The level of energy in the room was high as Bishop McGrath and Fr. David Pettingill spoke about the challenges that face the Diocese. The Advisory Council met formally for the first time the morning of November 19. The Executive Committee will prepare the agendas for the Advisory Council meetings in collaboration with Bishop McGrath and the Office for Parish and Planning. Staff have begun doing SWOT Analysis with over thirty-five groups of people in the diocese.
Plans are in the works for meetings for parish staffs in each of the six deaneries.
Meetings are also being scheduled for English, Vietnamese and Spanish speaking parishioners throughout the diocese, including sessions in South County. Bishop McGrath is holding a series of meetings with each of the six Age Groups of priests during December and January for informal discussions similar to the SWOT analyses. The Data Team continues to gather significant information about demographic, economic, pastoral, social and educational realities in the diocese and the county of Santa Clara. We have employed the services of a part-time intern to aid in gathering key data from other agencies. The Data Team plans to have refined information ready for the Advisory Council to consider at their first working meeting in January.