Last revised on September 1st, 2020.
Bishop Gregory Parkes has asked all parishes to develop strategies to enhance three areas that are important for growth and evangelization: Youth Ministry, Family Ministry, and Missionary Discipleship.
In a spirit of accountability and open communication, we are pleased to share St. Catherine of Siena’s Parish Action Plan!
Strategy 1: Develop a Faith Formation Youth/Young Adult Commission of 7-9 members by July 2021.
STATUS: Completed as of July 27th 2019. We exceeded our goal and have over 15 members on our Faith Formation/Young Adult Commission.
RELEVANCY: St. Catherine Siena's Life Teen program includes a diverse student population relative to configuration of their families, culture practices, maturity levels, motivation to involved in Faith Formation opportunities, and experiences with and knowledge/practice of their Catholic Faith, including the sacraments, scripture, and the Mass in general. The Core Team of Faith Formation leadership are primarily adults who feel the need for greater understanding of what is relevant to teens of this age and era, strategies that may more effectively and productively engage them in faith formation activities and facilitate their understanding of and yearning for more interactions and relationships with the Lord and their Catholic Faith.
This type of effort is: brand new for us & a major leap of faith
Point person(s): Sherri Briand and Mandy Westrich
Strategy 2: Recruit an additional 20-30 Faith Formation Volunteers by September 2021
Status: In Progress
RELEVANCY: St. Catherine Siena currently has 100 plus students enrolled in the Kindergarten to 5th grade program on Sunday mornings, over 50 students enrolled in EDGE, the middle school program, and approximately 20 students enrolled in Life Teen, the high-school program. Additionally, St. Catherine's instituted a youth Faith Formation program that aligns with RCIA for those youth who have not received one or all sacraments of initiation. Given the vast and divergent needs of the students and numbers of those participating, St Catherine's Faith Formation programs are in always in need of volunteers who can assist with programming and instruction in each of the Faith Formation programs.
This type of effort is: Building on current efforts
On Sunday August 11th, our Faith Formation staff members hosted a training for catechists and volunteers featuring a representative from Sadlier. Sadlier is our catechetical resource that we use for our religious education classes in Children's Faith Formation. This training included implementing classroom management strategies to make our programs effective in sharing the faith with our youth.We have implemented a special needs "cool down box" to serve our students who require specific behavioral accommodations. Another task we have implemented is that we have lengthened the class morning session time as a means to enhance our evangelization.
Point person(s): Sherri Briand and Mandy Westrich
Strategy 3: Hire a full-time Communications/IT individual by May 1, 2019
STATUS: Completed; Nora Bourke was hired as Communications Coordinator in March 2019
RELEVANCY: St. Catherine of Siena had two part-time employees each of whom works independently to maintain St. Catherine’s web site and social media. The discrepancy between the work schedules of social media/technology staff and the other Parish staff have compromised opportunities to share information. The hiring of a full time individual with expertise in both social media and technology who will work similar hours as the parish staff will alleviate current communication issues.
This type of effort is: Brand new for us
Point person(s): Monsignor Morris
Strategy 1: Engage parents more fully in the life of the parish by giving them the tools to practice their faith within the domestic church by June 30, 2020.
Status: In Progress.
Debbie Barry is a parishioner and student with the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute, LPMI. Her practicum focuses on engaging parents more fully in the life of the parish. She is planning activities for the upcoming 2019-2020 year.
RELEVANCY: Parents of the Parish have requested assistance with ideas and strategies so they can more fully engage their children in the Catholic Faith. providing carry over into the home of concepts and activities discussed and implemented in Faith Formation classes.
This type of effort is: Brand new for us
September 9th, we hosted a Family Sacramental Preparation Meeting. This meeting was not only a practical way for families to learn about the required steps for their children to make a sacrament, but we asked them to reflect about the spiritual needs of their families. This part of the meeting involved small group discussion, inviting the parents to think about how to live out the mission of the domestic church in their homes. We filled out a survey from the parents about how the parish can support families in today's challenges, which we will use as a sense of direction moving forward with Debbie's LPMI practicum initiatives.
