The Mission Alignment Process is a Spirit-driven journey towards a stronger Diocese. As Catholics, we share centuries of tradition in prayer, celebration, ritual, and our beloved Catholic teachings. And as the needs and demographics of our diocese change, we look to evangelize and deepen our mission work. As Diocesan leaders, we are also charged with the stewardship and review of how our financial realities align with the current needs of our ministries, priests, religious, and parishioners.

First, we must take a good look at how we are doing. We will gather data from our parishes, schools, priests, parishioners, and parish/school demographics as we look to align these precious resources more effectively for our mission of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and making our parishes and schools more vibrant. We have chosen to partner with two entities, the Catholic Leadership Institute (www.catholicleaders.org) and The Amazing Parish resource (www.amazingparish.org). Both organizations will help us prepare meaningful surveys and materials to help guide final data driven recommendations.

After conducting surveys through the late fall of 2021, the Commission will prepare recommendations for review at the parish level. This feedback will contribute to a report to go to Bishop Barber in the first half of 2022. That report will recommend a comprehensive plan for the appropriate alignment of all resources to support missionary disciples in a 21st Century Oakland diocese. After thoughtful and considerable review, final recommendations are planned to be announced in June of 2022.

To assist with data gathering from parishes, schools, priests, demographics, and parishioners and using this data, prayerfully and critically analyze the current situation and projected future needs of the diocese regarding parishes, schools, agencies, priest personnel, and temporal and financial goods.

Bishop Barber received recommendations from the priests and from chancery leadership. It is a priority to have representation of different ethnicities, perspectives, ages and skills, as well as representing different areas of Diocesan life.

As a commission, we are committed to a practice where every final recommendation passes through three foundational filters:

• Will a recommendation prioritize the missionary impulse of making disciples over a self- preservation of Church models and structure? ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• Will this recommendation inspire new life in leaders (clergy and laity) and equip them for mission?

• Will this recommendation offer a high-quality Catholic faith life experience?

We are committed to regular, transparent communications using channels like The Catholic Voice, social media, our website, and our Chancery newsletter, The Weekly.

We ask all Catholics to join us in prayer for this process. God is moving our diocese with a new missionary purpose. Ask God to help us all humbly listen to the Holy Spirit to make our diocese a renewed place of evangelization and encounter with Jesus Christ.

In the fall of 2021, we will ask parishioners and priest to engage in surveys through the Catholic Leadership Institute. The role of the Parish Administrator is to select key leaders to assist in explaining the parishioner survey and process, help parishioners complete the survey and communicate its purposes and timelines. 

It is important to complete the Catholic Leadership Institute survey this fall and participate in parish discussions about our shared obligation to align our finances and resources to best serve our mission to make the Oakland Diocese a renewed place of encounter with Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith.

We aren’t certain yet, but we do know that every Catholic in our Diocese will have a welcoming home at the end of this journey. All of our recommendations to Bishop Barber will be the result of our data collection and collaboration, prayerfully considered with faith and trust in God. If we must make hard decisions about parishes, it will be done to create vital, stronger Christ centered communities.