To become an approved St. Francis ministry, the following criteria must be met:

• Aligns with the mission statement of The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi and the teachings of the Catholic Church (including Catholic Social Teaching).
• Operates under the guidance of at least one Ministry Leader (responsibilities noted in the Ministry Formation Roles & Responsibilities section).
• Assigned a St. Francis Staff Liaison (responsibilities noted in the Ministry Formation Roles & Responsibilities section).
• Does not duplicate an already existing ministry at The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi.
• The ministry is open and accessible to all parishioners and not limited to chosen participants, unless vetting is seen as required.
• Completion of the “New Ministry Formation Application”, to be used as a foundational guiding document throughout the ministry’s existence.
• Agreement to an annual ministry review to evaluate the ministries sustainability, leadership, and structure.

• Listing of ministry on The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi website.
• Access to the following applicable platforms for engagement purposes:
• Realm
  • St. Francis Serves
  • St. Francis Bulletin
  • St. Francis Social Media Sites
• Use of campus room/location reservations, subject to availability.

The Parish Leadership Staff is a group of staff directors and coordinators chosen by the Pastor. They are responsible for the following in the new ministry formation process:

• Review of every new ministry application, resulting in an approval or denial of establishment.
• Ensure the new ministry aligns with the mission statement of The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi and the teachings of the Catholic Church (including Catholic Social Teaching).
• Ensure the ministry is not a duplication of an already existing ministry at The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi.
• Assigns a St. Francis parish department to oversee the new ministry. This parish department will assign a Staff Liaison from their team to work 1-on-1 with the ministry.

The Staff Liaison is chosen by the department head of the assigned parish department prior to a new ministry’s formation. This can either be the department head or a staff member of the assigned parish department. They are responsible for the following while a ministry is active:

• Educating their assigned ministry on usage of all applicable St. Francis platforms and communication options.
• Reserving needed rooms or locations for ministry meetings/events if available.
• Holding a regular check-in with the Ministry Leader on status, needs, concerns, ideas, etc.
• Ensuring the new ministry is listed on The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi website with an updated description and ministry leader information.
• Evaluating the sustainability of their assigned ministry annually, deciding whether to continue or “sunset” the ministry.

The Ministry Leader is a St. Francis parishioner who agrees to oversee the operation of an approved St. Francis Ministry. They are responsible for the following in their new ministry formation process and while their ministry remains active: 

• Submitting the “New Ministry Formation Application” to the parish Leadership Staff for review and approval of their ministry.

• Ensuring their new ministry aligns with the mission statement of The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi and the teachings of the Catholic Church (including Catholic Social Teaching).
• Creating a plan for sustainability.
• Establishing a ministry schedule of reoccurring meetings, opportunities, and/or events for parishioner involvement.
  • Creating all meeting agendas and maintaining a record of all meeting minutes.
• Holding a regular check-in with their assigned St. Francis Staff Liaison on ministry status, needs, concerns, ideas, etc.
• Managing their ministry on all applicable St. Francis platforms based on their level of access (platforms such as Realm or St. Francis Serves).
• Creating all advertisement (bulletin posts, social media images, flyers, brochures, etc.) for their ministry, submitting them if needed to the appropriate St. Francis staff member.
• Requesting needed room/location reservations through their assigned Staff Liaison.
• Evaluating the sustainability of their ministry annually, deciding whether to continue or
  “sunset” the ministry.

This ministry application process, approved by the Parish Leadership Staff and Pastor, is designed to guarantee a fair and detailed procedure for parishioners looking to create a ministry at The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi.

The application process includes prayerful discernment by a St. Francis parishioner and the completion of the “New Ministry Formation Application”.

The “New Ministry Formation Application” is to be fully completed prior to being brought before the Parish Leadership Staff for review and submitted to the Pastoral Ministries Administrative Assistant. This document may be completed with assistance of other parishioners or St. Francis staff members.

Once the “New Ministry Formation Application” has been submitted, the applicant will be informed by the Pastoral Ministries Administrative Assistant that the Parish Leadership Staff will begin the review process within a month’s time. The full review process alone may take up to three months to complete before an approval or denial is issued.

Initial Review Process

The Pastoral Ministries Administrative Assistant will provide the Parish Leadership Team with the completed “New Ministry Formation Application” to set a meeting date to begin the initial review. The initial review will include a discussion of the application, identifying any questions, concerns, or comments to offer the applicant before the final review. All questions, concerns, and comments will be recorded, and the Parish Leadership Staff will provide follow-up directly to the applicant.

It is possible that the Parish Leadership Staff provide an immediate approval or denial of a new ministry at this stage. If approved, see the Approved/Denied section on the following page.

Final Review Process

Once the applicant has addressed any questions, concerns and comments provided, the Parish Leadership Staff, they will reconvene for further discussion. The final review will include prayerful discernment by staff to make a decision on whether to approve or deny the new ministry request.

Approved/Denied

If the Parish Leadership Staff are in agreement of approval, the following will take place: 

• A parish department will be assigned to oversee the new ministry.
• The director of the assigned department will assign a Staff Liaison from their department to work with the new ministry.
• Once the parish department and the Staff Liaison has been assigned, the director of the chosen parish department will notify the applicant of their ministry approval and introduce them to their Staff Liaison.
• The Staff Liaison will ensure the ministry is added to The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi website within 30 days and begin working 1-on-1 with the ministry leader(s).

If the parish Leadership Staff are in agreement of denial, the following will take place:

• The Pastor will inform the applicant of the staff decision to not move forward with their ministry and provide a full explanation on this ruling.

Click here to apply.  Or scan the QR Code.