OVERVIEW ON THE WORK OF OUR
DIOCESAN COORDINATING COMMISSION

Ninety of ninety-seven parishes have held parish assemblies during the past two months. The parish assemblies provided our people with the opportunity to learn two things:

• the outcomes of the individual Parish Evaluation Inventory, and
• regional plans which will strengthen the mission and ministry in many of our parishes

Parishioners were able to ask questions about the overall process of Planning Tomorrow's Churches and the future of their individual parish in particular. All comments made during the assemblies were noted and forwarded to the Regional Review Committees for further consideration. As Regional Review Committees reconvened to review the outcomes of the parish assemblies, the regional plan were revised as appropriate to reflect the input of parishioners. These final reports were forwarded to the Office of Pastoral Planning at the diocese.

The next phase of the planning process is the review, dialogue and discernment with the Diocesan Coordinating Commission. The Commission will review all parish and parish assembly reports, all regional reports and other pertinent information received by the Office of Pastoral Planning. The Regional Vicars and Regional Review Committee Facilitators will be present as the review of each individual region takes place. The schedule for regional reviews is as follows: Washtenaw and Livingston on November 8, 2007; Lenawee and Jackson on December 6, 2007; Lansing (Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties) on January 10, 2008; and Genesee-Owosso (Shiawasse and Genesee Counties) on February 7, 2008. The Commission will be interested in the following:

• the alignment of the individual parish report with the indicators and descriptors identified early in the process

• review of the regional observations and assess compliance with the guiding principles for this process and the needs of the region

As the reviews are underway, particular attention will be paid to the suggested restructuring within each region of the diocese. The goal of this entire process is to ensure that the sacramental, pastoral and leadership needs of all our people are met wherever they are. All of this dialogue will be done in light of our current needs given the population shifts within the 10 and our projected clergy statistics.

To fulfill the requirements of Canon Law and diocesan policy, the draft recommendations completed by the Diocesan Coordinating Commission must be reviewed by the Bishop of Lansing's Consultative Bodies: Presbyteral Council, Diocesan Pastoral Council, Council of Vicars, Diocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultators. The goal is to have these reviews completed during April and May, 2008. Whatever revisions need to be made following these reviews will be completed and the final recommendations are scheduled to be presented to the Bishop of Lansing by June, 2008.