Saint Brigid, Louisville

Pastor: Reverend Gary T. Padgett
Location: 1520 Hepburn Ave., Louisville, Ky., 40204

Family Life
Offer outreach opportunities designed to involve families by conducting events, such as a flea market, to encourage families to visit Saint Brigid and by creating a Family Involvement Team to explore ways to increase family involvement and plan family-oriented events.

Increase involvement in neighborhood/community events by providing volunteers for a Saint Brigid booth at neighborhood events.

Provide guidelines and resources to establish family prayer groups.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Increase awareness of the history of Saint Brigid Parish.

Establish Bible Study as an ongoing ministry offered at times conducive to families.

Develop ways to communicate all the parish does to all parishioners.

Service and Outreach
Improve information to all parishioners through various methods about the many ongoing outreach programs that Saint Brigid provides, including Saint Vincent de Paul, Habitat for Humanity, Highlands Community Ministries, and the ministries serving nursing homes, hospitals and homebound parishioners.

Holy Trinity, Fredericktown

Pastor: Reverend Matthew T. Hardesty
Location: 306 Fredericktown Rd., Springfield (Fredericktown), Ky., 40069

Family Life
Establish a welcome/hospitality committee.

Develop a mentoring program for blended families and young couples.

Establish a Men’s Group and a Women’s Group.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Improve/bolster youth religious education program.

Expand and enrich adult faith formation.

Service and Outreach
Formalize a program of home visits.

Reestablish a parish council with or separate from the clustered parish, Holy Rosary in Manton.

Increase involvement in parish Saint Vincent de Paul chapter.

All Saints, Taylorsville

Pastor: Reverend John R. Johnson
Location: 410 Main Cross St., Taylorsville, Ky., 40071

Family Life
Increase participation and involvement in parish life for all of our parishioners through community activities, inviting families to participate in ministries and improved communication to all parishioners.

Provide opportunities for increased spiritual growth for all age groups through blessing of children, Children’s Church, blessing of animals and review of times for Eucharistic Adoration.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Review current adult formation programs and begin new programs to meet the parishioners’ needs of today, including Bible studies, explanation of Mass, new resources, improvement of website and social media and speakers’ bureau.

Provide opportunities for young adults – meeting them where they are – with intentional efforts to include them in all aspects of parish life, including parish planning and parish direction.

Service and Outreach
Identify current ministries and programs within the parish, within our local community, and beyond.

Encourage parishioners to become involved in ministries and programs identified above through improved communication, ministry fairs, enhanced outreach year-round and developing relationships with other local churches.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Louisville

Pastor: Reverend John T. Judie
Location: 1545 Louis Coleman Jr. Dr., Louisville, Ky., 40211

Family Life
Strengthen the fellowship and participation of our parish family through meet-and-greet activity, follow-up network, Emmaus family companion ministry, and contact with college students.

Instill and strengthen a sense of holiness in our families’ homes through special intentions prayer box, training on an understanding of prayer, promoting blessing of children, and support for grandparents and others raising children.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Strengthen and enhance the faith formation and education of our parish family, with a focus on adults through utilizing and increasing archdiocesan formation programs and by encouraging parishioners to share how programs have impacted their lives.

Strengthen and enhance the faith formation and education of our parish family, with a focus on young adults through utilizing and increasing archdiocesan formation programs and by encouraging parishioners to share how programs have impacted their lives.

Strengthen and enhance the faith formation and education of our parish family, with a focus on youth through utilizing and increasing archdiocesan formation programs and by encouraging parishioners to share how programs have impacted their lives and by increasing the number of trained catechists.

Celebrate the educational and spiritual accomplishments of our parishioners through quarterly recognition Sundays.

Service and Outreach
Increase membership participation in parish life through quarterly meet-and-greet activity, follow-up network, Emmaus family companion ministry, contact with college students, and fostering relationship with partner churches.

Become a cornerstone of spiritual fulfillment and overall assistance to our surrounding community through hosting AA, supporting River City Drum Corps, hosting public forums on public safety, serving as evaluation site for Carter Elementary and supporting Public Library Association Derby brunch.

