Panel_Response
Participant Responses

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• What are the most crucial challenges you are facing or what are the most crucial needs you have? (Focus Question)
  • Question posed by Dorothy as universal questions for all panelists.
• What kind of “rural” is present? (e.g., small towns, large farms, mining,etc.)
• What obstacles do you face in your diocese?
• What does the leadership in parishes look like?
• Is distance a factor?
• Are there small numbers of students?
• Are grades combined because of small numbers of students?
• Are parishes merging, sharing pastors, or one parish/one pastor?
• Are Catholics the majority or minority?
• What is the economic situation?
• Are the demographics changing or staying the same? If they are changing, how are they changing?
• What is the make up of families/households?
• What are the educational opportunities?
• Do you have any experience with Distance Learning with Rural parishes?
• How does rural poverty impact catechesis? How prevalent is poverty in rural dioceses?
• What is the relationship between rural and education levels? Do the rural dioceses have a lower percentage of college graduates? How does that impact catechesis?
• How is mobility impacting rural life?

• Opportunities for Adult Faith Formation within the rural community?
• Does anyone do “Whole Community” Catechesis (family and parish together)?
• If most of your diocesan population is in rapidly growing urban/suburban areas, how do you allocate resources to serve a minority in rural and isolated small town parishes in this time of budget crunch?

How many dioceses in our country have a Rural Life or Rural Ministry office and do you find them helpful? How do you do RCIA in rural areas? Do you join with several parishes or meet with candidate or catechumen alone?

*What determines a “rural” parish? Is it size? location? *In parishes with less than 300 registered families, located 30 miles or more from the next closest Catholic parish, in communities of under a thousand people, what does parish catechetical leadership look like? How do you persuade a parish to financially invest in a parish catechetical leader? Is this working somewhere?

Do you have Hispanics in the “rural” parishes? Do you have other nationalities present in your rural parishes? What challenges does that present to the rural ministry?

What challenges do you face in preparing your volunteers to serve as catechists? What kinds of continuing education opportunities are made available for catechists and those in leadership positions? Do you feel your catechists are adequately prepared when they enter the classroom? Is catechesis a priority in your parish? Do you feel the needs of your families are adequately being met? If not, what is missing?

What is the impact of changes in agribusiness and the agricultural economy on ministry and parish life?

What are the major challenges in ministering to youth in the rural parishes? Providing social activities, retreats (Confirmation, etc.)? Participating in Diocesan Events, ie. Summer Camp? Attending Annual NFCYO Conference? Attening World Youth Day?

Who has had some experience sharing ministry among smaller, rural parish? What are the successes and challenges?

What are the concerns and benefits of sharing Priest's ministry among several parishes?

How do you encourage participation in catechesis in rural parishes? Is recruitment distinct in rural areas? What materials have been created explicitly for the rural setting?