It has been several years now since the diocese launched its Strategic Plan for 2022-2026.
By God’s grace, we have made significant progress as a diocesan community as we have worked together to advance six strategic pillars, namely, to revitalize evangelization and faith formation; to cultivate authentic discipleship in Christ; to invigorate Catholic education for all; to strengthen parish and family life; to foster one communion of many cultures; and to deepen our commitment to charitable works. These pillars are put into practice through 23 strategic initiatives that continue through the end of our current Strategic Plan next year. As summer days begin to draw to a close and the comparably busier autumn season approaches, now is a fitting time to review some of the progress we have made together.
Overall, more than one third of our strategic goals are related to evangelization and discipleship. Evangelization to welcome persons into relationship with Jesus Christ and discipleship to walk with them as they deepen their faith. A team of priests are leading initiatives to promote training and resources that remind us of Our Lord’s personal approach to conversion. Specifically, these priests are leading initiatives Nos. 1-4, 11, and 15, which focus on identifying and sharing best practices for evangelization; promoting successful programs in evangelization; improving our approaches for greeting and welcoming people; encouraging prayer and devotion as a diocesan family; developing parish staffs in evangelization; and fostering discipleship at an individual level.
- Strategic initiative No. 3 calls us to “Strengthen greeters and welcoming programs at every parish.” During listening sessions for creating the Strategic Plan and then again in the synodal listening sessions in the diocese, the issue of welcoming parishioners into the parish community surfaced repeatedly. We have established a working group tasked with shaping best practices with pastors and parishes across our diocese, and I encourage all parishes to reflect on their programs and look for opportunities to welcome parishioners.
- Strategic initiative No. 4 calls us to “Encourage campaigns in each parish to promote sacramentals, virtues, and saints monthly, quarterly and yearly.” This strategic initiative aims to help build upon the unity we experience through Mass in our daily lives, particularly in the home and among our friends. We are now developing a prayer booklet for the faithful that promises to become a spiritual resource for our entire diocese.
- Strategic initiative No. 7 calls us to “Hold an annual Diocesan Service Week that unifies the diocese around a short list of service projects.” As you may already have learned in your parish or from our diocesan events calendar, our first Diocesan Week of Service will take place this November 9-16. Already, a great majority of our parishes have made plans for encouraging participation during this important week, ranging from opportunities for pro-life witness to many other activities.
- Strategic initiative No. 8 calls us to “Initiate a feasibility study to create a diocesan Vocational/Technical School.” I am pleased to share that the diocese successfully partnered with Meitler, a well-known Catholic education consulting company, to conduct a feasibility study. Our survey was disseminated diocese-wide to parents and students, as well as pastors, principals, heads of school and directors of religious education. More than 4,000 adults and nearly 1,000 students took part in this survey, providing a very robust portrait of diocesan perspectives. We are now analyzing the survey results and continuing to work toward a concrete plan for what form such a vocational or technical school might take in our diocese. Our intent will be to equip young people with the vocational knowledge and training for growing, high-demand fields while reinforcing the dignity of work.
- Strategic initiative No. 13 calls us to “Deploy special education trainers in our Catholic schools to build effective Options Programs in every school.” In Fall 2023, a group of 10 school principals met to create a forum where resources and best practices could be shared. Since then, membership in this group has nearly doubled. Additionally, our teachers are receiving additional education through George Mason University on teaching those with special needs. Our Office of Catholic Schools, meanwhile, has begun offering teachers new training to increase and support special education inclusion.
- Strategic initiative No. 16 calls us to “Provide resources and support to parishioners regarding gender dysphoria.” A leadership group of qualified professionals is considering a variety of resources for the faithful, including annual training for teachers as well as multimedia content that would convey how to address the topic of gender dysphoria as well as offering trustworthy resources. I also refer you to my pastoral letter, “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology,” released in August 2021 and now available on Amazon.
- Strategic initiative No. 20 calls us to “Identify and increase resources for Catholic-based mental health counseling.” Over many listening sessions, I heard repeatedly of the need to better equip and empower individuals, especially fathers, mothers and young people, with Catholic-informed resources to support mental health. We have formed a team that is making good progress in formulating Catholic resources, especially focused on making available trusted Catholic professionals, for all in the diocese.
We are taking seriously our diocesan responsibility to act thoughtfully upon our Strategic Plan, guided by the diocesan-wide listening sessions that led to its creation. Our diocese, and Northern Virginia generally, is a highly dynamic and lively region. It is our hope that advancing our Strategic Plan by God’s grace, we may build a stronger and more vibrant diocese for generations to come.
