It has been nearly six months since Bishop Gregory Parkes announced the mutually-shared vision of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Courageously Living the Gospel. Parish, schools and diocesan leaders have been learning about the priorities and goals of the vision and prayerfully discerning how they can contribute to the vision, renew their faith and boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Last Fall, over 500 leaders participated in training to deepen their understanding of the vision so that parishes and ministries can be fruitfully aligned.

Now this January, the Diocese of St. Petersburg is partnering with Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) to conduct additional training to help parishes create Parish Action Plans for three parish goals that are part of the vision (listed below). Pastors will be identifying parish leaders who should attend these optional training sessions.

• One hundred percent of parishes will establish and/or enhance youth ministry opportunities by July 1, 2020.
• Every parish will equip parishioners as Missionary Disciples who are inspired to invite and accompany others by Pentecost 2020.
• All parishes will enhance or establish family ministries to respond to the diverse needs of families by Pentecost 2020.

Also, this February, the Diocese of St. Petersburg is partnering with CLI to assist parishes that conducted the Disciple Maker Index to understand their survey results and compare them with diocesan and national results. This two-day training, that is required for DMI “Total Support” parishes, will also provide guidance for aligning survey results with the diocesan vision & goals and best practices for analyzing data to develop strategies for forming missionary disciples.

If you have questions about this process, please check with your pastor or click here.