Deaneries

In an attempt to respond to concerns we have heard regarding the time it takes some teams to travel to Diocesan RCIA events, we are now asking RCIA team members to gather in local parishes.

RCIA events/meetings will rotate from parish to parish within each deanery. The RCIA team members of each deanery grouping will decide the date and location of their deanery’s RCIA events and meetings.

We have also noticed that needs vary depending on locations. For example, as the population moves westward, the urban teams may seek evangelization strategies while the western deaneries may seek team building strategies.

Certain areas need to address cultural diversity while others might need to address more parish community participation. Team members of each deanery grouping will decide the agenda of their deanery events and meetings.

The RCIA Office will provide workshops within the particular deaneries and those workshops will be focused on the expressed needs of that particular deanery.

Our hope is that teams in close proximity to each other can begin to share resources. For example, perhaps a deanery might wish to offer one deanery retreat during Lent, for all the candidates and elect of that deanery…rather than each parish scheduling their own retreat. Perhaps a parish that does not have a catechumenate adapted for children or teenagers, will chose to bring their candidate to a neighboring parish for the catechesis sessions, but celebrate the Rites in their own parish.

We hope the Deanery gatherings will encourage a mentoring system. We need our experienced teams to encourage, support and mentor those parish teams who are just getting started, or those parish teams who are having difficulties in some areas. Perhaps a director of a brand new team might want to “sit in” on a neighboring parish’s catechesis session, or a neighboring parish’s Rite of Acceptance to get an experience of how it can be best implemented.

Each of the six Deanery groupings will be facilitated by a member of our Diocesan Implementation Council. These facilitators will then advise the Diocesan RCIA office as to how the RCIA office can best serve the needs of each of the seven groupings. The facilitators of each grouping will be calling you and or your parish RCIA coordinator in the near future to schedule a date for your next deanery meeting.

They are as follows:

Arthur Kill / Raritan Bay
Margaret Mulrooney
(732) 969-8767 (w)
Mulro115@aol.com

Forsgate / New Brunswick
JoLynn Krempecki
(609) 406-7400 X5695 (w) or (732) 690-2610 (cell)
jolynnkrempecki@msn.com

Cathedral
Sara and Tom Sharlow
(732) 562-1990 X1633 (w)

Somerset Hills / County Seat
Deacon Pat Cline (Somerset Hills)
(908) 526-5019
pjcjr123@yahoo.com

Barbara Hoff (Somerset Hills)
(908) 647-5749

Morris Canal
Marilyn Wickel
(908) 637-0301

Round Valley
Elizabeth Kozakowski
(908) 995-7561
ekozakowski@verizon.net

Click here for Deanery List by parishes.