Ready, set, go! Parishes begin using toolkits to advance their mission.

October 22, 2024

This past Pentecost, Bishop William Joensen unveiled the new diocesan mission and vision: we sow God’s Spirit by cultivating connections in Christ through encounter, friendship, and communion.

Together, parishes cultivate connections in Christ by strengthening their outreach through six pastoral priority areas:

• Creating a culture of welcome and care
• Inviting people to an encounter with Jesus
• Accompanying youth in discipleship
• Engaging young adults in the faith
• Preparing disciples for the domestic church (family)
• Communicating the Gospel boldly and clearly

Each of these priorities focuses upon different spiritual and human opportunities to grow in relationship to one another and to Christ. To help parishes in these areas, a cross-section of parishioners collaborated to create a toolkit of best ideas and practices for each priority.

Over the summer, pastors and their parish leaders selected at least one of the six pastoral priorities based on the needs of their parish and which toolkit might be a good resource to help their faith community advance their work in that area.

In the midst of the planning, the diocesan faith family focused on Eucharistic revival with one leg of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage swinging through the west and southwest corner of Iowa and the Eucharistic Congress that drew hundreds from the Des Moines Diocese.

Ready, set, go!

“With the wind from the summer’s Eucharistic activities and the toolkits in hand, we are excited to follow the Holy Spirit to incredible outcomes for our parishes and everyone in southwest Iowa,” said Dan Kinsella, co-chair of the Diocesan Pastoral Council. The DPC is a consultative group tasked by Bishop Joensen to assist him in implementing the diocesan strategic vision and plan.

“The Des Moines Diocese was one of the national leaders for the number of new Catholics last Easter,” he said. “With the strategy’s focus on evangelization, let’s continue that trend.”

DPC co-chair Maria Matamoros agreed that, as the Diocese moves forward, it must listen to the Holy Spirit.

“It is the Holy Spirit that guides us. We need to continue to pray and be attentive to God’s work within our diocese, parishes, and communities,” she said.

Of 80 parishes in the Diocese, 52 selected a priority, with 6 more parishes saying they’re in the process of selecting a pastoral priority. Of the 58 parishes that have responded, 39 – or more than half – have selected the priority “Creating a Culture of Welcome & Care.”

Parishes working together on pastoral priorities may cultivate relationships with each other, Matamoros said.

“To be most effective, we hope each parishioner can play some part in the invigoration effort the Bishop has laid out,” Kinsella said. “The best is yet to come.”