Diocesan partnership enables parish leaders to seek formation
Globe staff report
Posted July 18, 2002

The Diocese of Sioux City continues to partner with people in parish leadership positions to ensure the availability of faith formation.

Partners in Empowering Leadership is a fund that assists people presently serving in leadership positions or those who desire to serve in such positions with obtaining the theological formation they need. Persons serving as liturgists, DREs, youth ministers or pastoral ministers are the primary benefactors of the fund.

Because it is a limited fund, preference is given to people already serving in leadership positions.

"This is one of the funds that will be helped by the endowment for adult formation as part of the Centennial Capital Campaign," explained Kay Morrissey, director of adult and family ministries. "We certainly recognize the need to offer more financial assistance and to make more courses and opportunities for formation available and that is one reason the adult formation component of the capital campaign was set in place."

She pointed out that the majority of applicants are people wanting to take courses through the Church Ministries Program. The Partners in Empowering Leadership Fund has assisted people as they work on their master's degree.

"We want to meet people wherever they are in their formation to assist them as they continue to grow," said Morrissey. "We recognize that people who agree to serve in leadership positions need the opportunity and availability of theological studies at the college level. That is what we are here to provide."

In addition to college theology courses, the fund has been used to assist people taking the CPE (clinical pastoral education) courses at Cherokee's Mental Health Institute. She acknowledged that the CPE program offered people excellent background for pastoral ministry.

Funding from Partners in Empowering Leadership, which is administered through the Office of Faith Formation, has also assisted parish leaders to attend conferences in their given field.

It will pay up to 50 percent of the cost. The diocese would like to see - when the individual is working for a parish or cluster - the parish or cluster make an investment in the person's continued formation.

"The term partnership was chosen for the fund because we believe there is a partnership between diocesan offices and people in the field serving in these capacities," noted Morrissey.

Brochures containing application information were sent to parishes of the diocese this week. The deadline for submitting applications is Aug. 10. Applicants are asked to send a college transcript with a short letter relating to parish involvement, what they would like to attend and why.

Recipients of the funding will be chosen by a selection committee consisting of Morrissey, Father Mark Stoll, pastor at St. Joseph in Neptune; Julie Luft of the Office of Finance, Linda Anderson, director of catechesis for the diocese, and Dr. Stephan Davis, director of youth and intergenerational ministry.

"There is an understanding that people who receive the money will continue to serve in the diocese in the future," noted Morrissey.

Money is available three times during the year through this fund. The Aug. 10 deadline is for fall courses. An early winter date deadline relates to spring courses and April 1 is the deadline for summer courses. More money will be available from this fund in the future as a result of the Centennial Campaign.