The Three-Year Priority Plan for Holy Family Cathedral

At the end of the day, it’s not just about the numbers, but about how we are more authentically living the Gospel message and how we are becoming more a witness of the Church alive. I think we have an obligation as the cathedral to be as vibrant and as relevant in meeting the needs of the people of God in Eastern Oklahoma as we can be. As God’s Church, we should mirror a place where the faith is visibly alive.

— FR. GARY KASTL, RECTOR

Without a doubt, the year 2020 has brought many unexpected challenges and changes as our country continues to navigate life in the midst of a global pandemic. And while our parish was in the first stages of developing a priority plan before COVID-19 was even on the horizon, the need to move forward as a community with renewed focus and intentionality is more important now than ever. As our diocesan cathedral, Holy Family is the beating heart of our diocese. With the help of the priority plan, our parish hopes to continue serving as a witness to the vibrant and dynamic faith of our Church to all of God’s people in Eastern Oklahoma.

Shortly after his arrival as Rector in fall 2019, Fr. Gary Kastl decided to begin a nine-month planning process that would ultimately lead to the formation of a priority plan for the parish. An Envision Team was formed, consisting of our parish clergy, Parish Council members and other parishioners. In addition, all parishioners were asked to take Priority Plan · 2020 Solemnity of Pentecost 2020-2023 the digital Disciple Maker Survey provided by the Catholic Leadership Institute.

A priority plan was created by taking into account the survey statistics and feedback, as well as the experiences and suggestions of our Envision Team. Recognizing the contribution of so many participants to the plan, Fr. Kastl describes it as a “shared vision.”

“It is important to have a mutual vision,” he says. “Particularly as it relates to stewardship, when we all recognize that parishioners have a responsibility for the spiritual and material health of the community, then the community begins to be materially and spiritually healthy. Everyone has a part to play in that. This priority plan provides a way for parishioners of all ages to take part in that spiritual growth, which in turn has an effect on the spiritual growth of the whole community.”

The priority plan highlights three main areas of focus for the parish — hospitality, faith formation, and outreach. For Fr. Kastl, the goal of improved hospitality is of the utmost importance. As a large cathedral, Holy Family allows people to spread out in its expansive space, which may decrease parishioners’ interaction with their fellow churchgoers and clergy. By emphasizing a culture of hospitality and welcome, Fr. Kastl hopes to increase the number of registered households in our parish and encourage members to become more engaged in our faith community. The first steps in this process include the creation of a greeter ministry and a more intentional approach to our existing usher ministry.

A second goal of the priority plan is the expansion of opportunities for faith formation in the parish. The Envision Team is evaluating the possibility of a change in the Mass schedule that would allow for a block of time to be set aside on Sundays for various faith formation opportunities for youth, adults and families.

Last but not least, the priority plan looks to establish a three-pronged approach to outreach aimed at serving our parishioners here at the cathedral, as well as those in need in our broader community.

“The first thing we want to do is better understand what is and is not happening in our immediate area when it comes to outreach for the homeless population,” Fr. Kastl says. “We would also like a greater awareness of what our own parishioners need. There is an opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters who are parishioners and to care for the sick, the dying, and the vulnerable in our own community. The third focus is on the spiritual poor — those who have yet to come into a fuller understanding of the Catholic faith — and how to bring them into the fold.”

Everyone in our faith community is invited to come together to help make these goals in hospitality, faith formation, and outreach a reality. Fr. Kastl asks all parishioners first and foremost for their prayers for the success of the priority plan. He also hopes that we will remain open to change — both in the structures of the parish, but also in our understanding of what it means to be members of a cathedral parish. And finally, it is Fr. Kastl’s prayer that parishioners will feel called to respond when opportunities to serve arise.

With the goodwill and commitment of everyone at Holy Family Cathedral, implementing our three-year priority plan will ensure that our parish continues to be a living example of God’s kingdom here on earth!

“At the end of the day, it’s not just about the numbers, but about how we are more authentically living the Gospel message and how we are becoming more a witness of the Church alive,” Fr. Kastl says. “I think we have an obligation as the cathedral to be as vibrant and as relevant in meeting the needs of the people of God in Eastern Oklahoma as we can be. As God’s Church, we should mirror a place where the faith is visibly alive.”