Lasting relationships with others are built on a foundation of trust. This also holds true for our relationship with the Catholic Church. That’s why we strive to build a future grounded in honesty, transparency, and accountability. By opening the lines of communication, addressing issues head on, and bringing fresh ideas to the table, we strive to foster a more dynamic, interactive conversation that reinforces trust in our faith community and engages us all.

Trust is the cornerstone upon which our faith and the community it represents are built. We entrust our souls, values, and spiritual well-being to the Church, and rely on our parishes to provide a safe sanctuary. It is the Church’s responsibility to earn and maintain trust by being open, accountable, and ethical. That’s why we are focused on becoming more transparent.

State of The Diocese Report

One way we’ve done this is through our State of the Diocese Report. Historically, this report has focuses only on financial information. However, for 2014-2019, we introduced all the diocesan offices and their leadership teams. Because it was so well received, we plan to continue to update this report every five years, including information that’s relevant to our parishes and communities, and the accomplishments we’ve made to strengthen our local Church.

Tracking Our Improvements

In 2019, 400 laypeople from across the diocese came together to research the current environment and made recommendations on how we can build more trust and unity within the local Church. The Strategic Planning Office oversaw this initiative and created a website with a “planning scorecard” highlighting the status and implementation of dozens of the recommendations that were a result of that initiative.

This scorecard, readily available for anyone to view, demonstrates our efforts to be transparent, responsive, and proactive. Working with parishes across the diocese—from North Easton to the Attleboros to the Cape and Islands—our diocese has already implemented nearly 40 of the recommendations! These initiatives include everything from hiring a Director of Youth Ministry, to being more transparent in our communications to partnering with local organizations for donations to enhancing mental health services

Our diocese is working hard to implement change. When we say we’re going to address certain matters, people remember that and expect to see results and shared dialogue around the issues.

Better Communication

There are some immediate goals we are focusing on to be more open and proactive. One I’m very excited about is the upcoming launch of our new user-friendly website, which will openly share current events and happenings. Other objectives include developing more case studies, discovering what’s working in specific parishes and how these successes may work for others.

When I visit various parishes, I tell parishioners, “You don’t know me, and you have no reason to trust me but please give me a chance to earn your trust.” Building trust is an ongoing process that requires a steadfast commitment to the values and principles we represent. Together, we can work toward strengthening the bond between our local parishes and the broader community around us.

Laura Carrillo
Laura Carrillo
Director of Strategic and Pastoral Planning