St. Raymond Parish
11555 Shannon Avenue
Dublin, CA
(925)828-2460
5 year plan
2005-2009
June 2006, update
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance
of you, praying always with joy in my every
prayer for all of you, because of your
partnership for the Gospel from the first day
until now. Philippians 1:3-5
ST. RAYMOND PARISH
VISION STATEMENT
St. Raymond’s embraces what it is to be a Catholic
Community. Our rich faith heritage guides us a welcoming
community of disciples living the Gospel message of Jesus
Christ, who is the source of all we are and do.
Nourished by Liturgy and personal prayer, as lived in
service to God’s people, we are open to all making it a place
of worship for many faces but one family
ST. RAYMOND MISSION STATEMENT
In the Spirit of the second Vatican Council we are called
upon as the people of St. Raymond Catholic Community to
grow in our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and to
each other. Through our worship, service and community
efforts. We will strive to accomplish this mission by follow-
ing the ten essentials of parish life.
We do this by:
providing for the spiritual and physical needs of
·
our
members as they are made known to us;
providing quality religious education for all ages
·
through a comprehensive catechetical program
that is sensitive to and nurtures the individual's
faith journey within our
community;
welcoming all people with loving openness and
·
hospitality;
responding to the diversity of all our members by
·
providing avenues of expression specific to their
needs.
The SIGN and SOURCE of our unity is the celebration of the
Eucharist and all the sacraments as well as the vitality of our
liturgical life. Continuing to enliven our faith through the Holy
Spirit is central to our mission of giving ever-clearer witness to
the kingdom of God.
INTRODUCTION
The People of St. Raymond have collaborated through
participation in parish ministries, committees and organizations
with members of the Pastoral Council and Pastoral Staff to
prepare this 5-Year Plan. In 1992, the Pastoral Council decided
to implement a planning process for the entire parish, which
would allow continual updating of the Plan. Our purpose is to
evaluate how we are carrying forward the vision of the 5-Year
Plan. All of this is undertaken through much prayer and with the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Our goal is to make the good news of the Gospel, our Mission
Statement, and our ministries an integrated reality.
As a Parish we will strive to live the Ten Essentials of Parish Life
as developed by the Diocesan Pastoral Council. The model rep-
resented below encompasses The Ten Essentials of Parish Life.
For a parish to be a vibrant community, each of the Ten
Essentials must be present in some degree.
Spirituality
Spirituality
WORSHIP
WORSHIP
Liturgy
Liturgy
GATHERING
GATHERING
Hospitality
Hospitality
Small Communities
Small Communities
Diverse Cultures/Gifts
Diverse Cultures/Gifts
Stewardship
Stewardship
We encourage all parishioners to become involved in
carrying out our mission as God's people. We invite each
parishioner to pray for God's guidance and to seek a place in
the exciting reality of God's work among us and through us to
our community and world.
WE, THE COMMUNITY OF ST. RAYMOND PARISH, ARE
COMMITTED TO:
?
deepening our spiritual life through ongoing education,
enhanced liturgical celebrations, and an expanded
sense of community;
?
inviting to fuller participation in our community those
marginalized people whose needs we have not
traditionally met;
?
providing avenues of outreach into our local and
neighboring communities by developing awareness of
others' needs as well as an awareness of our call to
apply Gospel values in meeting those needs;
?
continuing to accommodate our parish growth by
assessing and implementing facility upgrades to all
areas of our parish plant to meet requirements of
programs, both existing and planned.
Spirituality
“…A living faith, the faith that does justice, is expressed
in the active love of others.”
Matthew 25
Spirituality is the relationship between oneself, God and the
Community around us.
Goals:
· Speak the message of the Gospel clearly in our
educational programs, liturgical services and in our
gatherings as people of faith.
· Give witness to our faith in the expression of our daily
activities.
· Provide opportunities for deepening prayer life and
reflecting on the life of the Spirit.
Liturgy
“… And the disciples came to the Lord Jesus and said,
“Lord teach us to pray.”
Luke 11
Saint Raymond’s liturgies are a prayerful and spiritual
experience that invites people to fuller participation through
our senses of sight, sound, smell, word and touch. We
reaffirm God’s continual presence among us through our
liturgies that are celebrations of the whole Church, the entire
Community.
Goals:
· Assure that liturgical celebrations invite all of the
community to prayer and action.
· Provide preaching that relates to the scriptures of the
Sunday and to the lives of the people living here.
· Train liturgical ministers who represent the diversity of our
parish in age, gender, and ethnicity.
Faith Formation
“… God commanded our ancestors to teach their
children; so that the generation to come might know,
and that they too may rise and declare to their children
that they should put their hope in God.”
Psalm 78:6
Strong faith formation programs for both adults and children
are basic to a successful parish.
Goals:
· Provide ongoing faith formation for all Catholics.
· Support catechists and school staff in their efforts for
continual formation and certification.
· Develop faith formation that is life-long in order that adults
can fulfill their leadership roles in this new era of
church ministry.
· Show that faith formation benefits children and youth by
enriching the parent’s role as their children’s teachers,
and by setting an example to the children that learning
about God does not end with Confirmation.
