Parish Pastoral Plan for Saint Joachim Catholic Church
2026 – 2030
The formation of a parish pastoral plan continues to enrich our community as a source of hope, inspiration, creativity, and shared mission. Noteworthy, the recommendations contained herein align wonderfully with the Diocese of Orange Strategic Plan. This document will briefly summarize how we arrived at our recommendations (I), recall the primary thrust of evangelization and stewardship for our parish (II), list the prioritized goals (III), speak to its affirmation by the People of God and the pastor (IV), provide guidelines for its implementation (V), and conclude with a call for accountability in achieving the plan (VI). An addendum is also enclosed with helpful exhibits and definition of some terms(VII).
I. Process
The council members were nominated and elected by the parish. Members, through continuous communication with parishioners, brought initial aspirations to the council. In 2025 three subcommittees were formed for Youth, Family Faith Formation, and Hospitality & Welcome. These subcommittees worked together for months conducting interviews, studying current and best practices, reading ecclesial documents and pertinent books, engaging in prayerful discernment, and talking with staff and parishioners. Later in 2025, the whole pastoral council heard from each subcommittee. The subcommittee findings were published on the website and summarized in the bulletin (Exhibit One).
II. Evangelization and Stewardship
The Council recommendations arose from the underlying thrusts of Evangelization and Stewardship. In 2024, the Council identified these two themes as containers for what was discerned to be most important. Evangelization is critical not just as proclamation to those who do not know Christ, but formation of those who do, the making of disciples, followers of Jesus. The Mission Statement of Saint Joachim Catholic Church is, “We are a church where people encounter Jesus Christ and grow as missionary disciples.” If we are to live as missionary disciples within an evangelizing community, we need the engagement, the stewardship of the entire parish. Exhibit Two shows the subthemes contained within both Evangelization and Stewardship. Since 2024, the parish pastoral staff continues to emphasize all the initiatives in each category, with special attention to those circled in red. That same year we held a parish wide Called & Gifted campaign. Increasing the Sunday Offertory to meet operating expenses is an ongoing priority that takes place during our Fall Giving Campaign, First Fruits. While many of the items are addressed in an ongoing fashion, Welcome & Hospitality, Family Faith Formation and Youth were identified for special attention.
III. Prioritized Goals
The January 2026 Council meeting was devoted to ranking the goals from each committee into a prioritized list of recommendations. The discernment criteria for prioritizing the goals were alignment with parish mission, impact, urgency, feasibility and spiritual fruit. Council members submitted votes that were tallied. The results, below, are the most succinct expression of the Council’s recommendations.
- Establish a dedicated youth space and hire a full-time youth minister.
- Family Faith Formation Events.
- Encourage Eucharistic Adoration and integrate adoration more fully into the life of the parish.
- Form a Youth Council
- Formation of catechists and leaders
- Deepen youth involvement in parish life
- Enhancements to church interior
- Create a culture of hospitality
- Engage new members of the parish
The nine recommendations in prioritized order flow from the vision and desired outcomes from each subcommittee. Exhibit Three includes slides from the Parish Town Hall Meeting that reference the vision and desired outcomes of each committee.
IV. Pastor Acceptance of Council Recommendations
The pastor, at the May 2026 meeting of the Council, accepted the Council recommendations. The pastor’s acceptance was shaped by the affirmation of the Council’s work at a Parish Town Hall Meeting held February 19, 2026.
V. Guidelines for Implementation
The Foundation Document for the Saint Joachim Parish Pastoral Council, under section two, purpose, states:
The three-fold tasks of the council – researching, considering, and recommending conclusions – is called pastoral planning. If the pastor accepts the recommendations of the council, he directs their implementation. Council members may assist the pastor, if asked, but the implementation is the responsibility of the pastor together with the pastoral staff, not the council.
The pastoral staff is charged with implementing the parish pastoral plan. The plan is the map drawn from where the parish has been to where it is going, guided by the Holy Spirit. The plan may evolve and be modified by a consensus of the pastoral council members. For example, the Parish Town Hall meeting made apparent the need to continue parish outreach through the service of charity. Additionally, ministry to young adults surfaced during discussion with staff.
The implementation of the plan is the work of the pastoral staff. The pastor is encouraged to continue consulting the Finance Council and Pastoral Staff on the feasibility and funding of the priorities, as well as opportunities for both councils to gather for prayer and fellowship. Certainly, the plan can only be realized with sufficient human and financial resources.
VI. Accountability
The Parish Pastoral Council shall assess the progress being made on implementing the recommendations by the pastoral staff twice a year at a regular monthly meeting.
VII. Exhibits
Exhibit One, A: Welcome and Hospitality Subcommittee Report, September 2025
Our Parish Pastoral Council reconvened in September. Our subcommittee on Welcome and Hospitality reported on their recommendations after months of analysis, interviews, study, prayer and reflection. Tom Leahy, Steve Gaitan and Fernando Ramos identified three areas of focus;
1. Create a Culture of Hospitality
2. Enhancements to our church interior
3. How we visit and engage new members of our parish.
The full report and minutes from the meeting can be accessed on our parish website. The overall goal is to create a consistent hospitality strategy for both the school and parish whereby every parishioner and visitor feels noticed, valued and connected. Hospitality is our ministry: make every encounter a blessing!
The committee suggests a team, paid position or consultant help us all create this culture, recognizing our budget is an issue in the realization of our vision. We do not need to wait for the publication and presentation of the Parish Pastoral Plan next year to begin creating this culture now!
