St. Philomenas' Apostolate

Parish Strategy

St. Philomenas’ Apostolate’s strategy for transforming a parish hinges around one word - fatherhood. By restoring the priest’s spiritual fatherhood and men's natural fatherhood, God’s order will be restored, allowing Him to work through both priests and fathers to transform families, who will then transform the parish. To help make this happen, St. Philomenas’ Apostolate:

• Works with priests to be the spiritual father and leader of the parish. This includes diving into what it means to be a father, assessing and altering administrative duties, and prioritizing time to do the work of leading the parish to heaven.
• Partners with priests to run a St. Joseph Boot Camp to lead and form the men and fathers of their parish, giving them the knowledge and tools to lead their families in the Catholic faith. These men will be your apostles.
• Introduces Families of the Immaculata to entrust families to our Blessed Mother and form a community of authentically Catholic families. (Families of the men from your St. Joseph Boot Camp is a good place to start.)
• Encourages priests to pour into these men and families. They will be your branches in the parish helping to evangelize and change the culture. Have them mentor couples to be married, run your baptismal prep, sit on councils and committees, and breathe new life into parish ministries.
• Works with the priest to create authentically Catholic culture in the parish.

The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family (St. John Paul II). With the leadership and spiritual fatherhood of the pastor, and fathers leading their families in the Catholic faith, a parish can be transformed into a beautiful and vibrant place where the faith is lived with great fervor and devotion.

Parish Plan

St. Philomenas' Apostolate acknowledges that all priests and parishes are unique, and thus, it's impossible to create a one-size-fits-all plan for every parish. The purpose of the plan below is to help you get a glimpse into our vision for transforming a parish and hopefully get your mind churning about how we might develop a plan that works best for you and your parish.

June-July
Weekly meetings to focus on the topics below and start building a relationship with the pastor. (We know vacations, etc. will get in the way, and that's expected.)
   - Leadership and spiritual fatherhood
   - Knowledge of the parish(es)
   - Stress and anxiety management

August:
In August things start heating up in the parish so meetings are transitioned to every two weeks.
   - Recruit 12 or so men to start a St. Joseph Boot Camp.
   - On the Feast of the Assumption publicly or privately consecrate our efforts to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
   - Start discussions on ways to shift the parish culture, with a particular focus on the Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Confession.

September:
   - St. Joseph Boot Camp which kicks off in early September
   - Meetings will focus on analysis of staff, councils, committees, ministries, charters, schools, etc. with the purpose of centering all things on Christ and freeing the priest from too much administration to allow him to be the priest God has called him to be.

January - May
Meetings focus on designing an ideal parish structure (staff, councils, committees, ministries, charters, schools, etc.), placing the pastor as the head with less office work and responsibilities, freeing his time for prayer and priestly ministry.

July
Begin implementation of new parish structure, etc.

September
Begin Families of the Immaculata starting with the families of the men from your St. Joseph Boot Camp.

If you are interested in working with St. Philomenas' Apostolate to build a vision and plan for your parish, please don't hesitate to contact us.