Broaden our social service outreach in the community through promoting activities of social outreach committee, recording social concerns minutes for parishioners, re-establishing Saint Vincent de Paul chapter, developing social service coordinator, holding health and safety training, and developing opportunities for community health, welfare and education services.

Saint Martin de Porres, Louisville

Pastoral Administrator: Deacon James R. Turner
Location: 3112 W. Broadway, Louisville, Ky., 40211

Family Life
Enhance our communication ministry to better engage young adults by recruiting new members and training them to form a communication committee that will implement effective communication strategies.

Develop social media strategies utilizing youth and young adults to reach and engage the youth and young adults in our parish.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Participate in the process being initiated by Saint Augustine Parish regarding a Catholic school in West Louisville.

Identify, engage, and train Black leadership for ministry by recruiting more culturally diverse leaders and developing resources to provide for culturally diverse families in the parish.

Service and Outreach
Ensure that all ministries have a missionary component that reaches out beyond our parish by continuing to go beyond our boundaries as missionary disciples able to share our faith with others.

Implement “Moving Towards Oneness” to work towards the eradication of racism throughout the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Saint Vincent DePaul, New Hope

Administrator: Reverend Kenneth R. Fortener
Location: 104 Church St., New Hope, Ky., 40052

Family Life
Involve the whole family in prayer opportunities, especially during seasons such as Advent.

Promote prayer together as a family.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Educate younger members about teachings and prayer rituals that have been lost over generations.

Develop an Advent program that details how to pray during Advent and that includes an Advent wreath, candles and educational material on the history and meaning of Advent and Advent symbols.

Service and Outreach
Promote Advent prayer opportunities and education to those who cannot physically attend Church, such as elderly shut-ins and those who are sick.

Saint Aloysius Parish, Pewee Valley

Pastor: Rev. John J. Stoltz
Location: 212 Mt. Mercy Dr., Pewee Valley, KY 40056

Family Life
Emphasize family participation in the Eucharist as center of parish life and develop a coordinated process to invite and celebrate the Eucharist with parish/school teams, groups, committees, and their families.

Engage purposefully youth and young adults, ages 13-25, in parish life by personally inviting those confirmed under five years to a class reunion weekend to engage them socially and in parish ministries and by creating a program to match the gifts of young adults to the needs of the parish.

Host multicultural events with the Korean community and hold a multicultural Mass and social gathering during the season of Pentecost.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Build a passion for the Mass by structuring, during the Bread of Life discourses in the Sunday lectionary, a rotation of targeted small group learning sessions focused on tying the Eucharist to everyday life.

Build a passion for the Catholic faith among youth and young adults and develop a deeper and more diverse leadership structure to support the parish youth minister in engaging a broader young adult audience.

Service and Outreach
Challenge parishioners to go out of their comfort zones to serve as the Body of Christ and foster the gift of time for service.

Establish a structure for a Service Outreach Committee.

Saint Brigid, Vine Grove

Pastor: Rev. Daniel L. Lincoln
Location: 314 E. Main St., Vine Grove, KY 40175

Family Life
Deepen our Catholic faith and enrich spiritual practices by increasing participation in family life programs through the establishment of a family ministry team to coordinate family-centered social, educational, and service outreach experiences that appeal to all ages, based on parish demographics.

Utilize family ministry team to increase involvement of families in parish liturgies.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Deepen Catholic faith and enrich spiritual practices by increasing participation in education and lifelong formation programs and by adding members to the current formation/education team who will create family-oriented programming for all ages.

Encourage education about the basics of the faith through the Mass and by connecting the homily to an “action of the week” geared to all ages.

Strive for improved parish communication by establishing points of contact for existing and new programs, establishing a parish resource booklet, a quarterly calendar leaflet, a welcome packet, and by the timely updating of parish website and social media platforms.

