Minutes/Reports

In attendance: Dennis Kirby, Joanne Bloom, Nancy Long, Marjorie Klise, Mike Bromley, Larry Quane, and John Ryan.

The meeting convened at 7 pm.

Opening Prayer:

John read a passage from a book by Henri Nouwen…and the group spent some time reflecting and commenting on the meaning and its application to our effort. John further suggested that all VOTF meetings begin with something more than a perfunctory recitation of a short prayer, and expand to a more reflective experience in order to set the tone for what is to follow at the meeting. This is a practice used in some parish settings, often referred to as “Faith First” to set the context for discussion and action.

The group then reviewed the agenda, and focused on the proposed outcomes for this meeting:

1. We leave this meeting with a collective understanding of the national VOTF strategic initiatives and how they will impact our activity in the diocese and at other levels.
2. We leave this meeting with some initial agreement about a proposed organizational structure for VOTF in the diocese, and a game plan with a timetable for implementation.

At the end of the meeting, we agreed that we had met both of these objectives.

Our discussion during the meeting focused on three main areas:

1. Reactions to the National Strategic Plan outline
2. A proposed Organizational Model for VOTF in the diocese
3. Identifying next steps and a timetable for implementation

Reactions to the National Strategic Plan Outline:

We spent a good deal of time going over this draft document. The final, detailed plan will be put out by National VOTF at the end of this month.

Some of the main points of the plan have to do with a nationally directed effort to develop affiliates…and to create a somewhat de-centralized national organization, which would allow for a good degree of independence for affiliates within a framework of national support and direction.

National VOTF has designated four Regions across the U.S., and we fall into what is referred to as the Central Region, which includes twelve mid-west states. At some point, each Region will have its own leadership, with links to National and to the more local affiliates.

The goal of National VOTF is to have affiliates functioning at the parish level, as the basic building block. But it will take some time to reach this goal, so in the early stages, affiliates will be functioning at regional, diocesan, and “area” levels, from which model parish affiliates will spring up. But they will do so under the umbrella of a well established network of support and resources.

The other portion of this draft document identifies the ten priorities selected for focus in years 2004-2005. They include such things as a worldwide day of prayer, continuing to work with survivors groups, analyzing and publicizing diocesan results from the National Review Board audit, broadening efforts to determine “how to support priests”, promoting and monitoring the establishment of functioning Pastoral Councils, Finance Councils, and Parish Safety Committees, defining model diocesan financial disclosure standards and highlighting “best practices”, developing and rolling out national lay education programs, holding a national VOTF conference in the summer of 2004, developing internal VOTF capabilities to accomplish these tasks, and continuing to engage in dialogue with priests, bishops, laity and all persons of good will.

We agreed that this list includes many items that would have application in the diocese, while recognizing that there will also be issues that are local across different areas of the diocese and within parishes.

We also spent some time reviewing an “organizational change model” that John had worked with during his corporate years in Chicago and Bloomington. It is a model that can be helpful in understanding the necessary stages involved in bringing about behavior change in organizations (i.e., in the way an organizations acts…its practices, etc.) and for that matter in individuals.

The model, developed by the Industrial Relations Center of the University of Chicago, is referred to as the “Four A’s”:

Awareness: This is the first essential phase...raising awareness of the need for change. If there is not an awareness of the need for change…nothing will change, regardless of the quality and intensity of efforts to bring about change. Raising awareness of this need for change in the Church will be an essential component of our effort, nationally, regionally, and at the diocesan and parish levels. We recognized that the Roncalli Society over the years has done a great deal in the area of raising awareness. This kind of effort must continue, and expand.

Analysis: In the light of awareness of the need for change, the next step is to determine just what must change, how, and who needs to be involved. The current national strategic plan priorities seem to be aimed at both raising awareness and identifying what must change and how. It is the result of analysis…”sizing up the situation” that an agenda develops. The result of analysis should be a comprehensive, creative, well thought out, plan for action.

Action: This is the implementation phase…putting the plan to work and to the test….and may involve much trial and error. This phase also results in a new and deepened awareness, and continued analysis. It is at this stage that the plan will encounter resistance….and will also be the phase that will consume the most time…in the case of change in the Church…years. That is why those who support this effort need to have strong convictions and stronger commitment to making it happen. When “it happens”, we enter into the next phase, Actualization.

Actualization: At this point, the modified behavior becomes internalized, normative, and accepted practice. Would that we will live to see this day!!

When you step back and look at what Votf is trying to do in the light of this change model, one can see why change at the parish level is the fundamental building block of this process, while efforts to bring about change at the diocesan level continue. It is not an exclusively “bottoms up” or “top down” change model….

But using this model as a framework for shaping our agendas across the diocese and at the area and parish levels will help us to make sure we are focusing on the right things at the right time.

A Proposed Organizational Model for Votf in the diocese of Peoria

John proposed a model which would have an interim leadership at the diocesan, “area”, and ultimately, the parish levels. It would consist of “concentric circles” with links to each other…i.e., a Diocesan Coordinating Committee, consisting of the Regional Coordinator, and a representative from each of the “Area Teams” (i.e., groups functioning under their own local leadership) in the following areas: Champaign/Urbana (including Danville), Bloomington/Normal, Peoria, Galesburg, Quad Cities, LaSalle/Peru.

Identifying Next Steps and a Timetable for Implementation

Individuals will be identified to coordinate the formation of a support group in each of these areas…by setting up a date in October in each of these areas for an “Informational Meeting”, which will entail recruiting people who may have interest in VOTF and securing a place for the meeting.

Dennis Kirby and Larry Quane will take responsibility for this in the Bloomington/Normal area; Joanne Bloom, Marjorie Klise, Mike Bromley, and Nancy Long will do the same for the Peoria area. John will make contact with people in Champaign/Urbana/Danville area to follow up, as well as in the Quad City area. John will also follow up with our Galesburg contacts…

We propose to conduct these meetings during the month of October, in the areas designated above.

Joanne Bloom suggested that we (VOTF) make an announcement at the October 11 Roncalli Event in Bloomington, and arrange to have a table with handouts and sign-up forms. She offered to bring this suggestion to Roncalli Society leadership.

Also in October, we will send another letter to Bishop Jenky informing him of our current activity (including the November agenda below) and again, requesting to meet with him.

November….Area Teams will initiate contact pastors in their respective areas requesting a meeting. At the meeting, they will introduce themselves and acquaint the pastor with VOTF and their agenda. They will seek feedback and reaction…and hope to get approval from the pastor to use parish facilities for meetings.

By this time, National VOTF will have put out their detailed national strategic plan….and elements of this plan will be adopted by the Area Teams as they begin to meet locally.

The proposals above were agreed to…with the understanding that sometime next year...perhaps mid-year….we would conduct elections for terms of office for leadership in the existing areas and at the diocesan level.

Finally, John submitted a first Financial Report, which will be posted on the Minutes/Reports page under Reports within the next couple of days.

We read a closing prayer, and the meeting adjourned at 9:40 pm.

Next meeting: Saturday, October 18, in Bloomington (10 am to 2 pm)

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