(How we give flesh to our Vision, high level strategy for multiple years)

Our Strategic Goals are what we are aiming for in the next 2,5,10 years. They speak to our desired results for our whole Strategic Planning process. In our stated Goals we also identify the means we are going to use to accomplish our desired results. I’m going to address our Second Goal and its means first. #2 GOAL1 – To create a Sustainable Church – What does “sustainable” mean? According to Webster it means “ being able to maintain something at a certain level” and/or “being able to defend or uphold a particular interest”. Thus to uphold and sustain our Parish and Oratory we have to have strong internal structures that allow us to be effective and efficient. We need to have a sound financial basis through which we maintain our campuses. We  need trained and capable leadership who are committed to proclaiming and living the Gospel. It means we have various up-to-date methods of communication that keep us all connected and informed. This is why the Work Groups on Facilities, Finances, Communication, Leadership and Staffing have been working for months to research Best Practices in all of these areas and what practices might work best for us. Following our Discernment process, we will start implementing the recommendations that will best serve us in becoming a Sustainable Church.

Goal #1-To create a Vibrant Church– What does “Vibrant” really mean? According to www.vocabulary.com “vibrant” means “full of energy and enthusiasm, full of spirit”! And isn’t that the kind of Church we want to be? We want to live out the example of the apostles and disciples at Pentecost who changed the world with their passionate commitment to the Good News of Jesus Christ! Thus the Work Groups on Liturgy & Worship, Faith Formation & Spiritual Development are researching current practices to strengthen and build on the programs we already have in forming disciples. Parish Council and Ministries of Charity are looking at ways to engage our parishioners and potential parishioners in a deeper way. We will continue to serve our neighbors in multiple ways through our Ministries of Charity and hopefully find new ways to coordinate our efforts with the many other organizations in our area so that we are all Stronger and more Vibrant together. Our Strategic Goals are intended to make real our Vision for 2029. We are striving to live out our Baptismal call to Discipleship in ever more meaningful ways.  We are working and will continue to work toward being a more Sustainable and Vibrant Faith Community. Thank you all for your commitment to these Strategic Goals!

 

Please find a statement from Fr. Gurnick regarding the ongoing strategic planning process at St. Malachi Parish and it’s future implications for St. Patrick Parish.   Please click on this link to read the statement.  St-Malachi-Letter-to-Parishioners-7-14-2023-5-21-33.pdf    This will be followed by a listening session at St. Malachi Parish after all masses this weekend (July 15-16). After reading the letter, comments and concerns may be sent to parishcollaboration44113@gmail.com . No replies will be issued at this time, but all messages will be included for review by Father Gurnick and those assisting him.

Parishioners, members of staff, and representatives from Malachi Center and Stella Maris met to discuss ideas for optimizing use of our property as we move forward with right-sizing our campus.  An excellent discussion included dreams, concerns, and practical elements to this partnership planning.

Two concrete steps have been determined as worth pursuing. First, Malachi Center will work with the Diocese to determine, once and for all, ownership of the Center’s building and the parcel it is on.  This will help the Center in determining their next steps for strategic planning.  The second concrete step is for Saint Malachi Parish and Stella Maris to pursue terms of agreement for the rectory building.  In the meanwhile, the committee will be evaluating potential (if even temporary) placement for the parish office during this time of transition, as needed.

 

103 parishioners attended the Options for Our Future sessions on Dec 3^rd & 4^th; thank you!!! The Options for Our Future were developed in the strategic planning process over the past several months based on input from parishioners.   The slides are here: slides;  The recording of the session is here:   YouTube Options for Our Future;  A one-page summary of the process is here:  Summary & Next Steps. We ask that parishioners prayerfully reflect on these Options and complete this survey by 1/1/2023: Parishioner Survey.Please continue to share your thoughts, questions, and prayers for our future.  Judy Slivka Council Chair@stmalachi.org

 

For the next two months we will be focusing on  the Four Options that were developed from Parish Discussions, Surveys, and Interviews with various stakeholders and organizations in the area.

The Four Options:

1. Remain open and address areas of concern (aging parishioners, aging property, outreach to youth, etc.)

2. Merge with another parish (Suburban or Urban) that has a similar mission

3. Become a “Mission” or “Oratory” Church (focus on ministries, fewer liturgies).

4. Affiliate our parish with a Religious Order for staffing (still be responsible for ourselves financially) Each of these options has variations that the Option Teams will discuss over the next seven weeks.  Please save the weekend of 12/3 and 12/4 to attend presentations after each Liturgy by the Option Teams to learn all of the details. After these presentations, Parish Council will move into a period of discernment as to what direction we will take. Their recommendation will be submitted to the Bishop for his approval. Once approved, implementation will begin.

 

The next phase of our work will involve the Steering Committee (SC) and the Strategic Planning Work Group (SPWG) doing interviews with various people and organizations that have or have had connections with St. Malachi’s over the years. Along with the surveys and information parishioners are giving us in various ways, we want to understand our broader relationships in the Cleveland community and learn from them.  The SC and SPWG will spend most of September compiling and digesting all of this material. We will then present the Main Options to be explored to Parish Council in early October. These are very “key” steps in this process and we want to give these steps the time needed to produce a quality outcome. The Options will be shared with the Parish in Mid October – Stay Tuned!

While the SC and SPWG are doing the above work, we are also asking that PARISHIONERS STEP FORWARD to join an Option Team. Each Option Team will take a “deep dive “ into a particular option to discern its pros and cons beginning in mid-October. The Training Session to be on an Option Team is Saturday, October 15, 9AM-3:30PM. PLEASE contact a member of the Steering Committee below to volunteer for an Option Team. We need everyone’s help to create our BEST FUTURE! Thank you all! The Steering Committee (Jim Connell, Cathy Graham, Joe Nagel, Therese Mullen and Pat Masterson, Tim Needles).