Service and Outreach
Deepen Catholic faith and enrich spiritual practices by increasing participation in service and outreach programs through the establishment of a service outreach team that will enhance current efforts by increasing community-oriented experiences (e.g. Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, events for veterans) for the whole family.

Strengthen parish unity and connection through a mentor/buddy system for families to assist other individuals or families such as widows, military families, elderly, those who are ill or lonely, new parents.

Saint Francis and Holy Cross, Loretto

Pastor: Rev. Bryan T. Lamberson
Location: 6785 Highway 52, Loretto, KY 40037-8201

Family Life
Develop and administer the parishes’ visitation program to the homebound and inactive or past members of the parishes by having a “point-person” assigned to help schedule, coordinate, and oversee the program, establishing a team to track visits and maintain sustainability, and by creating a mechanism for feedback when family members are ill or not at Church.

Increase the involvement of children in Mass and parish life and encourage them to become involved members of the parish over time by instituting a form of Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the Masses that families attend and establishing a team of adult volunteers to manage the program.

Education and Lifelong Formation

Create a new adult Bible Study program for the parishes, to be held no less than every two week. This approach will likely be lectionary-based and group-led with ideal scheduling on Wednesday evenings, when children attend parish religious education programs.

Schedule and offer more frequent and diverse faith formation events, including the planned marriage retreat in September, a panel discussion on what the Church really teaches, and Church history utilizing the rich resources in the Kentucky Holy Land area.

Poll regularly parish membership for other formation ideas.

Service and Outreach

Plan more community-oriented, food-based events throughout the year such as chili or bean soup suppers with early advertising and signage throughout the community and including personal invitation to community members who are not parishioners.

Holy Family

Pastoral Administrator: Deacon J. Patrick Wright
Location: 3938 Poplar Level Rd., Louisville, KY 40213

Family Life

Engage and encourage new members to join the parish family and encourage lifelong members to share their voices.

Invite and make personal contact with all who join the parish through smiles, introductions, welcoming packets, and making a place for everyone.

Re-engage parishioners who have left and reach out to individuals and families in the neighborhood with a welcoming spirit.

Create opportunities for families to come together for growth and celebration both socially and spiritually.

Education and Lifelong Formation

Provide opportunities for lifelong learning about the Catholic faith and heritage, with courses offered before and after Masses featuring Bible study, social justice, family life, and “real world” practical solutions needed in our society.

Become cheerleaders of service by addressing our attitudes about need.

Hold a parish mission or retreat to gain participation and excite parishioners about their faith.

Service and Outreach

Utilize the wealth of talented people within the parish community with life experiences who can share their talents and experiences with others in the parish and neighborhood.

Create a centralized communication system to identify needs and match those needs to talents.

Provide a network of outreach to assist those seeking social justice, or living on the fringe of society, through participation in agencies such as Saint Vincent de Paul, Little Way Pregnancy Resource Center, Franciscan Kitchen, food banks, utility assistance, and other agencies who serve persons who are homeless and hungry.

Saint Lawrence

Pastor: Rev. Thomas A. Smith
Location: 1925 Lewiston Dr., Louisville, KY 40216

Family Life

Strengthen the Eucharist, the Mass, as the focal point of parish and family life by engaging parish committees, especially the Worship and Hospitality Committees, to drive this effort, by focusing on youth and young adults and by utilizing social media.

Increase communication on all levels throughout our parish family by utilizing popular social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to improve communication within the parish, specifically with the youth and young adults.

Education and Lifelong Formation

Concentrate on faith formation that targets parish members of all ages and that builds stronger relationships with our members by educating parishioners about all of the various ministries available to them within the parish and growing faith formation efforts where necessary.

Increase faith formation efforts by concentrating on youth and by extending children’s church to a year-round ministry.

Work with surrounding parishes to build a strong youth ministry program.

Service and Outreach
Strengthen outreach by creating a detailed booklet of current programs that also explain how parishioners can get involved.

Identify new opportunities to get the parish involved in service and outreach, both internally and externally, by soliciting ideas from parishioners about how to increase the parish’s outreach.