At our Super Saturday sacramental session, we had the parents attend the morning mass with their children, followed by a parent's session once the children and teens began their sacramental preparation classes.
We have three sessions planned for the coming year for parents: one for the parents of children in our sacramental preparation programs and four Family Faith Cafes. Free refreshments and coffee will be provided as families experience fellowship while participating in an interactive lesson about our faith. The first Family Faith Cafe was on the topic of the liturgical year and it took place on Sunday, October 20th during our Sunday morning Children's Faith Formation classes. The second Family Faith Cafe was themed towards the topic of prayer and the mass on Sunday, February 9th. Many parents commented that they enjoyed the this Family Faith Cafe more than the first session. It included rotating stations where both parents and children participated in catechetical activities such as a liturgy jeopardy game, prayer activity, and other stations working together while learning more about the mass.
Faith Formation Staff, Monsignor Morris and 4 high school youth attended Notre Dame Vision for June 17th - 21st. Monsignor Morris and Mandy Westrich, Faith Formation Coordinator, attended the track titled "Liturgical Formation: Forming Families for Full Conscious, and Active Participation."
Our Faith Formation is providing Book-of-the-Month Club through Dynamic Catholic to be distributed to adults. Beginning in September, the Book-of-the-Month club is being targeted to parents and adults within the parish to meet at 10:15 am on Sunday mornings to coincide with Children's Faith Formation classes. Not only is this an intentional way to invite parent participation in a ministry while their children are in religious education classes, but it is a priority that we provide opportunities for adults to deepen their faith. The simple format for this new Book-of-the-Month Club is meant to be approachable for busy adults to encounter the Lord alongside one another in prayer, fellowship, and candid conversation. The first book featured in this ministry on September 29th, 2019 was Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly. Our Director of Discipleship, Sherri Briand, ran out of free copies of the book for participants a week before the first Book-of-the-Month session due to the high volume of individuals interested.
On December 24th, Christmas Eve, a group of children and a couple of teens put on a living Nativity Reenactment at the 6 pm Mass. This went very well. Additionally Mandy Westrich worked hands-on with the parents to coordinate this through two rehearsals. One of the rehearsals brought a Parents Night Out where adult chaperones did activities with children, a time in which Mandy had the reenactment youth go with her in the Church to rehearse. The positive response led to Mandy and the families working together again for the children to do a Gospel Reenactment for the Epiphany of the Lord on January 5th. We feel as though the families who did this within our faith formation community was an organic way for parents to personally reflect on the significance of these liturgies in support of their children's participation.
Point person(s): Mandy Westrich, Sherri Briand and Debbie Barry
Strategy 2: Offer presentations that will meet the diverse needs of families by June 1, 2021
Status: Complete.
Our parish staff and clergy are utilizing various programs in order to support the diverse needs of the families. These program include: Rite for Christian Initiation (RCIA), Children's Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, Parishioner Highlight Communications initiative, and the Parish Assistance Program through BayCare Behavioral Health.
RELEVANCY: Families of St. Catherine of Siena reflect the diversity of the world in which we live. Including, but not limited to, blended families, families of divorce, families with unique cultural traditions, families with members who have special needs/disabilities, widows/widowers, etc. SCOS families have expressed a desire to create family-based activities that are inclusive for all.
This type of effort is: Building on current efforts
The Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat event took place on October 26th at 5:30 pm. This new event featured carnival food, festival games, Haunted Hay Rides, a Not-So-Spooky Halloween Trail, and Trunk-or-Treating; this new parish family event has created a lot of buzz within our parish and local community. Our Facebook Event reached over 12,000 users and over 700 people have responded (either RSVP-ing as "Going" or "Interested"). We intentionally invited ministries to run carnival games as a way for them to organically promote their ministry to parishioners and non-parishioners who participate in the games. We planned to have enough food to accommodate the crowd who will walk over after 4:00 pm Saturday Vigil Mass. We extended the invitation of this event to the displaced members of Transfiguration Catholic Church as the following day was the first Spanish Mass. The event was a big success as it was well organized and was a joyful evening for all. About 400 people attended, making for a diverse group in both age and culture. Many parishioners as well as non-parishioners attended. Feedback was given in person as well as on our Facebook page that the event felt very welcoming.