The committee members also felt that our church environment is an important part of our welcome and hospitality. Their recommendations align well with our next One Fund project, the painting of the interior of the church during the summer of 2027. The interior painting is an opportunity for us to revisit other elements of our worship space. One member observed that we have a “hodge podge” of different devotional items collected over many years with no coherent plan. A parish group will be formed before the end of the year to begin planning the color scheme for the interior of the church, lighting and flooring in the sacristy.
Exhitit One, B: Youth Subcommittee Report October, 2025
Our Parish Pastoral Council convened on October 16. Our Subcommittee on Youth reported their recommendations after months of analysis, interviews, parish visits, study, prayer and reflection. Sylvia Catania and Kathy Lewis identified five areas of focus:
- Hire a Full-Time Youth Minister
- Establish a Dedicated Youth Space
- Form a Youth Council
- Deepen Youth Involvement in Parish Life
The full report and minutes from the meeting can be accessed on our parish website. The goal is to create a space that meets the spiritual and social needs of our youth. The Committee on Youth reviewed what we are currently doing while highlighting the desire for continuous engagement of our youth after they have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. The youth need to build a relationship with God and feel connected to Saint Joachim. Mentoring and accompaniment are vital and effective.
The next stage of growth for our program seems to be the concurrent exploration for a gathering space while accessing further staffing. The committee recognizes this requires financial resources and referenced the possible availability of diocesan funds and other grants. One of the Diocesan pastoral priorities is youth.
The wider parish pastoral council discussed different options for both space and staff configurations during our meeting. The preliminary options surfaced to date require more analysis and consultation; purchasing a nearby property, repurposing the Barn from storage location to a gathering space, and imaging a dedicated youth space within a larger parish site plan.
The third and fourth elements seek to empower young people to take ownership of their faith journey by giving them a voice in planning, leadership, and service opportunities. Intergenerational events can be a source of hope and joy for our larger faith community.
Exhibit One, C: Family Faith Formation Subcommittee Report, December 2025
Our Parish Pastoral Council convened on December 4th. Our Subcommittee on Family Faith Formation reported on their recommendations after months of analysis, interviews, parish visits, study, prayer and reflection. Mike Kehoe, Alicia Moral and Alma Cortes identified three areas of focus:
- Encourage Eucharistic Adoration and Integrate Adoration more fully into the life of the parish.
- Formation of Catechists and Leaders
- Family Faith Formation Events.
The full report and minutes from the meeting can be accessed on our parish website. The goal of these initiatives is to strengthen our families as a community of life and a school of love. The subcommittee affirmed the “fruits” of Eucharistic Adoration quoting scripture and papal/Church teaching. The members emphasized that Christ is “able to accomplish far more than we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20,21) through adoration. The report acknowledged current opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration at Saint Joachim while suggesting others. Additional opportunities might include “calling for a holy hour of adoration to parishioners on each Friday before Christ in the Tabernacle” and a parish retreat on Adoration. The committee members also spoke about the possibility of a perpetual adoration chapel.
The second element of the report, Formation of Catechists and leaders, emphasized that, “the catechist must teach from a posture of continual encounter with God (An Evangelizing Catechesis, Pauley, p.199)” The committee members shared what staff is currently doing around the formation of catechists and ideas for further formation and collaboration. The third element advocated for Family Faith Formation through parish wide events/retreats that highlight fun, food and formation. Such a retreat would meet families where they are and speak to issues that matter most: how to form our children, how to share the faith, how to pray and persevere, how to guard the hearts and minds of children and spouses, how to reach out to family members who have fallen away (A Parish Guide to Integrated Faith Formation, Denise Utter). We need to strengthen the Domestic Church, the family.
Exhibit Two, Evangelization and Stewardship
Exhibit Three, A: Welcome and Hospitality, Slides on Vision and Outcomes
Exhibit Three, B: Family Faith Formation, Slides on Vision and Outcomes
Exhibit Three, C : Youth, Slides on Vision and Outcomes
Exhibit Four : Definition of Terms
Evangelization: Bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. At its essence are the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ and the response of a person in faith, which are both works of the Spirit of God. The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself. It is not just the proclamation of the crucified and risen Lord to those who do not know Christ, but also the formation of those who do, the making of disciples, followers of Jesus.
Missionary Discipleship: Takes place within the context of evangelization and begins with an encounter with Jesus Christ. We look to Jesus, the Master who personally formed his apostles and disciples, as the model of evangelization. Christ gives us the method: “Come and See” (Jn 1:46), “Follow me” (Mt. 9:9), “Remain in me” (Jn 15:4), and “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19). The method includes encounter, accompany, community, and send. This method is formation for missionary discipleship. It leads the believer to become a disciple and from there for the disciple to become a missionary.
Stewardship: Stewardship is an expression of discipleship by responding to God’s call with gratitude. A Christian Steward is one who receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord.
Called and Gifted: Every baptized Christian is called by God and gifted by God. From the reception of these charisms or gifts there arise for each believer the right and duty to use them in the Church and the world for the good of humankind and for the upbuilding of the Church. Baptism and confirmation empower all believers to share in some form of ministry. Although the specific form of participation in ministry varies according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all who share in this work are united with one another. The clergy help to call forth, identify, coordinate, and affirm the diverse gifts bestowed by the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12: 7-12).