Saint Rita

Pastor: Rev. Joseph M. Rankin
Location: 8709 Preston Hwy., Louisville, KY 40219

Family Life
Teach the youth and adults in our community through prayer and Mass involvement.

Create one community among the diverse parish members and increase communication of all activities in the parish by establishing a communication committee that will utilize all media to ensure everyone is informed.

Organize a multicultural parish family potluck where all families can come together as one community, with the main purpose being fellowship and allowing all ages of the parish to get to know one another better.

Strengthen the family by creating more family-friendly activities and by encouraging Mass attendance as a family.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Increase youth participation in the church community and encourage youth to participate in Mass by inviting them to plan liturgies through the school and religious education program.

Enhance communication of the youth Mass and encourage participation of the youth in it by providing additional programs in conjunction with this Mass.

Foster respect and unity within our diversified parish.

Promote continued religious programs for both youth and adults.

Service and Outreach
Provide communication of the needs of the parish members as well as those of community neighbors and make available the list of external services and resources to the entire parish membership.

Investigate where there are gaps in services so that needed services can be identified and made available to those who need assistance.

Establish a Stewardship Committee to determine what committees exist and where additional committees are needed and to ensure that parish members know how to get involved.

Promote cultural unity within the parish and promote diversity within the parish committees by ensuring that a Hispanic member is on the Parish Council to help with identifying others for participation in the many stewardship activities.

Saint Albert the Great

Pastor: Reverend David W. Harris
Location: 1395 Girard Dr., Louisville, KY 40222

Family Life
Connect more children, youth and families to the liturgical and spiritual vitality of the parish. This can be accomplished through special invitations to young families through the school, parish religious education classes, athletic and scouting programs and by enhancing the music ministry to appeal to a broad spectrum of ages and traditions.

Increase family Mass participation at the parish by increasing childcare opportunities through an expansion of the nursery and pre-K facilities and staff and by creating a parking ministry at Mass as part of hospitality before entering the Church.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Build programs that inspire people to develop their personal discipleship. This can be accomplished through retreats and service opportunities that encourage a personal encounter with Jesus; formation efforts involving short burst, adult small group ministries such as Alpha, Walking with Purpose, Living Flame Program and Contemplative Outreach; expanding and integrating spirituality into the athletic ministry; and providing personal discipleship opportunities for children and youth while they are already on campus.

Service and Outreach
Revitalize the parish in living out its mission to become a Christ-centered community of disciples dedicated to inspiring people to love, serve and know God and one another. This can be accomplished by taking advantage of outreach opportunities for those who are inactive to come to the parish (e.g. weddings, funerals, fish fries, sporting events); increasing focus on service projects in the local area surrounding the parish; and centralizing parish communication with a top-notch communications committee with an emphasis on technology and social media.

Saint Bernard

Pastor: Reverend George Otuma, A.J.
Location: 5075 KY 551, Liberty, KY 42539

Family Life
Utilize free resources for parish use, such as Dynamic Catholic.

Reach out to the Hispanic community by including them in parish life and special feast days, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Feast of the Three Kings/Dia de los Reyes.

Host quarterly family social events.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Utilize the parish website and Facebook account to reach out, teach Catholic life and provide resources to the community.

Hold listening sessions for young families and young adults to identify ways that the parish can meet their needs and concerns.

Include the CCD/RCIA coordinator’s name, phone and email in the bulletin for informational purposes.

Service and Outreach
Utilize multimedia messages for communication to the parish such as the web, Facebook, One Call, Sunday bulletin and handouts.

Define the structure of the parish by asking help from the Parish Leadership Development office to coordinate the parish committees.

Hold follow-up sessions to discover the variety of talents and skills in the parish coordinating committees.

Saint Frances of Rome (Wave 2)

Pastor: Reverend Louis J. Meiman
Location: 2119 Payne St., Louisville, KY 40206

Family Life
Make an intentional effort to include all ages in the liturgical life of the church.

Create a ministry for teens and young adults that includes formation, social and outreach opportunities.

