As 2025 begins, the Implementation Team has been reflecting on our work with the With One Heart initiative this past year and looking ahead to the work to be done.

In August, 120 of you provided us with insights regarding how we can improve parish engagement and faith formation via our online and print survey. Thank you! Since then, we have prayerfully reviewed your input and continued to work on implementing new ideas. We appreciate the diversity of your interests, experiences, and backgrounds, and we ask for your patience as we continue to set priorities and decide what best fits our parish. Here are some highlights of your survey responses:

• More than half of you are currently active in parish ministries. Thank you for all you do for Mother of God! Furthermore, nearly half of you indicated that you would like to be more engaged. One of our team objectives is to find ways to connect you with opportunities for involvement.
• Many of you want to participate in adult religious education, small groups (bible studies/prayer groups), social events, and outreach/service. The good news is that some of these programs are currently being offered or are in the planning stages. 
• Religious education has been on-going through Fr. Comer’s series of talks. Movies such as The Chosen have also been popular. Future plans may include activities, such as mini-pilgrimages (day trips), mini-retreats (similar to the Day of Reflection last October), and events for children and families. We are also working to implement small groups depending upon interests, e.g., Bible study or specific books.
• Our social events, especially parish dinners and parties, are very well-supported and well-attended. We are working to include other types of events such as social outings and a festival. We were excited to see that many of you were interested in getting involved with hospitality!
• Our existing ministries and outreach opportunities are listed on our parish website with contact information; however, we are exploring your suggestions for establishing ministries and services that are not currently available at Mother of God. In some cases, there may be opportunities to leverage programs that already exist in the diocese—especially in conjunction with the Campaign of Mercy. 
• Our parish community has an abundance of experiences and talents, including hospitality, communication, and organization that are blessings when shared. We are grateful to all who volunteer and all who participate. For those who are interested in helping others become more engaged, we welcome your leadership! Ministry representatives will be reaching out to those who shared related experience or talent.
• We understand the challenges faced in getting involved. While time of day and day of the week were cited by most of you, we will be mindful of other challenges noted as we offer opportunities.
• We want to improve how we reach out to inactive Catholics, our Covington neighbors, parents of young children, those who are divorced/separated, adult singles, etc. For inactive Catholics in particular, we will consider social events, community outreach, and uplifting prayer experiences.
• We will continue to keep you informed through your preferred methods of communication: announcements at Mass, in the bulletin, and The Connector. For those inclined toward social media, our website and Facebook page are also great ways to stay in the loop!  

Inspired by our learning from the survey, we invite each of you to join us at the upcoming Mother of God Ministry Fair! Watch for specifics in the coming weeks. We look forward to this new year as a great opportunity for each of us to grow in personal relationships with each other and our Lord while doing His work!