Planning the Future for St. John XXIII Parish: It Starts with the Mission

Planning the Future for St. John XXIII Parish: It Starts with the Mission
 
One year ago, St. John XXIII Parish began its journey as a new faith community in Evanston. With Fr. Jean-Philippe as our pastor, and the vision he had for the unification efforts for Renew My Church, much has been achieved. Looking ahead to our future, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is initiating an 11-month planning process to create a new pastoral plan for St. John XXIII Parish by July 1, 2024.

The planning process will be inclusive and participatory. The PPC wants to hear everyone’s ideas and priorities for the new parish. Much is being planned for this fall to gather your input and feedback for the pastoral plan. With the data from the Disciple Maker Index as well as organized listening sessions, we will learn from you what is vital for the life and growth of St John XXIII.

Our journey as a parish includes an affiliation with a religious order to form and guide us: The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus. You may be asking: Who are the Comboni Missionaries?  How have they come to our parish in Evanston? What can we learn from Fr Jean-Philippe and Fr Jose Manuel’s charism and spirituality? In next week’s bulletin, you will hear directly from Fr Ruffino Ezama, the provincial superior for the North American Comboni Missionaries, who will answer these and other questions you may have.

To understand and help orient us as a Comboni Missionary parish and how this is integral to the development of the pastoral plan, we are organizing a three-night mission on September 19, 20, and 21. We recognize that three nights is a big investment of time for all of us.  To truly embrace the opportunity presented by our affiliation with the Combonis, we urge all parishioners – and particularly ministry leaders – to make the time for the September mission.

Each weekend leading up to the Parish Mission we will share more details, but for now please block out these three nights for this “mission to set our mission.”

With God’s peace,
​
The Parish Pastoral Council