The People of God of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Flaherty, Kentucky, do hereby unite to form a Parish Council according to the spirit of Vatican II, recognizing and affirming our communion with the Vicar of Christ, Our Holy Father, the Archbishop of our Archdiocese and his representative, our Pastor:
to assure the teaching and the living of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to work together in the building up of the local Body of Christ
to provide channels of communication between clergy, religious, laity, the Christian and secular community
to engage in continuing apostolic formation of our extended parish family
to study the needs of the Christian and the secular community and to work toward discovering and providing the resources to meet these needs
to provide greater effectiveness in the management of the life of the parish
to assist the clergy, religious and laity more closely in the saving mission of Christ
to join in prayer relying on the power of God at work in the parish.
To ensure that worship experiences, nourish the spirit, and encourage full active participation of the assembly
Preserve the program offering several varied groups providing a variety of music in the liturgy
ACTION STEPS
Upgrade or replace the music equipment
ACTION STEPS
Purchase a new sound system for the liturgical music during the 2003-2004 budget year.
Purchase a better piano (keyboard) in the 2004-2005 budget year.
Preserve existing programs that prepare parishioners to participate in liturgical celebrations.
ACTION STEPS
Create the proper environment for worship.
Continue to recruit and train lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers.
Plan liturgical celebrations to meet spiritual needs of parishioners.
ACTION STEPS
Review the missalette selection every four years and adopt a new one if the need exists.
Review the hymnal selection every years and adopt a new one if the need exists.
Periodically offer a children's Mass or a teen Mass with appropriate homily.
To be a faith community who is receptive and hospitable to all.
Encourage fellowship among our parish community.
ACTION STEPS
Continue the monthly coffee and doughnut Sunday.
Develop a monthly activity for the Saturday evening and Sunday late mass such as serving a soup, hotdog bar, ice cream social, or pizza.
Have a summer pot luck picnic at the parish pavilion.
Welcome new members to the parish as well as make current members feel more comfortable with our church community.
ACTION STEPS
Maintain and use the time and talent file for each member of the parish to identify new, willing and able people to participate in coordinating different activities.
Make a special effort to ask new people to help with simple activities so as to get new participation, but not to overwhelm them.
Experiment with a name tag Sunday, to make it easier to approach different people.
Enhance the pride one feels when belonging to a close church community.
ACTION STEPS
Schedule a new church directory to be done as well as committing to a regularly scheduled update such as every 3-5 years.
Encourage families to adopt an area of the church grounds to maintain. Any family wishing to participate would have the opportunity even if the church helped finance parts of the small projects.
To provide opportunities for faith formation & religious education at all levels of development inclusive of doctrine, worship, community experience, and service.
Ensure that St. Martin of Tours Religious Education program, pre-school through high school, provides solid faith formation in our Catholic tradition.
ACTION STEPS
Retain a qualified Director of Religious Education to plan and implement a parish program in accordance with the archdiocesan policies and guidelines.
Continue to provide funds and opportunities for local and regional in-service workshops and courses leading to the associate, advanced, and master level Archdiocesan Certificates of Catechesis.
Develop Family Programs for parents with their children to celebrate the liturgical seasons through prayer, scripture, and activities on the church grounds.
Provide hands on opportunities for junior high and high school students to practice works of mercy along with their studies.
Explore the possibility of supporting area catholic schools.
Ensure that the Rite of Christian Initiation program provides the opportunity for both children and adults to learn about and to join the Catholic Church.
ACTION STEP
Invite catechumens and candidates through personal and bulletin invitations.
Retain qualified coordinators and catechists to implement the RCIA program following archdiocesan guidelines.
Develop a Hospitality Committee to welcome, affirm, and encourage persons who are interested in learning more about the Catholic Church.
Develop a Sponsor/Companion training program for practicing Catholics to serve as mentors for catechumens and candidates.
Expand adult formation opportunities to provide a variety of approaches to adult learning.
ACTION STEP
Provide the opportunity for small group experiences to all adult age groups throughout the year.
Annually offer a series of classes on the teachings of the church.
Survey adult members of the parish regarding their areas of interest in formation and their commitment as determined by the Adult Faith Formation Team.
Continue St. Martins representation on, and cooperation with the Aging Network for the Rural Area which provides speakers and workshops for senior citizens and caretakers of the elderly.
Provide the opportunity for a Mens Retreat similar to a parish renewal, and facilitated by a spiritual leader from Louisville.
Expand and diversify High School Youth Ministry to entice more student participation.
ACTION STEPS
Increase participation of active youth and continue to grow in numbers.
Encourage more young adults to assist/participate in the youth ministry program.
Continue youth attendance at the National Catholic Youth Conference held every other year.
Expand Ecumenism with other churches in the area.
ACTION STEPS
Participate in activities with other churches in the area to increase knowledge of, and respect for, different religious beliefs.
Offer an outreach program such as a prayer service.
Provide the opportunity for non-Catholics to join our small faith groups.
To develop organizational structures which facilitate the works and ministries of the parish.
Form a Building Committee.
ACTION STEPS
Select committee members who have expertise in planning and design.
Select committee members who are experienced in some of the construction trades.
Renovate the Gymnasium and Parish Hall.
ACTION STEPS
Have the building committee meet and inspect the Gymnasium and Parish Hall.
The building committee will develop a list of possible uses for the Gymnasium and Parish Hall.
The building committee will develop a list of renovation options.
The renovation options will be presented to the Parish Council.
Finance the building renovations.
ACTION STEPS
Form a committee of people who have expertise in finance and/or banking.
Consider possible finance options.
Consider hiring a financial consultant.
Establish a long term plan for financing building maintenance.
Maintain other buildings and grounds.
ACTION STEPS
Have a committee inspect buildings and grounds.
Plant trees and shrubs.
Maintain the cemetery.
Maintain the parking lots.
To address needs in the local community and world.
Appoint a committee head to oversee social concerns.
ACTION STEPS
Develop an agenda that gives the committee chair the responsibilities and goals of the committee.
Give the chair an initial budget to get started and to be evaluated the following fiscal budget year.
Consolidate the social concerns activities currently being done under the coordination of the social concerns chairperson.
ACTION STEPS
Offer what ever help needed to individuals who take care of funeral dinners. Allow them the opportunity to use the social concerns committee as a tool to help facilitate dinner preparations by using the time and talents files to find new people to help.
Notify individuals who take care of programs such as toy drives and food collections that they can use the social concerns committee to help facilitate their programs without feeling that they are being replaced.
Make the parish aware of the new chairpersons availability to help with any other community program.
Develop new social programs for the church community.
ACTION STEPS
Sponsor several senior citizen parties a year.
Create a videotape with older members of the parish sharing stories about their faith and church in their life for the benefit of current and future generations.
Develop a church website for the benefit of our parish and especially for the youth.
Create a call check to check on older people in the parish who live alone. This is for safety reasons and to simply give a call to someone who may feel alone and detached from the church and or the community.