Introducing One Nativity 2035

This article is published as a "From The Hip" column in the October 27, 2019 parish bulletin.


Dear parishioners and friends, grace and peace be to you in Christ Jesus.
 
As you may know, we’ve been hard at work on a number of efforts to strengthen our parish from a leadership standpoint, clarify and communicate our mission, and better align all of our endeavors from the parish to the school and everything in between.
 
We’ve shared in this space and from the pulpit, with the help of the pastoral council, our new parish mission statement (now permanently published in the bulletin on the first page) and its background, process, and composition. 

We also devoted a weekend to presenting our re-commitment to accountability and safe environment, which is absolutely essential to anything we seek to accomplish here at Nativity.
 
At this time, I would like to formally introduce the One Nativity 2035 initiative.

One Nativity 2035 is a collaboration of the clergy, parishioners, and staff of Nativity of Our Lord to identify and recommend ways to better communicate, bolster, and sustain our parish mission in service of this vibrant Catholic community — today and well into the future.
 
In partnership with our lay trustees, Jerry Brennan and Dan Flanagan, as well as our school principal Kate Wollan, I launched One Nativity 2035 and identified 22 individuals to best represent our entire parish from the pastoral council, school advisory council, and finance council, as well as the parish staff, lay organizations, and at-large parish members.

These committee members are assisting me and the rest of our parish leadership to better understand our challenges and better take advantage of our opportunities.
 
Please refer to the information sheet [at the end of this post], including Q & A, for more details on this important initiative.
 
In the spirit of further parish-wide collaboration, I would like to personally invite you all to attend one of two discussion opportunities, open to the entire parish, which will allow for further reflection on our mission, dialogue in seeking further understanding, and brainstorming new ideas:

• Sunday, October 27, 2:30-4pm
• Wednesday, October 30, 6:30-8pm

 
At these discussions, our parishioners will be invited to share personal perspectives on how we as a community can best live out our mission both today and in the future.  Join us in Steiner Hall for light hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and good discussion. 
 
Finally, please pray for our parish and in particular for the One Nativity 2035 initiative and the open parish discussions.  It is only with the blessing of almighty God and by the work of the Holy Spirit that our efforts will be fruitful.  May his almighty will be done.
 
May God bless your week.

— Fr. Patrick Hipwell, pastor


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About One Nativity 2035

As Fr. Patrick explains in his column above, One Nativity 2035 is collaboration of the clergy, parishioners, and staff of Nativity of Our Lord to identify and recommend ways to better communicate, bolster, and sustain our parish mission in service of this vibrant Catholic community — today and well into the future.
 
One Nativity 2035 was initiated by Fr. Patrick, principal Kate Wollan, and the trustees for our parish community. The members of this team have been active in our parish and school and represent a wide breadth of our community.

They will assist the trustees, in collaboration with the pastoral council, school advisory council, finance council, and parish staff, to better understand our challenges and better take advantage of our opportunities.
 

Why is this task force needed?

With a clear mission statement and continued commitment to ensure we remain a vibrant Catholic community, the next step was to look carefully at how we live out our mission statement through our ministries and programs we offer — and in particular Nativity School — and how we prioritize and fund programs in support of that mission. 

 
Who is involved?

The One Nativity task force is comprised of 22 individuals who are active in our parish and school and represent a wide breadth of our community.  Each of our parish and school council organizations and staff are represented to ensure that the work and ideas of these groups are considered. 
 

What is the task force doing?

The One Nativity task force meets for 2.5 hours each month to learn about and discuss best practices from across the parish and larger Archdiocesan community.  The task force will be reviewing opportunities, input, and ideas to formulate recommendations about how to live out and demonstrate Nativity’s mission within our parish, school, and community.
 
The group is involved in the following activities:

• In August, school and parish leaders presented the parish’s governance structure and current priorities along with a financial overview.
• In September and October, the Catholic Community Foundation and Catholic Schools Center of Excellence shared with the group best practices in the Archdiocese. 
• At the annual leadership meeting earlier this month, a comprehensive group of organizational leaders outlined current programs and goals, funding sources, trends, and opportunities for the future.
• Two weeks ago, the group went on retreat to prayerfully reflect on and seek God’s will in its mission and work on behalf of the larger parish community.
• Collaborative working sessions are planned in November and December to clarify priorities.

What is the intended outcome for the task force?

By early 2020, we expect to have a recommended plan of parish-wide priorities, including how to best staff and fund programs that support our parish mission statement.