Strive to be an inclusive parish by holding multigenerational gatherings for parishioners and guests from all walks of life, offering opportunities for formation, prayer, socializing and outreach.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Develop more structured classes for all ages (from children to adults) using church documents, Scripture and other texts.

Continue a strong staff-led religious education program for children in pre-kindergarten through Confirmation at Saint Frances of Rome.

Service and Outreach
Develop an effective communication plan for all parish outreach and ministries using a variety of media (newsletter, pulpit, social media, email, text, website and personal invitations). The Parish Council recommended the formation of a marketing committee.

Create a robust social concerns committee to examine current outreach efforts (such as support of United Crescent Hill Ministries) and develop and implement additional outreach.

Saint Gregory

Pastor: Reverend Peter Q. Do
Location: 330 Samuels Loop, Cox’s Creek, KY 40013

Family Life
Provide more resources and activities for single and divorced parishioners.

Improve communication and networking by making better use of the gathering space, surveys, group email/mailing list for parishioners and better electronic communication to reach all generations (email, Facebook, Twitter).

Look outside the church and self by expanding the Hospitality Committee to add a Welcoming Committee. It would include parking lot greeters, dedicated “welcomers” to greet people as they enter Church and seat-finders to help people find seats in the pews, especially at baptismal celebrations where newcomers may be present.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Share resources with other parishes.

Increase knowledge of the Catholic faith by offering resources to foster the growth of small group activities and increasing and improving communication.

Foster adult/family catechesis and growth in faith by offering more frequent parish missions and single-night speakers on topics such as raising teens in today’s world, technology, porn, empty nest, death/loss and drug and alcohol addiction.

Service and Outreach
Continue, reinforce and expand compassionate outreach to others, especially outside the church/self through testimonies and spotlighting of parishioners already involved and the service they provide and by increasing and improving communication.

Grow older youth (8th grade and up), young adult and new adult engagement in service and outreach through surveys,

Immaculate Conception

Pastor: Reverend Anthony L. Chandler
Location: 502 N. Fifth Ave., La Grange, KY 40031

Family Life
Mingle parish cultures to bring people together and bring the parishioners of different Masses closer together. Work with the Hispanic Ministry Committee to address cultural issues, increase Hispanic representation on the Parish Council and other committees and educate parishioners
about Hispanic cultural traditions.

Improve overall parish communication through social media programs and expansion of email and phone lists. Investigate the use of church social media to post and announce events.

Provide support to caregivers (all ages and conditions) and provide information on the availability of services and support throughout the community. Create in the narthex a display of take-home information on addiction and other support groups available in the area, which should also include information on caregiver relief services available in the area. Create a system to receive information from the Ombudsman for the elderly and publish in the bulletin and on the website.

Expand and enhance outreach to newcomers in the parish by creating a “Welcoming Committee” to focus on the creation and execution of communications and activities to grow in this area. This could include greeters, ushers, parish ambassadors and a staffed visitor table in the narthex with information and a gift for newcomers. Host new parishioner dinner quarterly with parish staff and members of major parish committees.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Provide education for the elderly and their families regarding available services and resources as described above under Family Life.

Involve more people in all parish activities through adult retreats, mission trips, increasing family involvement in the liturgy, continuing to provide opportunities for parents to be more active in children’s religious education and developing a lifelong and continuous program of faith formation for all ages and generations.

Expand scripture study to include apologetics, science and theology in the Catholic view and a scripture study focused on teens.

Service and Outreach
Broaden communication techniques so that all parishioners receive messages and news from the parish, including messaging about events and ministries. Invite parish committees to speak at Masses and host a table in the narthex.

Bridge the gap between communicating about events and services and encouraging/enticing people to participate.

Continue the good work of the parish counselor. Explore diocesan, civic programs, hospitals and Catholic Charities for resource personnel who could provide educational assistance on finances, relationships, including assistance for troubled marriages, parenting classes and conflict resolution.

Continue present support of the Agape Shop and funding to other charities in the area.

