Report to the Parish

from the Parish Council

Fiscal Year 1998

(July 1, 1997 – June 30, 1998)

St. Charles Borromeo Parish, in the Diocese of Arlington, is a community of people with various cultural backgrounds united as a family of faith empowered by Christ. We call on all to offer their unique gifts in building the Reign of God’s love, as we proclaim the Word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and promote education, hospitality, justice and service. -- Parish Mission Statement

[jump to a summary of FY 1998 developments]

Furthering the Parish Mission

Fiscal Year 1998 witnessed notable progress in furthering the mission of St. Charles Borromeo Parish. For example, we fostered a greater sense of community and hospitality through the development of neighborhoods bringing the church into local areas to welcome newcomers and to reach out to those in need. C’YA and Gathering prospered. Special events, such as the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass and Fiesta, the 75th anniversary of the school and Fr. Creedon’s 30th anniversary celebration, further united our diverse faith community.

With respect to social justice, we instituted an outreach program to senior parishioners through the highly successful “Seniors’ Teas with the Pastor” and focused increased attention on the needs of the homebound. We continued to advocate on behalf of justice issues in various fora. In Fiscal Year 1998, we stood with the residents of Arna Valley and Briarcliff Apartments where low-income housing was threatened. Borromeo Housing, Inc. developed plans to expand its services. We also broadened our tithing program and strengthened the bonds of friendship and understanding with our sister parishes in Haiti and the diocesan missions in the Dominican Republic.

In the area of Education, we expanded youth ministry through the On the WAY initiative and the continued growth of WAY. CAFE coordinated the production of two well-received parish reflection booklets and sponsored successful educational events, including the Come and See Retreat and a guest lecture on the Holy Spirit.

Our Stewardship Ministry oversaw the upgrading of all facilities, including new roofs for the Rectory and the church, and shepherded parish finances, which registered a six percent increase in income.

Strengthening Our Effectiveness

Underpinning these and other parish activities were systems designed to increase our effectiveness in carrying out the parish mission. First, we strengthened our parish organizational structure by: (a) organizing the 79 parish activities into six core ministries; (b) developing parish neighborhoods; and, (c) forming a parish council of elected representatives.

Second, we instituted a planning and budgeting process aimed at promoting coordination. As a result, the parish now publishes a monthly calendar of events and has an integrated Fiscal Year 1999 parish activities plan and corresponding budget—all designed with ministry, neighborhood and parish school input.

Paramount to the success of our work is the maintenance of clear and open communications with the parish community. To that end, in Fiscal Year 1998, we enhanced our parish outreach by initiating a “Parish Council News” column in the weekly bulletin and archiving agendas and minutes from parish council and pastoral team meetings in the Parish Library. We also mounted informational bulletin boards at the entrances of the church, launched a parish Internet web site (www.stcharleschurch.org) and installed a suggestion box in the church and ministry and neighborhood mailboxes in the Parish Office to encourage parishioner comment and feedback.

Formulating and Implementing Parish Goals

Furthermore, in January, Fr. Creedon and the parish council invited parishioners to list priority parish needs via a “New Year’s Resolution” flyer. Based on these responses, the parish council and the pastoral team formulated three overall parish goals. A progress report is presented in the table on the following page.

Parish Goal	Developments Recorded in Fiscal Year 1998
To strengthen the involvement of parish members through the welcoming and recruitment of volunteers.	Sponsored core ministry workshops to thank volunteers and discuss ways to strengthen each ministry. Mounted a bulletin board in the Parish Office to advertise volunteer opportunities. Sponsored a Volunteer Development Night (May 20) for parish ministry and neighborhood leaders to share techniques for recruiting, retaining and thanking volunteers. Participants also learned how to write job descriptions for volunteer positions and discussed ideas for a Parish Volunteer Fair. Scheduled a Parish Volunteer Fair for September 12-13, 1998, and identified a Coordinator for the event. Instituted a system to regularly advise the Parish Council Neighborhood Representatives when new parishioners have moved into their areas so that welcome visits can be arranged. Organized neighborhood-based activities coordinated by volunteers.
To consider the feasibility of a Parish Multi-Purpose Center.	Formed a Strategic Planning Committee to study the project. Elected a Committee Chair and Secretary who prepared a “Planning Document” that presented a four-phased approach to the project. The phases are: preparation, feasibility study, design and planning, and implementation. (Note: the third and fourth phases will only be necessary if it is determined to proceed). Revised the “Planning Document” based on Committee input. Assigned responsibilities to Committee members and initiated formation of sub-committees.
To reinvigorate the spiritual and liturgical programs in the St. Charles Parish Community.	Reviewed the current Mass schedule and distributed a parish-wide survey to determine the reasons why parishioners attend a particular mass. Scheduled special activities (RCIA, Liturgy of the Word with Children) and events (C’YA Family Liturgy) for Masses other than the 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. Scheduled a Parish Mission for October 25-28, 1998.

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Looking Ahead

Guided by our parish mission, we will build on the foundation laid in Fiscal Year 1998 and continue to advance plans and programs that respond to parishioners’ needs.

With respect to our ministries, we will further develop our core ministry structure, with particular emphasis on Hospitality, and strengthen Religious Education, through a Parish Mission and the addition of a Minister of Religious Education/Youth Minister and two seminarians to work with adults and youth.

In our parish neighborhoods, we will foster the growth of neighborhood-based activities within the HOME (Hospitality, Outreach, Meditation/Prayer/Liturgy and Education) framework. We also will follow-up on the Latin American Community’s outreach project to Neighborhood A with an eye toward identifying potential nominees to represent that area on the Parish Council.

At the heart of all our efforts is the active participation of our parishioners. We will broaden volunteer development by establishing an inventory of parishioners’ gifts and needs. We will continue to promote a sense of welcome and a spirit of openness in our parish. In this regard, we will hold a Parish Town Hall on the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo (November 4), to encourage dialogue between parishioners, clergy, parish council and pastoral team on the past and future of our parish.

It has been our privilege to serve the people of St. Charles over the past year. We ask for your continued prayers and look forward to your ideas as we work together to live out the mission of Christ in our community.

Fr. Gerry Creedon

Mark Alves	Monica Craven	Mike Grady	Maggie Jones	Naomi Klaus	John Teem
Bill Coen	Gilda Ferer	Carolyn M. Gretzinger	Phil Kiko	Natalie Le	Regina Trodden

(Note: This report is submitted on behalf of the Parish Council by Carolyn Gretzinger).