September 7, 2025
Dear Friends,
Last week, I shared with you some information provided to us by our diocese regarding the pastoral planning process that we, at St. Maria Goretti, and 40 other parishes in our diocese are participating in during 2025. As was indicated in that information, the goal of pastoral planning is to help the parishes in our part of the diocese to meet the future sacramental and pastoral needs of our communities.
One important part of the pastoral planning process is gathering input from parishioners about their faith journey and the way the Church accompanies them on that path. You may remember that earlier this year, we invited you to participate in an anonymous parish survey, called the Disciple Maker Index, to provide us with input on your journey of faith and experience of the Church. We received 704 responses, representing 75% of weekend Mass attendance! I want to thank all of you who participated in the DMI survey. Your input helped us to better understand the beliefs, practices, needs, and desires of our community.
As part of the pastoral planning process and DMI survey, I was asked to select three parishioners who would participate in the pastoral planning process meetings and help me begin to look at the input shared through the DMI survey. After prayer and reflection, I asked Barb Swanson, Lori Chen, and Kevin Foy to serve in this important role. They have dedicated their many gifts to our parish in the past and will bring much wisdom to the pastoral planning process.
One of the first things the four of us were asked to do was to review the results of all the DMI surveys from our parish and discern some of the major insights of what you shared. Below are some of the highlights.
- Parishioners love St. Maria Goretti and would recommend it to others. The parish has a great reputation in the larger community and is always welcoming new parishioners.
- Parishioners love our vibrant and engaging Masses. The liturgical music and the inclusion of children at Mass are important to parishioners. The liturgical space is attractive and accessible to those with mobility concerns.
- Many parishioners want to grow in your faith and relationship with the Lord. This is a great reason to continue to develop an integrated, lifelong faith formation culture in the parish.
- Our many ministries serve the needs of our parishioners, neighbors, and visitors. These ministries build up the life of the parish and allow parishioners to give back.
Our parish is blessed with a legacy of faith, and it continues today. In the coming months, I will be working with our three team members, as well as other groups and individuals in the parish, to reflect further on what you and other parishioners shared in the DMI survey.
In the meantime, I want to remind you that, as part of the pastoral planning process, there will be a General Parish Meeting for our area on Tuesday, September 9, from 6 pm to 8 pm, at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Merrillville (8303 W. Taft St). This meeting will be an opportunity for the pastoral planning process steering committee members, Father Chris Stanish, Father Jeff Burton, and Deacon Brad Hendrickson, to share information about the process and to answer questions. I encourage all parishioners who would like to learn more about the pastoral planning process to attend this meeting.
If you have questions or thoughts about the pastoral planning process or the DMI survey, please feel free to contact Barb Swanson (swanson.genito@comcast.net), Lori Chen (lorichen@me.com), Kevin Foy (foy.kevin@gmail.com), or me (FatherLeo@smgdyer.org).
Finally, I ask you to keep in your prayers Bishop McClory, as well as all the parishioners and priests of the parishes participating in the pastoral planning process, asking that we will all be attentive and responsive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we discern how we can meet the future sacramental and pastoral needs of people in our area for decades to come.
Peace,
Father Leo