Saint Mary Magdalen of Pazzi

Pastor: Reverend George S. Illikkal, C.M.I.
Location: 110 Highway 376, Payneville, KY 40157

Family Life
Personalize the parish liturgy by bringing in more upbeat Catholic music, including blessings for families, recognizing anniversaries and possibly having services in the cemetery for special events and holidays, such as All Soul’s Day, Memorial Day, etc.

Showcase the parish talents by hosting breakfasts for the parish on fifth Sunday when it falls in a month. At the breakfasts, the parish will display parishioners’ artwork and invite parishioners to sing and share their talents.

Host occasional family life activities, such as organizing a day trip to Christmas concerts and Masses at other parishes as well as outdoor movie nights with popcorn.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Broaden the religious education program to include adult formation by holding Bible study for adults during the current religious education hours and scheduling a trivia night to end the religious education season.

Revitalize the youth group by working with the parish youth minister to organize and orchestrate activities for youth.

Service and Outreach
Increase availability to the community through volunteer work by parishioners and partnering with the local Habitat for Humanity.

Revitalize the current service outreach programs by contacting the leaders of the outreach groups and assisting them in revamping the programs.

Saint Monica

Pastor: Reverend James J. Harris
Location: 407 S. Third St., Bardstown, KY 40004

Family Life
Provide opportunity for youth.

Recognize family milestones, i.e. birthdays, anniversaries and graduations.

Encourage families to participate in the ministries of the Mass and invite families back.

Create a social media committee.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Create more opportunities for Bible studies, retreats, adult education and formation and missions at Saint Monica’s facilities.

Service and Outreach
Explore expanding service opportunities such as Room in the Inn, jail ministry, AA ministry.

Minister to the sick and shut-ins through home visits.

Hold a tent revival and invite the community around the parish.

Our Lady of Mercy

Pastor: Reverend Pablo A. Hernandez
Location: 208 Walters Ave., Hodgenville, KY 42748

Family Life
Provide more opportunities to increase youth fellowship and involvement in the parish and pursue a closer relationship with Saint Ann Parish by offering involvement in joint activities, especially youth activities.

Increase opportunities for more parish family celebrations (such as potlucks, prayer breakfasts, etc.) by reinstituting monthly potluck dinners and other fellowship gatherings to strengthen unity within the parish family.

Implement an enhanced and multi-faceted communication strategy/plan to bring the parish family closer together and establish a parish Hospitality Committee to reach out to new parishioners, visitors, the sick, elderly and homebound.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Provide more educational and spiritual opportunities for all parishioners, from youth to elderly, by establishing a parish Education and Formation Committee to provide leadership, focus and energy for new initiatives and by planning, organizing and conducting a spiritual mission to energize parish commitment and growth.

Re-establish the parish Vacation Bible Study (VBS) program to strengthen the parish internally and enhance community relationships with other local churches.

Establish a consistent schedule for prayer and spiritual opportunities such as devotions, Adoration, the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, etc.

Service and Outreach
Provide increased service and outreach opportunities, both internal and external to the parish, by establishing a Service and Outreach Committee to identify opportunities to assist parishioners and members of the community in need, as well as internal parish needs such as building and grounds.

Increase responsiveness to parishioner needs by establishing a program for better outreach to sick members of the parish and those parishioners in need.

Upgrade the parish communication process and equipment to ensure requests for assistance are addressed in a timely and effective manner.

Review and update the parish mission statement to reflect commitment to focus areas derived from the discernment process.

Saint Raphael the Archangel

Pastor: Reverend Shayne R. Duvall
Location: 2900 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205

Family Life
Welcome and engage all new parishioners by expanding and strengthening the Welcome Committee for new parishioners and families to include new parishioner gatherings, a welcome to new members in the bulletin and through mentor family relationships.

Create cohesiveness across all generations to further grow and develop the Catholic faith by offering worship, formation and service opportunities.

