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| Reaching
Out - Inclusion
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Ideas that emerged from statements
such as:
- In what ways might we be open to all?
- In what ways might we reach out?
- In what ways might we include diversity?
- In what ways might we celebrate each other?
- Celebrate our successes
- Get into a positive mode and action
- Accept each other - respect
- Develop a process of recreating
- Reach out - extend a joyful welcome
- Plan social gatherings on a regular basis: Coffee after Mass, meals, feasts
- Have greeters who really welcome people
- Listen, listen, listen (listen to the hurts)
- Find talents of each, put them to use
- Be patient
- Send out questionnaires to discover needs
- Be approachable
- Phone them
- Send cards to everyone - person, birthday, Christmas
- Plant seeds of love
- Celebrate generations of faith
- Have a guest register
- Publish photographs
- Introduce them at Mass
- Share more openly. Listen with openness.
- Have more devotional times
- Have Mass at flexible times; perhaps Sunday evening for students who return to Regina for University
- Acceptance of all - little children will make noise
- Do more for local charities
- Accept single moms, divorced people, different family structures. Clarify rules and roles. Don't make them feel different, unwanted. What about receiving Communion for the divorced?
- Avoid being hurtful
- Renewed by Jesus' spirit we will discover and use our gifts
- Churches should be open 24 hours a day
- Draw in the marginalized
- Spend time with compassionate people
- Focus on the goodness of people
- The clergy and religious - share wealth
- Use school gym for special events, i.e. wheelchair sports
- Insert vignettes of people of other cultures in our parish bulletin, how they arrived, difficulties encountered, etc.
- Host a mini-mosaic
- Focus of welcome of a family, a culture
- Invite elders to tell stories
- Include a vignette in bulletin re Families, Stephen Ministry, CWL, World Youth, etc.
- Monthly themes for social gatherings
- As soon as a new parishioner arrives in parish, welcome. Take a brochure.
- Welcome Wagon
- Church accept ALL - divorced, single, etc.
- A host couple to bring a new couple to church
- Share and listen to stories
- Empower each other to act
- Affirmations
- Involvement of all necessary to maintain our church
- Our roles need to change from spectator to participant
- To become people centered rather than self centered
- We each should reach out of our comfort zone
- More Polka masses
- Have inter-generational celebrations
- Accept gays, lesbians - no judging
- Have a Tim Horton franchise in parish hall
- Break isolation
- Dance wherever you may be
- Incorporate wisdom of elders
- Homosexuals invited - but not to become priests
- Dialogue, dialogue
- Rearrange the space in church. Priest at the same level as the people - try a circle formation
- Do more for local charities
- Set up a visitation rotation - home visits
- The needs of the poor need to be addressed
- Visit the "unchurched" privately
- Offer rides to people who need rides
- Remember shut-ins, aging
- Provide headphones in the pews for the hard of hearing
- Print large print for aging
- Focus and assist the poor
- Do meaningful things in church - let others know of the meaning
- All services, facilities and programs accessible to physically challenged/special needs
- Correct past grievances
- We need a review of injustices in the church (minorities, marginalized, women)
- Discussion evening of family issues
- Look after our aging population
- Establish a Catholic Elder Hostel
- Do not cling to events of the past or what happened long ago
- Invite Father Koep of St. Peter's to speak and find out how to encourage alienated/fallen away Catholics to return to the Church
- Recognize the pain and suffering of divorced, re-married, mixed married, homosexuals, pedophiles, common-law relationships
- Sports must be delayed on Sundays until afternoon
- Clearly define roles of all so understanding occurs
- What about drive-in/through confessionals?
- Begin FAMILIA in every parish
- Assist with places like Marion Centre
- Celebrate the Philippine Knights of Columbus and other functions of diversity
- Give more support to Stephen Ministry and expand it
- Reach out to Laos group. Pay attention.
- Ring bells during Angeles (celebrate!)
- Reintroduce the Lenten giving folder
- Involve the Alpha program
- Hold think-a-thons
- Initiate 50 forms of prayer
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