Since his installation as seventh Bishop of Camden, Bishop Joseph Galante has reminded the people of South Jersey of their baptismal dignity and equality, the importance of consultation, and the responsibility of all Catholics to further the mission of the Church.
Saying he wanted to hear directly from the people of the diocese, Bishop Galante announced in March 2005 his plans to hold a “Speak Up” session in every parish of the diocese in order to set pastoral priorities for the future.
Over the next 15 months, he invited the people to tell him of their concerns and hopes for the Church of South Jersey. 138 Speak Up sessions were held. Over 8,000 participants had the opportunity to give feedback to the question,
“Looking to the future, what are the three most important areas about which the Church of South Jersey should be concerned?”
Data from each of the sessions was gathered. Guest listeners from the sessions then met to reflect on the raw data and to consolidate the information in order to present it back to the people of the diocese. This report summarizes the comments from the Speak Up sessions, which have been grouped into topic areas.
Many concerns on a range of issues surfaced at the sessions, but six key pastoral priorities were cited most often by Speak Up participants.
They are:
- Life Long Formation
- Priestly Vocations
- Lay Ministry
- Youth and Young Adults
- Lithurgy
- Compassionate Outreach