Parish Reflection Day – Results for St. John/Holy Cross

DISCIPLES IN MISSION

THE PARISH EVANGELIZING PROFILE FOR GOAL I OF GO
AND MAKE DISCIPLES IN YEAR I, GOAL II IN YEAR II , AND
 GOAL III IN YEAR III

GOAL I: To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their
faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.

1. What does Goal I mean to our parishioners?

Responses to this question are categorized into four headings and presented in order of
descending appearance.  Results show that:

• 30% of respondents indicated that Goal 1 means, in general, evangelize through
  personal relationships;
• 30% of respondents viewed Goal 1 as meaning Faith Sharing;
• 20% of responses felt Goal 1 meant evangelizing through Spiritual awareness/prayer; and
• 20% of responses found that Goal 1 referred to demonstrating faith by actions.  

Responses included both individual and group activities/suggestions.  The themes and specific
comments are captured below:

I. Theme: Strengthen faith through personal relationships – 3 responses
Smile at people – send welcoming signals 
Gravitate towards others with same values
Support system of family and beyond family to faith community

II. Theme: Faith Sharing – 3 responses
Witnessing
Speaking/sharing freely
Use every moment that you can as an opportunity to evangelize

III.  Theme: Faith via Spiritual awareness - 2 responses
Holy Spirit is working in our lives  
Remember Jesus in everywhere you go and in everything you do 

IV. Theme: Demonstrate faith by example – 2 responses
Live by example – actions as witness instead of words as witness.
Show enthusiasm for service - soup kitchen, food cupboard, distribute
communion, volunteer.

2. What do you think are the most effective ways that our parish
is achieving this goal right now?

Responses to this question are grouped into two categories and presented in order of
descending appearance. Responses indicate that the parish is most effective (currently)
in accomplishing Goal 1 via Community Service and Ministries, with nearly 78% of
responses indicating that this method is the way that the parish is achieving this goal right now.

The themes and specific comments are grouped and captured below:

I. Theme: Community/Ministries – 7 responses
Social activities like dinners, gatherings of Parish community, etc.
Introduce yourself to people you don’t know
Greeters before Mass
Show hospitality
Service/Ministries – Eucharist ministers, various groups
Getting people involved
Effective use of commissions within the church

II. Theme: Sacraments/Prayer – 2 responses
Prayer in our community
Rosary

3, On a scale of 1-7, to what degree do you think our parish is
achieving Goal I ?

NOT AT ALL             PARTIALLY                         COMPLETELY
   1          2               3                4             5                  6          7

Of those response sheets that provided an answer to this question, the average
 score was 4.625, which indicates that Saint John’s/Holy Cross is partially meeting Goal 1.  

Consider this when evaluating responses to Question 2 (e.g., while 78% indicated that St. John’s
and Holy Cross are currently achieving Goal 1 most effectively through Community and Ministry
Opportunities;  respondents felt that the Parishes were only  partially meeting Goal 1.

4. Which two objectives would your group like to see us work on as a
parish so that we could become even more renewed in Christ?

Four objectives were identified (with equal weighting) and include the following:  

• Work on fostering appreciation of cultural and spiritual diversity
• Develop spirituality for the workplace
• Continue small group experiences – consider evening meetings
• Install a renewed understanding of the Catholic faith

5. Suggest one or two specific ways to accomplish each objective that
your group selected.

Five specific recommendations were made in the suggestions that participants made to “become
even more renewed in Christ”.  Consider that this roll-up shows that St. John’s and Holy Cross
are partially meeting Goal 1 based on Community/Ministry and Faith Sharing (see Question 2).
Discussion regarding best next steps could result in any of the equally weighted recommendations
noted below. 

Themes/suggestions noted are as follows: 

• Develop outreach programs to share with Jewish brethren so that we can achieve better
  understanding.
• Be a good example of our common heritage.
• Share discussions of experiences in the workplace related to faith sharing.
• Hold two sessions of 6 weeks each of small group gatherings, like DIM, in Spring and Fall
  – or Advent and Lent .
• In order to instill a renewed understanding, have Father Mike do a retreat for the Parish

Note: Specific methods were not necessarily tied to corresponding objectives noted in
question 4; therefore, it is impossible to suggest that a particular “specific way” (noted
below) is applicable to a particular objective.  It is more accurate to interpret the responses
to this question in a general manner and consider that the primary objective is to “become
even more renewed in Christ.”