Vicariate I

General Mission Goals of the USCCB

The Gospel of Christ and the teachings of his Church guide the work of the USCCB. The work of the Conference is rooted in three general mission goals and organized into three key areas of responsibility.

• To act collaboratively and consistently on vital issues confronting the Church and society
• To foster communion with the Church in other nations, within the Church universal, under the leadership of its supreme pastor, the Roman Pontiff
• To offer appropriate assistance to each bishop in fulfilling his particular ministry in the local Church.

http://www.usccb.org

Most parishioners likely have never heard of the Vicariate I Ministry Commission, nor how it benefits their parish. Simply put, the Ministry Commission is a group of mostly volunteers from different parishes across the NW suburbs. Commissioners arrange for basic training, formation and other programs for ministries in our parish, sometimes in both English and Spanish. For example, the Eucharistic Ministers who serve at parish Masses received training provided by the Vicariate I Ministry Commission. At this training, they learned about the theology of the ministry, explored their calling to the ministry, and more about the ministry’s history.
Ministry Commission programs are offered at no or low cost. Where do the Commission’s funds come from? Each parish in the Vicariate pays a stipend to the Commission and those monies are used for speakers and trainers for the various programs. This takes the burden off individual parishes and provides more formation opportunities for their parishioners.
ADDITIONAL PARAGRAPHS IF DESIRED:
The Archdiocese of Chicago is divided into six vicariates. (Your parish name) is located in Vicariate I, the largest vicariate in the archdiocese by area, roughly spanning from Antioch in the north, to Bartlett and Elk Grove Village to the south and from Barrington in the west to Lake Forest to the east. Vicariate I is further divided into six deaneries. Deaneries I-ABC encompass the northern parishes (mostly Lake County) and Deaneries I-DEF takes in the southern parishes (mostly NW Suburbs.) The two Commissions, ABC & DEF, have existed for over 20 years and collaborate effectively. No matter in which deanery your parish is located, all parishes are welcome to take part in the Commission programs.
Examples of Ministry Commission-sponsored programs include, but are not limited to,
Ministry of Care training in English and Spanish, Lector and Eucharistic Minister training in English and Spanish, Bereavement Ministry, Adult Confirmation, Young Adult Ministry activities (i.e., Theology on Tap or Winter Wine series), and Peace and Justice programs.
Vicariate I Ministry Commissions began initially as one Commission serving the entire Vicariate, which is more than 50 parishes. Later, due to the large number of parishes and also the expansive geographic area, the Commission divided into two, one serving Deaneries ABC, and the other serving Deaneries DEF.