July 2020
Area Catholic Communities

Pastoral Plans
There are 10 plans up on the diocesan website as of July 8. Keep them coming in! If you are interested in seeing what others are doing, go take a look at the diocesan planning website. If your plan has very little revision, please send it in and we will put yours up as well. Having the plans online serves several purposes: accountability, sharing with others your goals, transparency, and communication.

Joint Bulletins
Here are some examples of joint bulletins from:

July Mass Counts
Twice a year, in July and October, the Diocese of Saint Cloud requests parish Mass counts from parishes in the Diocese. This year is no exception even with the unusual circumstances. We are also including a live streaming option; however, that will not be part of the official counts. We want to know who is live streaming and the numbers we are getting for our live streaming experiences. The numbers supplied this year will give us vital information as to how people are responding to our current situation.
Open Wide the Doors to Christ
Mark Mogilka (the keynoter for the clergy conference in 2018) and Marti R. Jewell have recently published the results of a study they were working on regarding parish vitality. This study names eight factors for parish vitality. You may find these results interesting especially if you have goals in the area of welcoming community, young adults, and communication.
As you know, Bishop Don Kettler turned 75 in November of 2019. He submitted his letter, to Pope Francis, to request retirement. Please help us pray for God's guidance as the pope discerns a new shepherd for the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Here is our prayer to receive a new bishop.
Brenda Kresky | Director of Pastoral Planning | 214 3rd Ave S. St. Cloud, MN 56301
320-529-4611 | bkresky@gw.stcdio.org | www.stcdio.org/planning