ARTICLES

Parishes give high rating to diocesan offices

By Steve Neill
of The Catholic Virginian

The overwhelming response of pastors and parish staff members to a survey rating the effectiveness of diocesan offices as an aid to parishes has been positive.

The survey was sent to 110 pastors in October with a cover letter from Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo. Of that number, 99 completed surveys were returned and tabulated by the diocese’s Office of Information Technology.

(A priest who is pastor of more than one parish would only receive one survey.)

The survey included a brief description of each office with the names of all persons working in that office and then called for a response to three statements in which one answer was checked.

The questions were:

1. In the last five years, our interaction with this office has been — with the response being either “often,” “sometimes,” “rarely” or “never.”

2. This office responds to our parish’s requests and questions in a timely manner — with either “often,” “sometimes” or “rarely.”

3. This office has been helpful in addressing our needs — with either “not at all,” “somewhat” or “very.”

Those who responded “never” to the first question were able to skip questions two and three.

The results of the survey show that the diocesan office with which parishes had the most contact was the Office of Finance, headed by John Barrett.

The diocesan office which received the highest number of satisfactory responses was the Tribunal, the office which handles annulment cases.

The pastors or any parish staff members who completed the survey were also given an opportunity to make comments in a section marked “strengths” and “needs improvement” listed after each office. All surveys were signed by the pastor.

A summary of the survey was presented at meetings of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and Diocesan Priests’ Council in the last week. A summary was first presented Jan. 12 at a meeting of staff members of the diocese’s central administrative offices.

“I want to take the opportunity for thanking all of you,” Bishop DiLorenzo told staff members.

He pointed out that a similar survey was conducted in May 2005, a year after he was installed as Bishop of Richmond. Like the recent survey, it asked parishes if they felt the diocesan offices were helpful to them in their ministry.

“Based on that input, some changes were made in an attempt to more effectively run the diocese and be responsive to parish and parishioner needs,” Bishop DiLorenzo said in the cover letter with the survey.

“Five years ago we got a picture of how we were perceived by the parishes,” the Bishop told Pastoral Center employees. “In point of fact, we found out where we were.”

Bishop DiLorenzo told The Catholic Virginian that he so far has visited 80 parishes of the diocese as part of the “We Walk by Faith” model in which he first presides at Mass on Sunday and then hears comments from parishioners and answers their questions in a town hall meeting. His most recent visit was to St. Jerome Parish in Newport News on Jan. 10.

“It was a very positive meeting, as far as I was concerned,” he said of the St. Jerome visit.

In his parish visits, Bishop DiLorenzo said 72 of the 80 parishes expressed satisfaction with their parish life and the ministries it offers.

Interventions from diocesan staff were later made in the eight parishes where there appeared to be discord.

“I continue to make the ‘We Walk by Faith’ visits and appreciate the time and effort parish leadership and staff have put forth to make these visits fruitful for me as well as your parishioners,” Bishop DiLorenzo said in his letter to the priests.

“It takes an understanding of what we have and where we need to be going in order to effectively reach the needs and expectations of our people,” he added. “I trust those who have completed the ‘We Walk by Faith’ process have found it to be beneficial to the future of their parish.”

Obviously pleased with the response from the parishes, Bishop DiLorenzo said he envisions the survey being made every five years.

“I think it gives us a benchmark of how we are doing,” he said.

“I’m very pleased with it. It answers a lot of questions.

“By and large, we’ve accomplished our goal.”

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