Our Lady Of Grace - Beverly Hills, FL at 6 Roosevelt Blvd, Beverly Hills, FL 34465 US - Glossary

Deanery Planning Process: A structured process of systematically visioning and determining how to ensure the ongoing viability and vitality of the mission and ministry of the church in the Diocese of S1.Petersburg based upon the following issues:
     Declining number of priests available
     Shifting in demographics
     Challenges of available resources.

Parish Leadership Team: The term given to the team that assists the pastor in taking the parish through the initial phase of the assessment process which is designed to do provide information for the Deanery Leadership -ream. Specific components of this assessment process include a parish survey, town hall meetings, and completing a parish profile inventory while communicating to the parish the purpose, status, and results of the process. 

Parish Cluster Team (PCT): Established by the Deanery Leadership Team, the term is assigned to the members of planning teams from designated parishes in a local area. These parish groupings are created to carry out the grassroots assessing and planning process as well as reporting their findings to the Deanery Leadership Team. These PCTs are groupings of parishes ranging in size from 2 parishes to as many as 6 parishes working together in a local region. The PCTs are charged with exploring and identifying viable opportunities of pastoral model(s) and strategies to better position the cluster for serving the faith communities in their local area. These opportunities are used by the Deanery Leadership Team to form recommendations for the Diocesan Steering Committee. To 

Deanery Leadership Team (DLT): The term given to the team made up of the pastor one lay representative from each parish in the deanery in order to assesses the information gathered by the parishes, Pastoral Center, and Parish Cluster Teams, and, make formal recommendations to the Diocesan Steering Committee concerning pastoral model(s) and strategies that better position the deanery to serve the faith communities. The Deanery Leadership Team establishes the Parish Cluster Teams within the deanery.

Diocesan Steering Committee: This term is given to a committee of people appointed by Bishop Lynch for purpose of reviewing the recommendations and plans submitted by the Deanery Leadership Teams. The members of this Committee are made up of clergy, and lay leaders from throughout the 5 county Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Presbyteral Council: A Council of priests within the diocese required by Canon (Church) Law. In the case of restructuring of parishes, the Bishop must present his decisions to the Council and receive their input.

2. Terms describing Church Entities:

Parish: A specific community of the Christian faithful within a diocese, under the authority of a pastor, parochial administrator or parish life director. As a general rule, a parish is territorial-it comprises all the faithful within a specific geographical territory. Non-geographic parishes based on rite, language, nationality or other factors may also be established by the Bishop. These are commonly called personal, ethnic, or national parishes.

Parish title: The name given to a canonical parish, which is distinct from the title of a church building. This may be suppressed, altered, or created by the diocesan bishop.

Linked Parishes: Two or more separately incorporated parishes agreeing to share programs, activities, services, staffing, use of facilities, finances, parish organizational bodies and communications vehicles to the extent possible. 

Merged Parishes: Two or more parishes joined to become a new single parish corporation with shared assets and liabilities. Generally, a new name is recommended to the bishop through a consensus process with parishioners. Implementation of the merger may take several months. A date is selected to officially close the two or more merged parishes, and the new parish is established on the following day through canonical decrees by the Bishop and by following appropriate civil law requirements. 

Merger: The process by which several parishes are joined together to create a new parish with a newjuridic personality. It is also given a new name. The new parish mayor may not retain one of the church buildings from one of the joining parishes. The new parish becomes the recipient of the assets, liabilities, and parishioners of the joining parishes.

Mission: A community of the faithful, generally not large enough to be a vital and viable parish on its own, committed to the care and administration of a specific parish by the Bishop. 

Mission Chapel: A place of worhsip, having its own proper pastor and created with the expectation thatit will eventually develop into a separate parish with its own juridic personality but is presently impeded from doing this for some reason. The correct canonical term for this entity is a quasi-parish. (See c 516 Section 1)

Closed Parish: A canonical declaration by the bishop, in consultation with the Presbyteral Council that a parish ceases to function as a parish as of a given date. The territory of the closed parish then passes to the nearest geographical parish or to the parish designated by the Bishop. Discussions regarding assets and liabilities of the closed parish occur between the Diocesan Finance Office and the pastor/parish to which the territory of the closed parish has been assigned.

Restructuring (ed): A general term used to describe the process or the result of either a consolidation or merger process.

Consolidation: The process by which several parishes are joined together in an existing parish that retains its juridic identity, including its name. The "retained" parish becomes the recipient of the parishioners, assets, and liabilities of all the other parishes that were assumed by it. The assumed parishes are suppressed.

Territorial Parish: A parish that is organized according to a specific geographic territory, serving all the Christian faithful of that territory. (See c 518)

National Parish: (a.k.a.-personal or ethnic parish) A parish established to serve the needs of the Christian faithful in a specific area by reason of rite, language, or nationality. (See c 518)

Worship Site: A place of worship that is designated for the benefit of some community or group of the faithful, without the expectation that it will become a parish of its own. The correct canonical term for this entity is an oratory. (See c 1223)

Title of Church Building: The name given to the church building. The diocesan bishop may change the title of a church building if the building was only dedicated (according to the 1917 Code of Canon Law).) If, however, the church building was consecrated, the title may only be changed with the permission of the Holy See. (See c 1218)

Assets: The real property, religious articles, sacred and secular furnishings, and funds owned by a parish, in other words all those temporal goods owned by the parish.

Liabilities: The outstanding debts for which a parish is responsible: mortgages, loans, outstanding diocesan assessments, school subsidies, utility bills, payroll and other taxes, etc.

3. Terms Related to People

Pastor: A priest appointed by the Bishop to be accountable to him for the pastoral care of one or more parishes. Under Canon Law, only a priest can be designated the pastor of a parish.

Administrator: A priest appointed by the Bishop to administer a parish. This appointment has less stability than that of a pastor appointment and generally is for a specific period of time. Under Canon Law, only a priest can be designated the administrator of a parish.

Sacramental Minister: A priest assigned by the Bishop to provide sacramental ministry for a parish led by a parish life director. This is often an assignment given to retired priests or priests on special assignment who are performing full or part-time jobs within the diocese. 

Permanent Deacon: A minister trained and ordained for service. Deacons are ministers of the word, sacrament, and charity. They proclaim the Gospel and preach, preside at baptisms, wakes, funerals, and communion services, witness marriages, assist at liturgy, lead Benediction and prayer services. As ministers of charity deacons serve the poor, marginalized, and those in need.

Parish Life Director: An individual who is not a priest, appointed by the bishop to be accountable to him for the pastoral care of a parish in accord with Canon 517.2. A parish life director may be a deacon, a woman religious, or a lay person. When a parish is led by a parish life director, a priest is appointed as the sacramental minister to celebrate the sacraments. The parish life director and sacramental minister work in collaboration.