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Anyone who has read anything about Beacons of Light, viewed any of the videos, or attended a Beacons of Light meeting or webinar knows how important it is to keep coming back to “WHY” we have entered into this pastoral planning process. Why are we changing the composition of parishes, intentionally forming leaders, listening to one another, and discerning the future of our parishes at this time? Put succinctly, we must fashion parish life to fulfill Christ’s great commission – to lead one another more deeply to Jesus and share the Good News of Christ throughout the 19 counties that comprise the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. This was, is, and will be an ongoing call. We will never be finished forming disciples, and our parishes will never completely fulfill Christ’s call to evangelize. Yet, we must strive to do what we can do to respond to this call in our time and place.
As is noted in the Parish Vitality Report, vital parishes are spiritually, physically, and financially healthy. They are filled with life that is evangelizing and that order their resources toward Christ’s mission so that they will be full, joy filled, centered on the Eucharist, nurturing an ever-closer relationship with Jesus, and spreading the love of the Lord through charitable outreach. It takes all of us to do this. In our first “Pathway Checkins” taking place this spring with Family Leadership Teams, it’s been great to hear stories of this work taking shape and how Beacons of Light is helping to strengthen our parishes to be more effective in making disciples. (If we haven’t scheduled a Pathway Checkin with your Family Leadership Team yet, we’d love to hear from the pastor or pathway lead soon!)
As stated in the Vatican Instruction on the pastoral conversion of the parish, “It does not pertain to the clergy alone, therefore, to carry out the transformation inspired by the Holy Spirit, since this involves the entire People of God.” (37) Thank YOU for your good work in leading our Families of Parishes towards this more vital life of radiating the love of Christ to our neighborhoods, co-workers, families, and everyone! Just a note that we will NOT have an April digest email like this. We’ll stay in touch relative to specific topics between now and mid-May but knowing how busy the end of Lent and Triduum is, we’ll try to stay out of your inboxes during those weeks. Nonetheless, please know that we are here to support you in any way that we can. Thanks again! |
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Year of Mission: Put Love in Action |
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In the Beacons of Light process, all of the faithful are called to be Love in Action. With Love in Action, families of parishes will be communities of charity and justice, serving those most in need and working to change systems that oppress and marginalize.
Plan to participate in Building Communities of Salt & Light and highlight opportunities for parishioners to engage in charitable and justice programs in a Ministry Fair this year as an extension of the Year of Mission. |
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Encourage parishioners to complete the Parish Vitality Survey before March 31. Every Family with responses will receive a report of their parishioners' input and feedback.
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The 2025 Parish Vitality Report offers insights into progress toward the goals of greater vitality and mission-driven life in Families of Parishes. We encourage you to read the report in its entirety and respond to the Parish Vitality Survey.
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| 2025 PARISH VITALITY REPORT |
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Beacons of Light has at its foundation six guiding principles that, when lived fully in Families of Parishes, will lead to vital, mission-focused evangelizing communities of faith.
This month, we spotlight the Church principle. Whether you have been involved as a parish leader since before the implementation of Beacons of Light or are new to parish leadership, it will be beneficial to renew your familiarity with the principle, its goals and vision for the future. |
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Each of us is called to actively participate as a member of a parish, the Universal Church and our local Church, led by our archbishop. Parishes continually deepen the bond of communion with other parishes. |
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"This call is based upon a shared baptismal identity. It is rooted in the diversity of contexts in which the Church is present and finds unity in the one Father, one Lord, and one Spirit. It challenges all the baptised, without exception: “The whole People of God is an agent of the proclamation of the Gospel. Every baptised person is called to be a protagonist of mission since we are all missionary disciples” |
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- For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission, 4 |
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A strong and highly coherent, effective team is essential for making your Family of Parishes truly vital and growing. Now that your Family has a Vision, the Culture Definition Retreat will enhance the effectiveness of your leadership teams through prayer, worship, and discussions on discipleship. This two-day, overnight event involves 3-5 Family Leadership Teams who will reflect on their current ecclesial culture. Facilitators will help define core leadership values to support a culture of discipleship, which will be integrated into various leadership practices. The Center for Parish Vitality sponsors up to eight team members from each Family of Parishes at no cost. Interested teams should contact us to determine readiness for this step in the Beacons of Light transformation. |
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Bits and Bytes |
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Thousands of people gathered on the First Sunday of Lent to celebrate God's call of these catechumens (now called "elect") and candidates to the Paschal Sacraments. Thanks to all parish leaders who have accompanied them on their faith journey thus far. You can see the names of our elect and candidates on the website and learn more about the ritual itself.. Read More > |
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What is synodality? Orientated towards mission, synodality involves gathering at all levels of the Church for mutual listening (the exercise of deep and respectful listening to one another), dialogue, and community discernment. Ecclesial discernment (discernment within the Church – (arch)dioceses, parishes, Families of Parishes) is not an organizational technique but rather a spiritual practice grounded in a living faith. Read More > |
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Culture for Mission |
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May 20 | Good Shepherd Parish |
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We often lump the stages of discipleship into one big bucket, yet each stage of that journey will require different levels of formation, accompaniment, and training. Join us as we break open the stages of beginning disciple, growing disciple, and missionary disciple. Together we will imagine new ways to accompany people through the stages of discipleship and commission them for mission. Learn More
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