Ss. Robert & William Catholic Parish is a community founded in a spirit of unity, focused on being one in the Body of Christ. We are rooted in the Scripture and Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. We strive to be a vibrant, welcoming community that journeys together in our response to God’s love by loving God and one another to the best of our ability.

This vision is to guide and direct all we do at Ss. Robert & William Parish. As we move forward in the years to come, we will provide concrete ideas and plans to bring this vision to life. We will implement these ideas and plans. We hope to accomplish the following goals over the next five years. These goals will be reviewed and updated annually by the Parish Staff, Parish Council, and Finance Council.

You may see the Pastoral Plan 2015-2020 goals below, or download a PDF of the goals.

The Mass and the Sacraments are the source and summit of all we do.
We will place the utmost importance on the celebration of the Sacraments and the Sunday Mass.

• Celebrate Sunday Mass with reverence by preparing liturgical ministers with the necessary mechanics, theology, and spirituality of their ministry.
• Celebrate the Sacraments communally at Mass, when appropriate. Provide opportunities for communal preparation. Ensure all are well prepared to receive Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Penance, Marriage, and Anointing).
• Convene a quarterly Spiritual Life Committee to plan and provide opportunities for formation in prayer and spirituality for our parishioners and ministers.
• Encourage participation of the assembly within Mass and liturgical ministries, by providing a deeper grasp of the liturgy as a whole to build a strong community of faith.
• Build a culture of Vocations among our people that supports single life, marriage, vowed religious and ordained priesthood by preaching, prayer, and witness. Give special attention to encouraging vocations to priesthood and religious life.

We believe Faith Formation in the Scriptures and Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church is essential to parish life. Faith Formation is primarily done in the home and supported by the parish from Baptism until Christian Burial.

• Strengthen our Catholic School, through nurturing our Catholic identity by continuing weekly school Masses, daily prayer, participation in the Sacraments, retreats and evangelization.
• Strengthen our Parish School of Religion, for children Pre-School through grade six, under the guidance of the Director of Religious Education. This program will encourage not only education of the mind, but heart and soul as well.
• Encourage and support Catechists in their roles by providing training in catechesis and methodology. Within the natural social setting of youth ministry, Promote Catechesis as integral to our LIFETEEN/Edge Ministries.
• Offer Adult Faith Formation in the form of Scripture Studies, programs on Theology & Faith, and other opportunities on a regular basis. Wednesdays will continue to be designated as Adult Faith Formation evenings. We will consider various generations of adult members of the parish and offer opportunities sensitive to their learning styles.
• Formalize our Baptismal Preparation program, offering quarterly sessions for parents desiring baptism for their children.
• Strengthen formation that supports Catholic Marriages and Family by offering programs and growth opportunities for this specific purpose.

We will continue to make Evangelization a priority of the parish, following the guidelines of The Joy of the Gospel authored by Pope Francis. This will be done through encouraging our parishioners to become evangelizers and providing them with the knowledge and spiritual encouragement to do so.

• Continue to respond to children of catechetical age who are seeking membership in the Church, making sure they receive preparation centered on initiation and what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
• Continually seek ways to strengthen the RCIA, making certain all who come to us seeking membership in the faith experience the hospitality and acceptance modeled for us by Jesus Christ. In addition, we will increase parishioner understanding of initiation through education, by celebrating the Dismissal Rite at a variety of Masses throughout the year and, through all means possible, making them aware of those seeking membership in our parish and encouraging hospitality and encouragement of them.
• Continue the presence of the Evangelization Committee through hospitality, adult education, and participation in parish and community events, encouraging others to take seriously Christ’s mandate to evangelize. (Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...Matthew 28:19):
  • Encourage and empower those who have signed the Commitment to Evangelization cards to help the Evangelization Committee in their mission.
  • Encourage those who attend Mass and parish events but have lost their enthusiasm for the Catholic faith.
  • Offer programs that welcome and encourage those who have left the faith or those without faith.

We will be focused on the Social Justice Teachings of the Church. First and foremost, we will be a great promoter of a reverence for human life, from conception until natural death. Second, we will also seek to respond to the challenges of the community we are in, both parish and the city of Euclid.

• Build up our Outreach Ministries to respond to the needs of the community and the people that come to us in material and spiritual need.
  • We will continue to provide Outreach assistance on a daily basis, a nutritious meal on a monthly basis, and offer to the best of our ability, Christmas gifts through our annual Giving Tree program.
  • Prayer Shawls will be made and distributed to those seeking comfort.
  • To improve communication, we will create and offer a newsletter to parishioners and Euclid residents informing them of the resources and assistance available through the SRW Parish Outreach Program.
  • Furthermore, we will improve the process, and work collaboratively, to identify those in need and wishing assistance, in our parish, school, and community.
• Educate our parish on the Seven Principles of Catholic Social Justice through bulletin articles, newsletter articles, small group sessions, and connecting/identifying the principles with things we are already doing.
• Advocate for a Culture of Life in a healthy and positive way by involvement in 40 Days for Life and programs that deal with other LIFE issues.

We will CONTINUE to be a vibrant and active community where all can find a home! Together, we will build a parish community that is proud of our Roman Catholic tradition; moreover, a community that has ministries and groups that respond to the needs of all who walk through our doors. In doing so, we hope to support a culture of radical hospitality.

• Strive to be welcoming in all we do, especially on Sundays, by offering training to liturgical ministers and leaders of the parish in welcoming and respect. In addition, we will preach about hospitality and respect of ALL people.
• Seek to work with area parishes and engage with other Churches (non-Catholic) in the area by taking leadership in initiating such opportunities.
• Actively participate and engage in the secular community of Euclid in various ways by continually being open to new opportunities as they present themselves to us.
• Initiate new parishioners in a personal and loving way through active engagement.
• Reach out to the lonely of our community, both parishioners and non-parishioners.

Recognizing our limited resources, we will work to continue to ensure our facilities are up-to-date and that our finances are within realistic goals.

• Implement a communications sub-committee to look at how we communicate through the bulletin, website, email, print media, and social media.
• Manage facilities proactively to schedule preventive maintenance and necessary repairs. Monitor the Diocese of Cleveland Facilities Assessment over the next five years and address areas of need as finances allow.
• Build an operating surplus and necessary operating and capital reserves as we pay-down the incurred long-term debt through regular monthly payments and additional principal payments as finances allow.
• Work on internal controls to assure we are being good stewards of the monies and facilities entrusted to us.
• Create a Legacy Society that encourages planned giving to assure the future of the parish and school.
• Consider another capital campaign to address the debt, as well as upgrades to the Gym and Merici Center