Listening Session: Participant’s guide

Listening Session: Participant’s Guide

“What opportunities and challenges exist for us?”

Process reminders

•      The goal is to re-envision the parish family and how it moves forward. Everyone’s voice is important.

•      This confidential listening session a “safe place” where people should feel free to share openly. 

•      For the listening session, each person will share in turn and there is no back and forth, response, agreement or disagreement. Everyone simply listens.

•      The facilitator will keep time as needed. 

•      At the end of each round, everyone will be invited to share what was heard in the round.

•      There will be time for free conversation at the end of the small group session.

Round One 

What challenges do you see existing in the wider community? An example could be having a large homeless or undocumented immigrant population with specific needs.

This first question asks us to look at Whatcom County and establish what challenges us to respond to as Catholics.  Homeless people, lack of church attendance, current cultural aspects that draw people away from a relationship with Christ, and any other challenges that come to mind. 

 Each person answering the question should reflect on their experience and knowledge to identify areas of concern and where we might be able to be involved in improving the situation.

Round Two 

What challenges do you see exist in the parish? An example could be having families with teenagers but not being able to hire a youth minister.

 This question refers to Challenges and opportunities and is the one that asks us to reflect on the information that PFAC has provided on the following viability metrics:

Finances, Facilities, Demographics, Staff, Utilization/Mass attendance, and Evangelization”

 This question needs preparation ahead of time prior to the listening sessions. PFAC will be providing further information in the next weeks. 

The answers given will be crucial to the decisions we must make when we enter the next phase of Partners in the Gospel, which is “What do we want to become”

Round Three 

Having heard information from the community demographics report, what opportunities do you see (in our parish and in the wider community) to more effectively serve and accompany others?  Are there groups or individuals in Whatcom County that we can do a better job of reaching?

  Since the demographic information comes from questionnaires filled by our fellow parishioners the answer for this question will begin with the locations in Whatcom Catholic but is not necessarily limited there.  Again, we are asked to consider all of Whatcom County and problem solve and dream about where we need to be more active and involved.  Catholics have always been involved in outreach throughout the world.  Where are we currently active and where else might there be an opportunity for service in Whatcom County.

  The answers given here will be necessary to effectively develop a vision of what do we want to become.

 B6D: “What opportunities and challenges exist for us?” Listening Session Participant Guide | 1