(June 21, 2006) – Bishop Galante last weekend held his 138th and final “Speak Up” session, concluding a 15-month process of consulting with the Catholic people of South Jersey in order to set pastoral priorities for the future. Saying he wanted to hear 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. Inviting Catholics in the six southern counties of New Jersey to share with him their concerns and hopes for the future of the Church, he said, “You will speak, I will listen.
You will have the opportunity to share with me your concerns about the future of the Church; those areas of the Church that you feel may need improvement, development or change; and the priorities that you believe require our resources and energy.” Since March 2005, 138 Speak Up sessions were held (126 for parishes and missions and an additional 12 sessions which included priests, deacons and their wives, women religious, Catholic youth, diocesan employees, and Hispanic leadership).
8,246 Speak Up 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?” The next steps of processing the raw data and consolidating it are nearly completed. The pastoral priorities gleaned from the data will be presented back to the people of the diocese in the weeks ahead, bringing to full circle the process of consultation Bishop Galante began with the Speak Ups.