STA Thomas Aquinas Draft Plan
December 18, 2022
Vision
GOD’S PEOPLE IN EXTRAORDINARY VARIETY…A CARING COMMUNITY
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish is a diverse and welcoming community, seeking to serve the will of God, and striving to live the gospel of Jesus Christ through prayer, vibrant liturgy, educational excellence, personal sharing and social action. All are welcome to join us for liturgy and events.
Five Priority Issues[1] with Six Goals and Objectives[2]
Spiritual Growth
GOAL 1: STA will build effective faith formation resources, from the Catholic faith, for all ages and stages.
1.1 Assess current resources
1.2 Do a needs assessment of parishioners
1.3 Evaluate staffing needs for faith formation and liturgy to foster growth in faith and vibrant liturgy
1.4 Effectively communicate our resources to the parish
Stewardship
Goal 2: STA will recruit potential, new and existing parishioners to engage their time, talent, and treasure.
2.1 Investigate the possibility of restarting open nights in the gym
2.2 Promote existing ministry opportunities through various communication mechanisms
2.3 Capture data about underutilized parishioner talents
Community Engagement
Goal 3: STA will promote the different ministries that are offered in order to increase attendance in all programs.
3.1 Work to grow ministries
3.2 Identify gaps and opportunities for new ministries
3.3 Eliminate or revamp what is no longer working
3.4 Initiate a Ministry Fair and Day of Service
STA School
Goal 4: STA School is a vital and robust ministry of the parish that will strive to break down barriers that separate “church parishioners” and “school parishioners” and foster a united STA Family.
4.1 Achieve 200 attendance in the 2023-24 school year
4.2 Finalize building plan and begin discussion on a new pre-school
4.3 Update the religion curriculum to be more in line with other archdiocesan schools
4.4 Engage with School Commission to create a robust Principal succession plan
Dialogue, Truth, Faith
Goal 5: STA will create opportunities for parishioners to express their faith with the community.
5.1 Evaluate Past Programs
5.2 Reignite, as appropriate, past successful programs
Goal 6: STA will foster relationships with interfaith and interreligious communities in our neighborhood.
6.1 Map out existing relationships
6.2 Develop new relationships as needed
[1] Identified at September 2022 Planning Retreat
[2] Sub-numbered items under each goal
