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Office of Adult and Family Ministries asks for feedback from parishioners

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
(Email Katie)

To learn how to better serve the parishioners of the Diocese of Sioux City, the Office of Adult and Family Ministries (AFM) is asking for feedback.

A survey has been sent to the parishes of the diocese along with a letter from the AFM Office.
The mission of the Office of Adult and Family Ministries is to work in collaboration with Bishop Nickless and the Department of Formation and Ministry, recognizing the call of all the baptized to follow and imitate Jesus Christ.

“We seek to help each person to grow in holiness by helping you deepen your relationship with God and with each other in the midst of each stage and dimension of life, from womb to tomb,” wrote Vera Ludwig, interim director of Adult and Family Ministries, in the letter. “The Office of Adult and Family Ministries is committed to strengthening and enriching marriages and the lives of families and adults and their relationship with God.”

Ludwig noted that the survey isn’t all-encompassing, so there maybe items that are not listed that people might see the need to add.

The main topics the survey covers are marriage enrichment, family/spirituality and parenting, general parenting and adults. Under each heading there are lists of possible retreats, programs, groups, resources and topics for presentation. Participants in the survey are asked to choose the programs that they are interested in and would be willing to participate in through their parish, cluster, deanery or as a diocesan event.

“We are asking everyone to fill one out and give us feedback,” said Ludwig. “The surveys will go to the parishes and the parishes will decide how they want to distribute them to their parishioners. They can fill out a hard copy or we also have the survey online.”

She added that parishes might decide to have parishioners return the surveys by putting them in the collection basket at Mass or each person could send the survey into the diocese.

“We need feedback from the parishioners because it is a way for us to communicate with them,” said Ludwig. “If we are not communicating, how can we know what they really need? This is a tool that will allow us to collect that information.”

Once the surveys are collected and tabulated, the results will be prioritized under the direction and guidance of Bishop Nickless.

“We will discuss with bishop what we received from the parishioners,” she said. “Then we will decide what programs we want to branch into or develop, whether it is diocesan programs or programs that can help parishes further.”

From the feedback, the AFM Office hopes to have a better understanding of the needs of the parishioners of the diocese.

“The ultimate goal is to help all families see their call to holiness,” she wrote in the letter. “Please know that we want to meet everyone’s needs but also realize that we need to focus on what we can do. Knowing that, we can’t guarantee that any particular program will happen. However, we will prioritize according to the needs and do our very best to provide programs that have been identified and meet with bishop’s approval.”

The AFM Office requests that all surveys be completed and returned by May 13. Everyone over 18 can complete a survey.

For more information or to request a copy of the survey, contact the Office of Adult and Family Ministries at (712) 233-7530. The survey is also available online at www.scdiocese.org.