That's the name of the latest long-range plan for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It will be the subject of staff meetings the next three evenings before Archbishop Dolan decides whether or not to approve it. (see
Regional meeting details finalized ) Since he asked not for alternatives but for a single recommendation, I'm assuming he'll agree to it.
Here are the full
Final Observations and General Recommendations. There's a shorter version with the
Final Recommendations Only.
If you read them, you might be the second after me, judging by the Recommendation on "Renewing our Archdiocesan Commitment to Protect All God’s Children" (plan
page 16, recommendations
page 5).
We must never waiver in our commitment to protect children and ensure a safe environment in our parishes, schools, central offices and agencies; and to help victim/survivors of sexual abuse by clergy.
That after almost six months no one's read the document closely enough to catch this indicates there's a good chance the plan document will be another credenza-stuffer.
Our Archdiocesan Vicar of Planning has provided an Executive Summary in the form of his June 13, 2008 cover
Letter to Archbishop Dolan. It lists the eleven "cornerstone recommendations". I don't see any for which it couldn't be claimed "we're already doing that." Since that full plan doesn't do much in suggesting "best practices" or in setting objective and verifiable goals, it looks like more of the same. Much, much more. For example,
4. Provide for ongoing pastoral planning at the archdiocesan, district and cluster levels. Such planning should integrate the wisdom of priests, deacons, women and men religious, lay ecclesial ministers and other parish personnel (e.g., parish directors, pastoral associates, directors of religious education, Catholic school principals, youth ministers, liturgical ministers, parish nurses, parish business managers), and parish lay leadership (e.g., parish council members, and committee heads). The district deans, the members of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, and central offices personnel can facilitate this effort. This planning process should provide opportunities for all of these persons to participate in inter-discipline discussions that lead to establishing short-term goals that, once accomplished, will enrich the faith of the people, especially in light of the declining number of priests in active ministry. Moreover, this planning process should provide worthwhile input to the archdiocesan working ministerial commissions, thus providing necessary linkage to the recently restructured archdiocesan central offices.
P.S. If you decide to read the
full plan, Here's an outline. The plan is organized generally under Archbishop Dolan's six priorites, to which I've added the bracketed Roman numerals. The observations are in numbered paragraphs, followed from time to time by recommendations. I've added bracketed references to the observations included under each priority, and page references.
To: Archbishop Dolan June 13, 2008, p. 1
[I] Seek ye first the kingdom of God [1-10] pp. 2-4
[II] Strengthen Our Parishes [11-15] pp. 4-6
[III} Foster a Sense of Vocation in the Church [16-35] pp.7-12
[IV] Strengthen Catholic Education and Faith Formation [36-42] pp. 12-15
[V] Emphasize Our Mission of Justice and Charity [43-49] pp. 15-16
[VI] Cultivate Good Stewardship [50-63] pp. 18-22
Conclusion [64-68] pp. 21-22
Recommendations Regarding Archdiocesan Offices and Services [69-73] pp. 22-23
P.P.S. Aquinas commented on why so much time is spent planning the work rather than working the plan. "Sorry. We just 'vision.' ... We're prophets, not drones." This suggests to me the plan would have been more descriptively titled "The Prophet And Loss Statement".