Diocesan Planning Commission

Fr. John Schuster sent out a letter on November 30, 1998 to prospective members of Bishop Frederick Henry’s newly established Diocesan Planning Commission. The first meeting was held at the Pastoral Centre on January 4, 1999 and was addressed by the Bishop who clarified the mandate. It was to develop a set of recommendations that would assist the Bishop to address the issue of parish transformation. It required that parishes be examined for their vitality and viability. The purpose was to restructure the Diocese, largely in view of the information about the aging of priests and shortage of new vocations. Early members were Fr. John Schuster (chair), Dr. Bob Gall (co-chair), Terry Allen, Fr. Armand Lemire (Chancellor), Donna Mullen, Bill McGannon, Fr. Joaquim Pereira, Sr. Mary Rose Rawlinson, and Dr. Bob Shultz. Identified consultants included Brian Chikmoroff, Paul Dawson, Jim McKinley and Steve Stewart.
It was established as a Standing Commission in the Diocese following the Committee’s recommendations to the Bishop in the Commission’s Final Report of May 31, 2001. The new mandate was as follows:
‘In service to the Bishop, the Commission will assess and position the utilization of the resources of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, so that the members of our parishes are served most effectively, which enables them to be called forth in service.’
Fr. Jack Pereira was appointed Chair and members were Terry Allen, Br. Leon Jansen, Donna Mullan, and as consultors – Fr. John Schuster, Jim McKinlay and Sr. Mary Rose Rawlinson, FCJ
[See: RCDCA 288.5080]
Fr. Jack Pereira resigned as Chair of the DPC in August, 2003 due to pressure of work at his parish, Holy Spirit, Calgary. Fr. John took over once again.

Advisory body to the Office of the Bishop

Created Jun 10, 2021

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