TRANSFIGURATION PRESENTS PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE DIOCESE FOR FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION

All of the parishes of the diocese, including Transfiguration, have been working to determine the best ways to serve our communities with our available material and human resources as demographics change, populations shift, and the number of diocesan priests available for ministry continues to decline.

Representatives from our parish planning team met several times early in the year under the guidance of Father Richard Lodge and our parish chairperson, Fred Tomaszewicz, to review our parish data and to review data from other parishes within our deanery. The members of the parish planning team were:   Frances Hansen, CJ Kennedy, Irene Paxson, Ken Figgs, Brian Kownacky, Bernadette Smutko, Phil Hagerty, Pattie O'Brien, John Lack, Fred Wawrzyniak and Jan Leonetti.

Under the leadership of Father George Seiter, the Dean for our area of the diocese, and with a trained facilitator, Rod Herrera, our pastor and chairperson, along with representatives from our parish planning teams, met several times with representatives from the other parishes in our region for Regional Meetings to begin to formulate planning recommendations for our region. Our planning partners are:   Region 3: St. John, Collingswood, St. Aloysius, Oaklyn, Transfiguration, West Collingswood and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Woodlynne. Region 4: St. Veronica, Delair, St. Peter, Merchantville, St. Cecilia & St. Stephen, Pennsauken. Region 5: Holy Maternity, Audubon, Annunciation, Bellmawr, St. Maurice, Brooklawn, St. Mary, Gloucester, Sacred Heart, Mt. Ephraim and St. Anne, Westville.

At these Regional Meetings, the planning representatives considered various models for parish configuration that would strengthen parish life within our region.  Full descriptions of each of these models for configuration have been published in past issues of the Catholic Star Herald and can be found at www.GatheringGodsGifts.org.

Meetings were held this spring at the Deanery level with representatives from the region.  At these meetings, planning recommendations were formulated for all the planning partners in the deanery.  These deanery recommendations, which were submitted to the diocese by May 15, will be reviewed and evaluated during the summer months by Bishop Galante with the Diocesan Planning Commission.  In the fall, Bishop Galante will visit each deanery representative group to give feedback and pose questions.

Following Bishop's visit, the planning representatives in deaneries will have the opportunity to fine tune or adapt their planning recommendations.  During December and January, Bishop Galante with his advisors will review the final draft of recommendations submitted by each deanery.   It is expected that Bishop Galante will announce the diocesan plan in February 2008.

PARISH PLANNING RECOMMENDATION

The Pastoral Planning process of the Diocese of Camden, Gathering God's Gifts, has as its major work the revitalization of parish life.  In order to move toward our diocesan pastoral goals for parish vibrancy, the following model of parish configuration is being recommended to Bishop Galante:

• Merger Model: Plan A
  St. John's recommended our parish be merged with St. John's and St. Aloysius to form one parish and have one pastor.
• Merger Model: Plan B
  Transfiguration and St. Aloysius recommended that our two parishes merge with one pastor and St. John remain alone with one pastor.

In addition to the recommended reconfiguration model noted above, the planning process has been addressing the number of priests available for ministry, the ministries needed for vibrant parish life, financial feasibility, and facilities.  These factors are contingent on the acceptance of the model of configuration being recommended.  For additional detail on our planning recommendations, see our parish website at www.transfigurationparish.org.

As we complete Phase II of "Gathering God's Gifts" and enter Phase III (see www.GatheringGodsGifts.org for a complete timeline), we thank all of the clergy, religious, and lay men and women who have collaborated so faithfully in this process and who have brought their gifts to the service of our Church.  We ask you to continue to pray daily for the success of this process that, with God's grace, it will help us grow into the dynamic communities of faith, hope and love that we strive to be.