Communicate the many social, formation and worship opportunities in the parish community by developing a parish communications plan that will outline all methods of communication used in the parish and school in order to serve members of all generations.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Develop opportunities to recognize those celebrating sacraments in the community by establishing opportunities to recognize and publicly highlight those who have celebrated sacraments.

Share the homilies and the catechesis of the homilies with the greater community by recording and posting weekend homilies.

Create an adult formation team incorporating adults of all ages to offer faith formation opportunities and to provide direction within the parish.

Service and Outreach
Create and nurture ways within the parish community to serve fellow suffering and marginalized parishioners through a ministry that will connect sick and shut-in parishioners that are unable to be present in the parish community.

Serve the greater Louisville community by exploring the development of an onsite outreach center to offer food, clothing, food items, etc. and by collaborating with established and local advocacy groups that promote justice, mercy and compassion.

Saint Stephen Martyr (Wave 2)

Pastor: Reverend Harry J. Gelthaus
Location: 2931 Pindell Ave., Louisville, KY 40217

Family Life
Hold a Parish Life Showcase by coordinating a team and person responsible to help gather those who are responsible for ministries in the parish at a showcase. Will consider having this after the 10:30 a.m. Mass so that more parishioners attend.

Identify a Parish Life Coordinator who will assist with managing ground and usable space available for activities and events. Create a job description and consider utilizing an intern in combination with a coordinator.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Identify and hire a part-time to eventually full-time youth minister.

Pursue the certification of spiritual development leaders at the parish.

Survey parishioners and work with current parish ministers to create opportunities for spiritual development.

Service and Outreach
Host a Farmer’s Market at the parish after reaching out to parishioners to lead this effort and possibly sharing with surrounding neighborhood churches.

Create a communication coordinator/team to oversee the parish website, including both the church and school websites.

Saint Thomas

Pastor: Reverend J. Jason Harris
Location: 870 St. Thomas Ln., Bardstown, KY 40004

Family Life
Bring excitement and fervor to parish family ministry and seek to get more people involved. This can be accomplished by creating a Family Life Coordinator/Committee to plan and organize family support events throughout the year; designating “Welcome Wagon Ambassadors” to reach out to new parishioners and coordinating “meet and greet” sessions to connect them with current parishioners; and holding more family fellowship activities (ball games, ice cream socials, potlucks) to build community among parishioners.

Reach out to young adults and engage them more fully in parish activities.

Create counseling opportunities to address challenges during various stages of life, such as grieving the loss of a loved one, dealing with marriage issues and facing addiction by creating support groups to assist with life’s challenges that engage trained or outsourced counselors to support and guide.

Education and Lifelong Formation
Enhance knowledge of Catholic traditions and rituals, seeking to learn “why we do what we do,” by developing a resource base to explain Roman Catholic rituals and traditions and integrating “teaching moments” into the regular Sunday experience, i.e. a post-Mass “Did you know? – Fast 15 Nugget of the Week.”

Expand our programming in adult faith formation and make programs convenient so more parishioners will participate by selecting highly rated video bible studies and brainstorming ways to engage parishioners and offer the studies at the most convenient times, while providing childcare to eliminate barriers to participation.

Seek ways to teach kids with energy and enthusiasm, resulting in more excitement regarding the faith by training catechists on latest technology and techniques to make classes both entertaining and interactive.

Develop one to two annual parish missions/themed learning sessions by surveying parishioners to determine interest and coordinating with Saint Monica to promote and increase participation.

Service and Outreach
Celebrate existing service and outreach ministries to encourage more parishioner participation by holding an annual ministry fair to showcase efforts and recruit volunteers and by developing a process for social ministries to feature highlights and photos of good work and celebrate and promote this information in the parish and on social media.

Ensure there are service opportunities to allow families, youth and young adults to put their faith into action by creating a volunteer committee/volunteer coordinator to build a calendar of social outreach events and making sure that there are efforts that appeal to all pages. Add new service opportunities as necessary and publicize this calendar.

Meet with Saint Monica Parish to coordinate efforts and explore working together on various ministries.