By Carrie McClish
Staff writer

Pastors, deacons, religious, lay ecclesial ministers, and school administrators from across the Oakland Diocese have been invited to a leadership “summit” next month to examine, explore and brainstorm the future of pastoral ministry in the diocese.

The summit will take place Jan. 21 at the Cathedral of Christ the Light Conference Center in Oakland. Patrick Lencioni, an organizational consultant to senior executives in Fortune 500 corporations, professional sports teams, universities and nonprofits, will facilitate the meeting.

Laureen Aguayo, chair of the diocesan Lay Ecclesial Ministers Council, said the summit will include information about a national study on pastoral ministry released earlier this year.

The “Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project,” spearheaded by six national Catholic groups, studied the state of ministry in the Catholic Church in the U.S. over a four-year period. It documented changes in the Church, such as the decline in the number of priests and religious, the increase in deacons and lay ecclesial ministers, and the Church’s growing cultural diversity.

About 1200 Catholics, including nine from the Oakland Diocese, attended a national leadership summit in Orlando, Florida, in April to hear the results of the study, funded with a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. Among the recommendations proposed at the gathering are expanded roles for professional lay ministers, lifelong learning opportunities for parish ministers, and increased outreach to young adults.

Deacon Matt Dulka attended the conference in his role as regional director for the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in San Leandro. “It was exciting to hear how people are addressing the various challenges around the country and how similar the issues are,” he said. “There’s some good creativity going on. The best practices seem to involve shared and collaborative ministry between priests, deacons and lay ecclesial ministers.”

Aguayo said she and others who attended the meeting from Oakland felt it would be valuable to have Catholic leaders here examine the study. “There were lots of things that were discussed that resonated to the diocesan pastoral plan.”

The January gathering is not about fixing problems, but on starting conversations and discussing challenges that can continue within parishes and parish councils, she said.

Registration for the diocesan summit is $40. Financial assistance is available upon request. For more information, contact Melissa Hyatt, (510) 267-8370.

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