Into the Deep Introduction

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LOWER Your Nets

The Risen Lord Jesus is calling all of us in the Diocese of Madison to something greater. But before a miraculous catch, He first invites us to venture from where we've been fishing to follow Him into the deep...
- Go Make Disciples, our diocesan-wide evangelization initiative, is who we are and what we do as baptized followers of Jesus Christ. It is our participation in the perennial mission of the Church. Into the Deep, meanwhile, is our strategic planning effort to realign our resources so that we can better accomplish and live out this mission, both now and for generations to come.
  
  Bishop Donald J. Hying
- The Vision
  
  mission driven communities of faith
  
  In Jesus Christ, we have all received the promise of divine forgiveness and the hope of salvation. The mission of the Church is to proclaim this good news of the Gospel to every person and to make disciples. To more effectively advance this mission, every pastorate (and eventually every new unified parish) is called by God to become a community of committed followers of Christ, where they reverently worship God, hear and proclaim the fullness of the Gospel, help each other on the path of ongoing conversion, faithfully celebrate the Sacraments, serve those in need, and form the next generation of missionary disciples, all for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.
- Six Guiding Principles
  
  the path for RENEWAL
- Follow Jesus
  
  "Follow me." With these words Jesus invites His first disciples to a new way of life and to faith. This same call echoes down throughout the centuries to all people. In hearing and obediently responding to this call in our own lives, we come to "realize that a great love has been offered us, a good word has been spoken to us, and that when we welcome that word, Jesus Christ the Word made flesh, the Holy Spirit transforms us, lights up our way to the future and enables us joyfully to advance along that way on wings of hope" (Lumen Fidei). To follow Jesus, then, changes everything.
- Reclaim Sunday
  
  It's no secret that we live in a culture that is plagued by many problems and which stands in need of healing and renewal. Jesus, who "makes all things new," wants to do precisely that, but this renewal will only occur if and when we "reclaim Sunday." As St. Peter Julian Eymard once said, "Let us never forget that an age prospers or dwindles in proportion to its devotion to the Holy Eucharist. This is the measure of its spiritual life and its faith, of its charity and its virtue." May God help each of us in the Diocese of Madison recommit ourselves to making Sunday and the celebration of Holy Mass the highest priority of our week.
- Evangelize Others
  
  The Church exists in order to evangelize, that is, to share the life-changing good news of the Gospel with others. This "evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary [disciple] to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God. ...So what are we waiting for?" (Evangelii Gaudium)
- Engage Youth
  
  In the Gospels Jesus says, "let the children come to me" (Matthew 19:14). We know that our children and our teens are the future of the Church. So, as we work to better engage our young people, let us echo the words of Pope Francis, who said: "Dear young people, we need you. We need your creativity, your dreams and your courage, your charm and your smiles, your contagious joy.... The Church is with you and needs each one of you very much, so that we can be renewed."
- Equip Leaders
  
  After Jesus called His disciples He spent the next 3 years forming them for mission. We are grateful to have many dedicated laymen and laywomen serving across our diocese in parishes, schools, and other apostolates. And while it is true that anyone who has encountered the love of Christ should be actively engaged in the work of evangelization and disciple-making, formation and training help to make these efforts more fruitful and effective. In short, well-formed Christian leaders make our parishes, schools, and diocese stronger.
- Serve Neighbors
  
  "Whatever you do for one of the least of these you do it for me." This is the teaching of Jesus, and it speaks to why the Catholic Church has always placed such a strong emphasis on and has such a longstanding history of practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. May God continue to help all of us in the Diocese of Madison take to heart these words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: "Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted according to the graces we have received, and let us not be ashamed or slow to do [this] humble work."
- 30 Pastorates
  
  A NEW model for a renewed mission
  
  Beginning on July 1, 2023, our current 102 parishes will begin working together in 30 "pastorates" or groupings of parishes, each under the leadership of a team of priests (with a few exceptions). By joining forces and coming together in these new ways we are positioning ourselves to more fruitfully and effectively share the Gospel both now and into the future.
  
  FOR A COMPLETE LISTING AND MAPS OF THE FINAL PASTORATES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!
- The New
  Priest Teams
  
  NEW Priest ASsignmentS FOR A NEW MODEL
  
  One of the goals of Into the Deep is for priests to be able to collaborate and work together, rather than having lone priests overseeing multiple churches and ministries in isolation. This will allow our priests to live happier, healthier, and holier lives, which in turn will benefit the people they serve throughout the diocese.
  FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF THE NEW PRIEST TEAMS, PLEASE CLICK HERE!
- Timeline
  
  THE NEXT 3 YEARS
- Now - June 30, 2023
  
  Phase 0
- July 1, 2023 - June 2024
  
  Phase 1
- July 2024 - June 2025
  
  Phase 2
- July 2025 - June 2026
  
  Phase 3
- Our Current Reality
  
  BACKGROUNd information
- Fewer people are attending Mass & celebrating the Sacraments
  
  mass & the sacraments
  
  As Catholics we believe that the Sacraments are privileged encounters with the Risen Lord Jesus and that through them He confers His grace and divine life. Sadly, over the past few decades fewer and fewer people have been seeking Baptism, celebrating Confirmation and Holy Matrimony, going to Confession, and attending Holy Mass. As such, we have fewer and fewer people who are fully alive in Christ and whose hearts burn within them with a deep love for God and others.
- Our engaged parishioners are decreasing and aging
  
  parishioners
  
  For many years now we have struggled to build strong and healthy families and to form our young people into becoming committed disciples of Jesus Christ. As such, despite being projected to be the two largest demographic cohorts in our diocese by 2026, Millennials and Zoomers/Gen Z are underrepresented and under-involved in the life of our parishes. In addition, more and more people of all ages are disaffiliating from religious practice as our culture becomes increasingly secular.
- We are investing increasingly more on buildings and less in people
  
  finances & FACILITIES
  
  As our buildings age they continue to have increasing maintenance needs and expenses. Because of this and decreased giving in recent years, we are spending more on our buildings (and administration) and less on ministering to those in need and adequately compensating our dedicated employees. This only serves to exacerbate our other challenges since we are investing our limited resources in underutilized facilities instead of advancing and living out our mission.
- Click here to learn more about Our Current Reality!
WHY WE NEED TO GO "INTO THE DEEP"
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- Stay Connected
  
  Engage
  
  We believe that the Into the Deep strategic plan will help us to achieve a brighter future for our local church, which is the Diocese of Madison. And, we need your help!
  
  We need your prayers, your renewed commitment to following Jesus as a missionary disciple, and your continued engagement. We want you to walk with us. Please sign up for our email newsletter.
  
  May God help all of us in the Diocese of Madison courageously and generously follow Him...into the deep...and on the path to heaven!
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- Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity.
  Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
  
  Saint Pope John Paul II