Leadership
“… But if I wash your feet-I who
am Teacher and Lord-then you
must wash each other’s feet.”
John 13:14
Finding and developing leadership
potential is essential if individuals are
to take their God-given place in the
Body of Christ. We hear often that Christ has no hands and
feet on earth but ours.
We encourage our parishioners to place their hands, feet,
and minds in God’s service.
Goals:
· Foster dialogue so that organizations, ministries and staff
can work together collaboratively.
· Offer opportunities for discernment of gifts so
parishioners can clarify their talents and see how they can
serve as leaders.
Belonging/Hospitality
“… Let us welcome one another as if we are
welcoming Christ Himself.”
Saint Benedict
The parish spirit of hospitality exemplifies Christ’s welcome
and inclusive love for all. The parish community embodies
stewardship; the members consider themselves hosts and
stewards, not guests. To steward is to welcome. True
hospitality requires a welcoming spirit that fosters every
parishioner’s sense of belonging, of being a part of a parish
family. A true sense of hospitality is a catalyst for
developing all the essentials of parish life.
Goals:
· Encourage parishioners as the Body of Christ to follow
the example of Jesus in sharing our love, our
welcome, our giving.
· Inform the assembly that welcoming those who attend
our liturgies is a ministry for the entire parish, not
only a committee.
· Train greeters and leaders in cultural sensitivity to reach
out to visitors and newcomers.
Small Christian Communities (SCC)
“… Where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I in their midst.”
Matthew 18:20
Many different kinds of groups within a parish
may function as Small Christian Communities. The
hallmark of a true “small community” is long term
Christian growth in an atmosphere that embodies on a
small scale the attributes of the Church. The small
community is a sample of the parish as a whole.
Goals:
· Encourage Small Christian Communities to meet on a
regular basis.
· Promote adult faith formation through Small Christian
Communities which offer shared study, shared
experience, and community service.
· Utilize the small communities in our efforts to welcome the
stranger.
· Inspire and invite others in the parish to grow spiritually
through
involvement in a
small
community.
Diverse Cultures
“… God distributed gifts in such a way that no one has all
of them because God wanted to make us
dependent on one another.”
St. Catherine of Siena
A parish is richly blessed when it is endowed with a
variety of gifts among its parishioners, including a
diversity of age, sex, culture, skills, and living
conditions. These gifts are not truly appreciated until they are
recognized, respected and incorporated into parish life.
Diversity within a parish is seen as a
mosaic rather than a melting pot. We make our
diversity visible in our liturgical and social assemblies.
Goals:
· Use parish census surveys to identify gifts and
cultural or ethnic diversities and needs.
· Renew our efforts to ensure that representative
committees, ministries and the Pastoral Council
reflect the makeup of the parish.
Stewardship
“… As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one
another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
1 Peter 4:10
God empowers us through the Holy Spirit, to reach out and
respond to the needs of one another, to build the reign of
God. A good steward discerns his or her time, talent and
treasure and uses those in ministry in the family, parish,
workplace and community. We return a portion of our gifts
to God in gratitude for God’s abundant generosity. That is
the basis for Stewardship.
Goals:
Encourage the parish itself to practice good stewardship of
·
all the resources given to it.
Inspire parishioners by having the parish continue to give
·
outside itself.
Increase the percentage of people who give to the parish
·
on a regular basis.
Make stewardship a way of life.
·
Social Ministry
“… What you did for the least of these, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40
As followers of Christ, we are called to live out the values
of our faith in the world, serving our brothers and sisters,
and working for greater justice and peace in the world. We
are at our best when we hear and heed the church’s call
to serve those in need and work for justice and peace.
Goals:
· Encourage parishioners to share their gifts and re-
sources to meet the basic needs of those who are
hungry, ill, aging, and homeless.
· Promote study, conversation, prayer, and action on
the political and social issues of our day, including
a range of local and global concerns.
Evangelization
“… Preach the gospel at all times,
if necessary use words.”
St. Francis of Assisi
We bear much fruit when we live and share our faith in
Jesus enthusiastically. We invite and welcome inactive
Catholics and the unchurched to share the Good News.
Goals:
· Identify parish resources to develop an evangelization
program.
· Reach out to returning Catholics.
· Encourage families to talk about their faith life together
and help them to
be comfortable in
sharing faith.
Summary
We are the hands and feet of Christ on earth.
He is calling to each of us.
In His name we invite everyone to answer His
call and use their God-given talents to build the
body of Christ here at St. Raymond Church. Call
the Parish Office today and share your gifts.
Prepared by:
St. Raymond Pastoral Council
Tom McClean, President
Rosann Russo
Georgia Cestaro (retired 2006)
Dave Conley
Connie Spence
Judy Wellmeyer (retired 2006)
2006 New Pastoral Council Members:
Eric Hom
Bonnie Kramer
Laurianne Behrens
Pastoral Staff
Fr. Bob McCann, Pastor
Fr. Terry O’Malley, Parochial Vicar
Diana Bitz, Pastoral Associate
Maggie Ringle, Director of Religious Education
Robbie Cakebread, Director Music Ministries
Deacon Joe Sicat
Tony Guevara, School Principal
