Gathering of Deacons and Lay Ministers

Our deacons and our lay staff members are essential to the ministry of the Church, most especially in our parish communities. As coworkers in the vineyard of the Lord, we collaborate in leading our parish communities into the future.

During the 2016-17 fiscal year, the priests and parish directors of the Archdiocese met three times to discuss their concerns and hopes, and to plan for the future of our parishes. The priests and parish directors established a clear vision for parishes and developed parish models that will help guide priests’ placement in the future. Out of these three forums, new models of parish and new models of leadership emerged.

On August 25, 2017, the deacons and lay professional ministers of the archdiocese gathered to explore how the Church is changing on both national and local levels, and how those changes are affecting our ministries.  Deacons and lay ministers had the opportunity to explore these new models of parish and new models of leadership, hear about future directions for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and discuss their hopes, concerns and ministerial needs.

• Schedule for the Gathering of Deacons and Lay Ministers
• Future Parish Models
• Future Parish Leadership Models

Note: Session II was a series of small group discussions that were not recorded.

Read all of the recorded feedback offered by deacons and lay professional ministers at the August 25, 2017 gathering or download the summary.