A Pastor’s View

Program provides powerful tools to help Catholic congregations

The April 17 article by Sean Gallagher (“Survey says … Gallup programs geared to strengthen parishioner engagement”) was a wonderful treatment of a successful program for promoting engagement and leadership within many parishes of the archdiocese.

The Clifton StrengthsFinder surveys and the Discover Your Strengths books and resources are powerful tools that are available through the Gallup Faith Practice division to help Catholic congregations discover their innate strengths and unique gifts.

In fact, coinciding with the article’s appearance, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Indianapolis received word that our Leadership Excellence program had been funded in part through the Indianapolis-based Center for Congregations.

Like the parishes cited in the article, Sacred Heart worked very closely with the Marian College Center for Catholic Stewardship and the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship Education to apply for the funding support for the Gallup resources.

Unlike the other parishes, however, Sacred Heart included a component to promote youth leadership development.

Working with Saint Meinrad School of Theology’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Formation, we are enrolling five of our high school youths in Saint Meinrad’s acclaimed “One Bread, One Cup” Youth Liturgical Leadership Conference.

Additionally, our leadership team, which will include the youth graduates of the “One Bread, One Cup” program, will be conducting a retreat at the Saint Meinrad Guesthouse.

We believe strongly that the Holy Spirit is pointing the way to an exciting horizon for Sacred Heart and its members. We believe as well that we are being called to respond positively and urgently to discern that horizon and to begin to act.

These important tools, along with the resources provided by the Center for Congregations, the Marian College Center for Catholic Stewardship, the Office of Stewardship Education and Saint Meinrad School of Theology, will equip us as a community to respond to the call of the Spirit.

- Fr. Frank Kordek, O.F.M., Pastor, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Indianapolis