Message from Bishop Gregory Parkes:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Introducing Courageously Living the Gospel as our vision has brought new life and hope to our Diocese. We introduced it during our 50th anniversary and it has been well received. It has given us a renewed sense of purpose and a renewed sense of mission.
Right now, we are in the process of bringing that vision to life and our parishes are breathing life into the vision. Our parishes are making it happen by developing a parish pastoral plan in union with Courageously Living the Gospel.
I thank all of our priests, deacons, religious and parish leaders who have given so generously of their time to make this first year a time of excitement, hope and most of all, joy!
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Bishop Gregory Parkes
Partnering with Parishes
The Diocese of St. Petersburg partnered with Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) to conduct training to help parishes understand the vision. We have provided guidance on the process for creating Parish Action Plans that are aligned to Courageously Living the Gospel.
Last Fall and Winter, over 500 leaders participated in training to deepen their understanding of the vision and prayerfully discern how they can contribute to the vision, renew their faith and boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Maria Flores of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Wimauma attended the training with her pastor, Father Gilberto Quintero and 10 other parish leaders.
“I am so grateful to our diocese and our bishop for being supportive and open-minded to our community. As we prepare for the vision, we see lots of great ideas for growth,” said Flores.
We are also providing resources for Parish Action Plans available at this link: www.dosp.org/courageouslyliving/parish-action-plan-support.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact any of the following:
Youth Ministry, Melissa Mulson, 727-344-1611 x 5305 or mmulson@dosp.org.
Evangelization/Missionary Disciples, Brian Lemoi bal@dosp.org or 727-341-6849
Family Ministries, Diane Kledzik, dmk@dosp.org or 727-341-6839