never got back to us on how they chose to consolidate – never communicated to us
• Local support for Catholic High Schools – why isn’t there one on shoreline?
• Archbishop is not visible enough – leadership – be where young people are – people want to see him more
• Leadership missing in addressing scandal
• Lost traditions – devotions and fasting
• Archdiocese does not answer letters
• More activities regionally
• More to help those affected by storms
• Emergency Assistance Fund takes long time
• Not enough women and minority involvement in Church
• Archdiocese is not inclusive, not valuing communities of color – closure of Office of Black Catholics – no communication on this – diversity not reflected in Archdiocese
• Not affected by racial diversity of parishioners
• Too many “man-made” rules to follow such as husbands and wives can’t be on the same counting team, ushers must fill out paperwork for background checks to pass the basket – volunteers are scarce
• Cemeteries not being maintained
• Should be doing more for those with Special Needs
• Parishioners’ understanding of Synod
• Not enough tech support

III. What are we not doing (as an Archdiocese) that we should be?
 
Clergy

• Create better inter-parish relationships
• Liturgical music planned on Deanery level
• Sermons need to be “modernized” and present guidance for modern day living - relevance
• Bishops and Archbishops should be out evaluating performance.
• Priests need to have a home base – moving them around with no home to retire and having to move their belongings every time they are reassigned is difficult
• Regionalization with priests
• A second home for retired priests in Greater New Haven area – sent to Hartford area where they no longer have access to their families and their own medical caregivers.
• Female diaconate – married priests

 
Liturgy/Sacraments

• Adopt the Restored Order of the Sacraments as presented in the Catechism, and RCIA.
• Confirmation in High School presents a lot of challenges with very little benefits or reasons to the method – youth can benefit from the graces received at Confirmation well before 10th grade.
• No need for a 2 year Confirmation preparation – makes it feel like a last minute attempt to cram all the basic Church teachings into a teen’s head rather spiritually preparing them for a beautiful gift. 
• If restored order can’t and won’t come about, should look into the youth receiving the sacraments by readiness rather than by age.
• Improve marriage preparation – specifically require in depth training in NFP method – offering classes in Theology of the Body would also be beneficial.
• Allow multiple names for daily Mass
• Liturgical music – more centralized – more inspiring/beautiful

 
Media/Communications

• Quarterly newsletter
• Highlight by local seminars and by articles in Transcript using on-site interviews and showing successful efforts at renewal
• Improved the AAA films – people “turned off” by them as people are tired of helping those who refuse to help themselves
• Add audio visual aids to Mass to outline sermon, show responses, prayers, songs
• Better PR - Hear about negative things – what about the good news? Joy of Christians?

 
OEEC

• Create better inter-faith relationships
• Teach our children about the Mass
• Be welcoming to LBGTQ Community – courage/encourage - use terms that people want to be called
• Address life issues - suicide
• Be welcoming to divorced people
• Educate what is Archdiocese and what is their role
• ACTS Retreats to deepen the faith of people
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd – create contemplative children, starting at age 3
• Family Catechesis – leading parents to teaching the faith to their children
• Focus on families rather than just the kids and teens – provide family catechesis – faith formation is a lifelong process rather than something that stops after Confirmation
• Talks by clergy and laity to connect adults and advance faith formation
• Parishes need to combine activities such as religious instruction, confirmation classes, pre Cana – need a “regional” approach to some groups
• Catechesis for kids on Mass

 
Youth/Young Adults

• Teach youth all Catholic truth
• Address service projects for youth – stress importance of them
• Create a task force to grown parishes – look at non-Catholic Churches to see what attracts young
• Youth Ministry should focus on small group discipleship and mentoring rather than large groups
• Listen to millennials – why do they talk about the future of the church and don’t want to hear from us?

 
General

• Listening Sessions on a regular basis to share best practices of things brought up  and hoped for
• Someone from Archdiocese should visit young parishes to see what is working
• Act as one family
• Inner city schools regardless of religion
• Increase participation of women
• Archdiocese should direct parishes to allow eulogies
• “Divine Renovation” – read this book as a roadmap to renew parishes
• That Man is You Program – to advance Male Leadership in the Laity
• Need more interparish community activities:  Bus trip to NY, Trip to NY Yankee game, Trip to Red Sox, Trip to The Holy Land, Trip to Casino – activities other than “Dinners”
• Address topics in common language for church abuse, opioid abuse,  human kindness, why priests can’t marry, why women can’t be priest
• Parishes should sponsor an immigrant family to help them get started
• Church cannot be a one hour per week event.  The Church needs to be a community, a place where you work, play, share, socialize, pray, help others, learn, etc.
• Silo mentality
• Reach out to the elderly

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Archbishop Blair Introduces the Archdiocesan Synod: Grow + Go