St. Gaspar Family -Pastoral Priority Plan
In February of this year, our St. Gaspar Family of Parishes took a significant step forward in the Beacons of Light process by engaging in a transformative journey known as the “Next Generation Parish” initiative. Under the leadership of Fr. Tony Fortman, C.PP.S., this marked a significant step forward in our journey toward enhancing and revitalizing our parish community.
With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the expertise of the Catholic Leadership Institute, an Envisioning Team was formed including the Pastor, staff and parishioners. The members include Fr. Tony Fortman, Deacon Mike Prier, Joe Hurr (Business Mgr. for Precious Blood, St. Paul and St. Rita), parishioners: Mike Stoner (Emmanuel), Leslie Iannarino (Holy Trinity), Becky Chestnut (Precious Blood), Pete and Brenda Kosir, Ralph McEldowney (St. Joseph), Julie Borger (St. Paul), Joyce Bachmann (St. Rita).
Over the past 6-7 months, our team met to create a Pastoral Priority Plan to enhance what we do and reimagine the life of our family of parishes to grow together and thrive in the future. This process is now complete, and the next phase of this initiative will include a selected Implementation Team to move forward with the parish plan. We would like to present to you, the Pastoral Priority Plan. As an “envisioning” team our first task was to develop our own team values and ground rules before attempting the purpose, vision and values for our St. Gaspar Family. Our team values are Respect, Guidance, and Accountability.
The parish plan begins with our St. Gaspar Parish Family purpose, vision, and values.
Our Purpose
As a diverse, welcoming Catholic family rooted in the Precious Blood of Jesus, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we provide spiritual direction through God’s Word and His Sacraments to guide our community to live as disciples of Jesus, who share His love and Good News.
Our Vision
We will be a vibrant, worshipping, sacrificial Catholic family who loves God and sees dignity in all humanity. As we are fed by the Eucharist and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we will grow in our relationship with Jesus and serve those in our community.
Our Values
Faith
We are a people of faith responding to God’s gift by growing spiritually and living according to His Word.
Service
We are a people of action who teach and share our faith, assist those in need, and are present within our community.
Integrity
We realize our Catholic faith is to be lived in every aspect of our lives; therefore, we will always strive to act in concert with the principles of our faith.
Our Priorities and Goals
During the process of transition from the Envisioning to the Implementation Team, a few members of the Envisioning Team will also be included in the implementation process. The Pastoral Priority Plan developed by the Envisioning Team has four priorities, each with two goals, to be implemented over the next three years.
ENCOUNTER
Develop a plan for members of our St. Gaspar Family of Parishes to discover and embrace a lifelong, loving relationship with Jesus.
Goal: By encouraging our parishioners to make habits of daily prayer, scripture study, and Eucharistic adoration, Mass attendance will increase by 10% by Advent of 2027.
Goal: By Lent of 2026, we will introduce a plan that will empower our parishioners to be Christ-like with all whom they encounter.
UNITY
Foster a cohesive St. Gaspar Family of Parishes that welcomes all ages and stages of faith by extending grace and acceptance to all.
Goal: By July 2026, create a sense of belonging for all ages in a supportive, encouraging, and welcoming atmosphere by scheduling six faith and fellowship events, rotating locations throughout the year, utilizing all our family facilities.
Goal: By the end of November 2025, define and unify appropriate ministries to strengthen our Christian service and outreach to our St. Gaspar family and the community.
FAITH FORMATION AND EDUCATION
Provide pathways for all ages, youth to adult, to inform and educate about the Catholic faith to live our lives as disciples of Jesus.
Goal: By Advent of 2025, the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes will have a set of opportunities to facilitate lifelong faith formation and education that can be accessed by individuals, by small faith sharing groups, and by larger gatherings.
Goal: During Advent 2026, 50% of parishioners will participate in a challenge to contemplate their current level of engagement in personal faith practices and their relationship with God, leading to the setting of resolutions to deepen their faith lives.
COMMUNICATION
Goal: Have a communication loop, inclusive of information sharing with parishioners, and parishioners being able to give input to the St. Gaspar’s Leadership Team by July 1, 2025.
Goal: Formalize a person-to-person process for consoling the broken-hearted, and to welcome the estranged and the newcomer, by Advent 2026.
Pastoral Priority Plan Feedback
In February of this year, our St. Gaspar Family of Parishes took a significant step forward in the Beacons of Light process by engaging in a transformative journey known as “Next Generation Parish.” Under the leadership of Fr. Tony and with the invaluable support of the Catholic Leadership Institute, we formed an Envisioning Team with a representative from each of our six parishes. The team has worked diligently over the past several months to create a comprehensive Pastoral Priority Plan to guide our parish community into a vibrant and sustainable future. The Pastoral Priority Plan includes our family purpose, vision, and values, which we hope will inspire and unite us all as we move forward. The details of this plan were shared on September 14/15, 2024. This form has been created to allow parishioners to provide feedback about the Pastoral Priority Plan. The team and our Pastor, Fr. Tony Fortman C.PP.S, will receive the input.