Next Generation Parish

Beginning in September 2021, a team of Saints Peter and Paul parishioners has worked with Msgr. Citino and Fr. Monica to draft a three-year strategic plan. With the assistance of the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI), this “Envisioning Team” has assessed the strengths and opportunities of the parish using the Disciple Maker Index survey from 2018, sacramental data, a review of parish ministries, as well as the lived experiences of the team members. In addition to our priests, the Envisioning Team members were:

With information in hand, the Envisioning Team started with the Parish mission and vision developed in 2019 and discerned a slightly refined parish vision. They also drafted three key parish values and four potential parish priorities. Over the summer, we will be sharing the draft plan as a series of messages here, as well as on our parish website.

Mission and Vision Statements

Our parish Mission Statement from 2019 was deemed to be still appropriate today so it was largely carried over with a slight modification. It now reads:

Our Mission:  Be a community of spiritually maturing Catholics serving and leading people to Christ.

After much debate, prayer, and discussion, the Envisioning Team crafted the following Vision Statement to describe what we aspire to be as a parish:
Vision Statement

Saints Peter and Paul Parish is a welcoming and vibrant Catholic family of authentic disciples, unified in Jesus Christ, growing, engaging, and serving through uplifting liturgy, faith-based activities, and outreach. We boldly and courageously witness our faith.

Each part of this statement highlights an identifying characteristic that we want to develop further as a parish – welcoming, vibrant, authentic, etc. Can you see yourself in some part of this vision statement?

Within the Next Generation Parish process, we were asked to develop the top three parish values – enduring beliefs that guide our behaviors, decisions, and actions as a parish. Many potential values were discussed. The three judged to best describe our parish were Faith, Generosity, and Community.

A message from Father Citino about Next Generation Parish (January 2022)

I wanted to update everyone on our journey through Next Generation Parish. In partnership with the Archdiocese and the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI), our parish is part of a nationwide effort to create communities of disciples, leaders, and missionaries that will sustain the Catholic Church into the future. We are still in the early stages of this four-year program, but I wanted to share where we are and what to expect going forward.

Our “Envisioning Team” (consisting of ten parish volunteers, Father Monica, and me) has met several times to paint a picture of what makes our parish special and to articulate our mission and our values. We recognize several key parish values, such as: Community, Faith, and Generosity.

Mr. Tom Lenz from CLI is our parish Coordinator, leading our meetings through this process.

We discussed where our parish shines (such as our many faith-building and outreach ministries) as well as our opportunities for improvement. We reviewed the 2018 parish survey results, along with our experiences, to help direct that effort.

Based on these insights, we will be creating a vision for the future of our parish and discerning strategies to make this vision a reality.

As we journey through this endeavor as a parish, I will keep you informed. For now, I ask you to join me in ensuring that the Eucharist is the center of our community, we are nurtured by and willing to proclaim the gospel, and we are living our call to corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Let’s set our parish as a beacon of hope for all those who are searching for Jesus.

God bless us all!
Fr. Citino