I am writing to announce the formation of a Master Planning Committee for the entire parish campus.  Its purpose is to oversee a consultative process that will result in a 3, 5, 10 and 20-year facility plan for the campus of St. John Parish.  The need for such a plan was made clear by the feasibility study conducted last spring, which suggested a more in depth and comprehensive look at the needs of all parish facilities and activities.

Such an inclusive and all encompassing scope was not a part of our church renovation project.  I want to acknowledge the efforts of our former Building Committee.  The Pastoral Council gave them the task of developing design plans for the renovation of our worship area.  They worked long and hard to do just that.  During the consultation phase, the discernment process I had put in place was not fully understood by all, and was, in fact, probably flawed.  This resulted in some misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and the stretching and tearing of the fabric of our community.   While the end result was not what I had anticipated nor wanted, there were positives that resulted from the experience.  Interest and commitment to the total capital needs of the entire parish campus increased.  I also recognized that a more inclusive and communicative approach needed to be taken, and that there were resources within our parish community that I could rely on for help.  I apologize for my own shortcomings in how the prior process was led, and at the same time ask for your prayerful support of our Master Planning Committee going forward with this new process.

The new process that will guide the facility plan is as important as the end product itself.  First, the process will be rooted in our parish goals.  These broad directional statements were first articulated by the parish Pastoral Council of 1995 and reaffirmed by the Pastoral Council of 2000. This new committee will use the parish goals in determining criteria by which to prioritize the many capital projects we anticipate surfacing.  This will be a difficult task.  Our master plan will be based upon our parish  goals of:

• Celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist;
• Ongoing Faith Development for all People of all Ages and Life Situations;
• Performance of Good Works;
• Responsible Stewardship of our Resources.

Second, the Master Planning process will be inclusive and representative of all parish needs, uses and wants.  The Master Planning Committee is composed of representatives of every commission and council within the Parish Consultative Bodies.  We will have a formal communication plan to keep you abreast of our progress and to seek your advice.

On March 21, during our Sunday Eucharist, we will have a blessing of all the Master Planning Committee members who will be stewarding this process forward.  I invite you to be a part of this new process and to ask God’s blessing as we begin.  The needs, wants, and desires of all commissions and councils will be considered as we formulate a master plan that supports our overall St. John Parish mission.  The Eucharistic Prayer we pray at Mass during this Lenten season expresses my hopes.  “Help us work together.”  “Make us one body, healed of all division.”  In my view, this process is more important than the list of projects we may eventually undertake.

Sincerely,