Diocesan offices begin strategic planning

A year ago, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard announced that in response to the needs surfaced by parishes during the pastoral planning process, diocesan offices would begin a program of self-evaluation on how to better meet those needs. The effort was titled Diocesan Strategic Planning.

This month, the heads of all diocesan departments are meeting with their staffs to work on specific goals toward that end. Their plans will be presented to the three chancellors of the Diocese for evaluation next week.

BY 1998, diocesan offices should have new rules in place to more quickly and efficiently meet such parish requests as leadership training, youth ministry and faith formation.

'Logical step'

Sister Kathleen Turley, RSM, chancellor for planning and pastoral services, told The Evangelist that "this process will affect the entire Diocese. It's the logical next step to pastoral planning -- looking at the needs and saying, `Where are we in all this?'"

Deacon Charles Hall, a member of the diocesan Strategic Planning Committee who serves at St. John the Evangelist parish in Rensselaer, explained that "it's the diocesan headquarters' turn to look at itself and see if it's structured properly to meet the needs of parishes and clusters -- and if it's not, to develop new programs or restructure programs."

Admittedly, the process is still somewhat nebulous. Since plans have yet to be finalized for changes in diocesan departments, the chancellors could not give specific examples of differences in how the Diocese will work when the strategic planning is finished.

However, Rev. Kenneth Doyle, a member of the strategic planning committee, who serves as president of the diocesan Presbyteral Council and pastor of St. Catherine of Siena parish in Albany, gave one hypothesis: If parishes widely varied in their approach to baptismal preparation, it might be done on a cluster level. Such diocesan offices as the Office of Religious Education, Family Life, and Prayer and Worship, he said, could send a team to teach couples who ask for Baptism for their children. Working together, the offices could provide the necessary catechetical training and explain the responsibilities of a Catholic parent to raise a child in the faith.

Working as one

"If two or three parishes ask for a program to be done in their area, we can look at it and say, `Here's what we can provide,'" added Rev. Geoffrey Burke, chancellor for personnel and public information. "One of the reasons that drives the whole strategic planning process is that the Bishop is asking us to work in a collaborative form of ministry."

In addition to addressing the needs of clusters, the chancellors said, strategic planning "is also good stewardship. We have certain services and responses. Are we giving parishes the resources they're asking for?"

"Are our services being directed toward the needs expressed, in an efficient or economical way?" added John Feeney, chancellor for finance and administration.

Balance sought

Although strategic planning includes eliminating duplication of services by diocesan offices, Mr. Feeney explained that that doesn't mean downsizing the diocesan staff.

"It's not that we should reduce our staff by X or decrease expenditures in the Pastoral Center by Y," he stated. "If you're attempting to set an economic goal, you're going to compromise the process."

The Diocese is far different than the private sector, he said, because services can't be reduced in favor of profitability. "We've got to figure out ways we can provide for a need and do it economically and feasibly," he added.

Puzzle pieces

The chancellors hope to examine how each office meets a piece of a certain need and encourage working together to meet that need.

"The most important thing is to make sure that there's a program in place to overcome the shortcomings parishes may have" in meeting their needs, said Deacon Hall.

However, diocesan departments will also look at their financial side, learning to budget most efficiently, Mr. Feeney said: "Are there better ways to buy things, to combine purchases and save money because of volume? There is a level of comfort that the people in the pews deserve, saying, `My money is being used wisely,' [and knowing] that anything contributed is being used for the good of the Diocese as a whole."

More to come

The idea of strategic planning may seem confusing, but Deacon Hall was quick to say that "pastoral planning started very slow, with people saying, `Why are we doing this?' As we got into it, we started seeing why we were doing it. We needed to take more ownership of things that in the past, the priest had taken care of."

BY the end of the process, the chancellors envision a "streamlined" set of services wherein a call to a diocesan office will result in an immediate response to the expressed need.

One important factor to remember, they said, is that strategic planning will not be over in 1998. The process will be reevaluated on an ongoing basis to be sure that the Catholics of the Albany Diocese are being served in the most efficient and responsive manner possible.

"This is a dynamic thing," said Deacon Hall. "It will always require a committee of some sort to revisit the plan and evaluate it to ask are we meeting the strategies we put out? If not, why not?"

(05-15-97) [[In-content Ad]]