Upon evaluating the event, it has been determined that next year we will change the time from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm to 5:00pm - 7:00 pm as the event is more ideal with the sun still out and right after the 4:00 pm Vigil Mass. Next year we will also seek to enhance how we are to market more to the middle aged and elderly demographic of our parish as this event easily appeals to young families.
Caroling for Cans happened on December 7th, promoted as a parish-wide event. Families in our programs were personally invited to this event, but it is also by flyer, over social media, website, and Mass slides.
Coffee with a Counselor took place on February 7th 2020, promoted as a parish-wide event. About 25 adults attended this presentation by Dolores Mortimor. The mental health professionals who hosted this event from the House of Mercy expressed they would like to do another Coffee with the Counselor in the future. Sherri who coordinated the event agreed with the presenters. We will plan to have one more of these events to educate families about common challenges people face regarding relationships and mental health.
Recruit six parishioners to witness their faith by July 1, 2021. Status: Complete. In July 2019, we highlighted 6 members who were involved in our RCIA programs, both candidates and sponsors, in a video witness about the RCIA program. This video, inviting others to attend the RCIA inquiry sessions, was shown at all weekend Masses and distributed on all social media channels. In September 2020, Megan Snow was highlighted in a video witness for her stewardship of time and talent as a way to promote our Faith, Hope, & Courage Offertory Recovery program. This video was shown at all masses as well as social media and email
Provide counseling opportunities through BayCare for 10-15 families by July 1, 2021. Status: Complete. Our parish has invested in a Parish Assistance Program through BayCare Behavioral Health, which our parishioners have been made aware of through the website, social media, bulletin, confessions, and word-of-mouth within our ministries. Through this program, parishioners are entitled to 3 free professional sessions to help them in mental health counseling with anxiety/depression, stress, relationship issues, family issues, grief/loss, and addictive behaviors. This has been promoted in our website and bulletin, so that parishioners can continue to utilize this important resource. It has been confirmed with our parish that over 15 individuals have utilized free counseling services through the Parish Assistance Program. BayCare Behavioral Health provided a Suicide Prevention presentation, happened on October 20th at 4 pm in the Family Life Center and was advertised to the rest of the diocese by the diocesan Office of Life, Justice, and Advocacy. Over 40 people attended both within the parish and in the local community.
Point person(s): Sandra Garcia-Olivares and Bethany Davis
Strategy 1: Provide ministry and services to the Spanish-speaking residents of our parish by July 1, 2020.
Status: Complete.
Our parish presently has a part-time priest, Fr. Jesús Martinez effective July 1st, 2019. We have Deacon Paco Martinez-Pacini assigned to our parish and serves various parish ministries and faith formation. Both Deacon Paco and Fr. Jesús have been collaborating in completing the milestones of these strategy milestones.
RELEVANCY: St. Catherine of Siena has an increasing population of Parishioners whose primary language is Spanish however there is currently no priest in residence who can preside at a mass in Spanish. As the Spanish population continues to grow within our parish boundaries, the need for a weekly mass, faith formation, sacramental preparation, sacraments, etc. in Spanish is evident.
This type of effort is: Brand new to us & a leap of faith
We are in partnership with: Holy Cross for this strategy
Point person(s): Deacon Paco
Strategy 2: Invite 750 current parishioners to invite a non-parishioner to attend a Mass or parish event by January 1, 2020.
Status: Complete, but we were unable to calculate how many parishioners invited someone. We will resume this initiative once COVID-19 Sunday dispensation is lifted.
Our Welcome Weekend took place on the weekend of February 29th - March 1st, 2020. The congregation at every Mass was encouraged and prepared to invite non-Catholics and/or non-practicing Catholics to events and opportunities of worship at the parish. In the months/weeks following, we will plan a follow up with the individuals who had been invited into various opportunities of parish involvement. As of March 8th, 2020 75 parishioners have signed the Ambassadors for Christ book, indicating they have invited someone to mass or parish event.
