By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Members of the Synod task force on an archdiocesan pastoral council at one of their meetings, from left: Msgr. Pablo Navarro, Vilma Angulo, Sister Elizabeth Worley and Sister Kathleen Carr, both Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine.
Synod task forces lead to new archdiocesan councils
The final four groups to wrap up their Synod work were the Episcopal Governance Task Forces.
These were made up of leaders in the community who were asked to discern and recommend the structure and composition of several advisory councils that Archbishop Thomas Wenski believes are essential to good archdiocesan governance.
One of these councils already exists: the Archdiocesan Finance Council. The other three do not currently exist: Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, Archdiocesan School Board and Archdiocesan Development Council.
The members of these task forces met four times. At these meetings, they worked together to present a recommendation to Archbishop Wenski regarding the purpose, structure and membership criteria of each council. They completed their assignments in May and their recommendations are now being prepared for presentation to the archbishop.
The three new councils are expected to take shape later this year. Likewise, any changes to the operations of the Finance Council will be implemented this fall.
MIAMI | Despite not making very many headlines in recent weeks, the Synod office remains hard at work:
SMART goals have been drafted and the SMART goal teams have finished their executive summaries, which will become part of the final Synod document.
- Synod task forces on episcopal governance have completed their work. (See box)
- The Synod office has embarked on an archdiocese-wide survey of all the parishes that will result in a complete database of all the ministries and services offered by local churches.
- The work of the Synod leadership team and the 18 focus teams is now in the hands of the Synod Integration Team.
“As the name suggests, this group is tasked with weaving together all of the SMART goals proposed, as well as reviewing the recommended strategies for the implementation of these goals,” said Rosemarie Banich, Synod director. “The fruit of this work will be a highly integrated document that contains the proposed initiatives, a timeline and proposed strategies” for achieving the goals.
But because these goals are SMART — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely — they need to be compared to what is currently available in the archdiocese. That is the reason for the survey.
“This information is vital to the success of the Synod goals, as we must have a baseline of information in order to accurately measure the progress of the Synod initiatives,” Banich said. “The survey has been mailed to all of our pastors, and the responses will be collected over the course of the summer.”
Banich herself will be visiting all the parishes to collect the survey responses.
Finally, plans are underway for the Synod closing assembly, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 26 at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. All the faithful are invited to attend this morning-long event, which will include Mass, presentations by members of the Synod, and a guest keynote speaker.
“More information about this event will be forthcoming throughout the summer,” Banich said.
Who’s who: Synod integration team
Following are the members of the Synod integration team who are tasked with creating the final plan for implementing the goals defined by the Synod focus teams based on the results of the listening sessions held throughout the archdiocese last summer.
- Archbishop Thomas Wenski
- Michael Casciato, financial administrator, Archdiocese of Miami
- Father Wilfredo Contreras, pastor, St. Martha Parish
- Katie Blanco Crocquet, chief development officer, archdiocese
- Michelle Ducker, campus minister, University of Miami/ St. Augustine Church and Catholic Student Center
- M. Farah Larrieux, management professional, St. Bartholomew Parish, Miramar
- Deacon Steven Lee, attorney, Gesu Parish
- Father José Luis Menendez, pastor, Corpus Christi Parish, Miami
- Kim Pryzbylski, senior director of Faith Formation and Superintendent of Schools, Archdiocese of Miami
- Julie A. S. Williamson, attorney, St. Martha Parish
- Sister Elizabeth Anne Worley, Sisters of St. Joseph, chancellor for administration, Archdiocese of Miami.
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