RELEVANCY: Our parish DMI survey indicated that 25% of survey respondents never invite someone to Mass.
This type of effort is: Brand new to us & a leap of faith
2 Corinthians 5:20 – “We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us”
Point person(s): Father Jack Marino and Nora Bourke
Strategy 3: Establish an additional 12-Step Program as a service to the Community by
January 1, 2020 July 2020.
RELEVANCY: There is a growing need of 12-Step programs in Pinellas County. We presently host weekly Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon meetings at St. Catherine of Siena Parish.
This type of effort is: Brand new for us
Point person(s): Monsignor Morris
Pinellas Hope began as temporary solution for homeless adults in response to St. Petersburg’s increasingly visible homeless population. Eleven years later, Pinellas Hope has expanded from a small tent shelter to a facility that includes over 160 tents, 72 “Hope Cottages” made from shipping containers, 10 of which are set aside for medical respite residents and 156 supportive apartments.
More about Pinellas Hope...The homeless resided in what was referred to as “tent city” and the mayor finally had ordered the police to slash the tents to put an end to the homeless camp. Formed as a partnership between Pinellas County, the city of St. Petersburg and Catholic Charities, Pinellas Hope was only a short term solution and was not to stay open more than 6 months. Bishop Emeritus Robert Lynch gave 10 acres of diocesan land to make this pilot project happen.
In addition to providing emergency shelter, Pinellas Hope provides case managements, substance abuse programs, transportation, continued education classes through Pinellas County Schools, laundry and shower facilities as well as three volunteer provided meals each day when able to do so. Since the opening of Pinellas Hope in December 2007, it has assisted more than 10,000 people with about 3,800 moving to stable housing. The next four phases of Pinellas Hope began in 2011 and was completed in 2016. Pinellas Hope II-V is a 156 until Permanent Supportive Housing Program for the homeless of which, thirty percent of these units are dedicated to veterans. This program is a natural progression for homeless to transition from the shelter to permanent housing.
Pinellas Hope continues to mission to provide a safe living environment for homeless individuals as well as provide support for them to gain a sense of self sufficiency.
Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, ministry to the residents of Pinellas Hope either paused completely or were significantly scaled back.
Education- each parish of the Southwest deanery will be provided an informational session of the mission for Pinellas Hope.
Serving – it is the conviction of the dean and pastors of the Southwest deanery that each parish should provide a meal once a quarter to Pinellas Hope.
Status: Complete.
St. Catherine of Siena, through the leadership of Sr. Kathleen Beatty SSJ who prepares and serves one meal per month to the residents of Pinellas Hope.
Financial - each year the Southwest deanery will support a capital project that has a lasting and sustainable impact to Pinellas Hope and its residents.
Spiritual – each parish of the Southwest deanery will support the spiritual life of Pinellas Hope residents by hosting weekly masses to shelter and housing residents. In addition the Southwest deanery will provide support and further religious education for residents of Pinellas Hope I & II who desire to become a member of the Catholic Church.
Status: In Progress.
Deacon John Ustick, a parishioner of our parish and deacon assigned to St. Cecelia parish, currently does all planning and implementing of the spiritual ministry and various community events for the residents of Pinellas Hope. As of September 2019, Deacon Ustick and Monsignor Morris are planning how to build the team to serve which will serve under Deacon Ustick's leadership. The team will build upon the ministry and events he has already begun in order strengthen our efforts of evangelization. St. Catherine of Siena purchased prayers cards of St. Benedict Joseph Labre, patron saint of the houseless. The prayer cards, to be distributed to those in need and already living at Pinellas Hope, includes the current prayer schedule for Deacon Ustick's ministry.
Counseling/Wellness – it is required by Pinellas Hope that Deacon John Ustick continues his service to our shelter and housing residents. It is encouraged for more volunteers serve as mentors, counselors, etc. to help encourage and support Pinellas Hope’s residents.
Status: In Progress.
Deacon John Ustick and Monsignor Morris are working on recruiting his team of volunteers and mentors.