In a letter dated April 23, 1999, sent to Reverend Monsignor James T. McDonough, Regional Vicar for Chester County, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, accepted the Cluster Pastoral Plan for Cluster 52, and commended the pastors and all who served on the Cluster Pastoral Planning Committee.

The seven parishes of Cluster 52 are:

Saint Agnes Parish
St. Cornelius Parish
St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish
St. Patrick Parish
SS. Peter & Paul Parish
SS. Philip & James Parish
SS. Simon & Jude Parish

Cluster 52's plan centers on these objectives:

1) Evangelize practicing and non-practicing Catholics. This will be accomplished by identifying evangelization programs and implementing a cluster-wide planning process.

2) Develop and improve effective youth ministry programs. This will be accomplished by exploring ways to enrich and strengthen families. This will also be accomplished by establishing youth minister positions in Cluster parishes.

3) Increase vocations and meet fundamental elementary and religious education needs of our children. This will be accomplished by suggesting ways that religious vocations can be encouraged in the home, in our school and CCD programs and in the parish.

4) Bridge the gap between economic classes through strengthening of community outreach.
This will be accomplished by making people aware of others' needs and motivating parishioners to take personal and social action. It will also be accomplished by responding to the needs of Hispanics in Chester County, including issues that relate to immigration. Specific issues will be examined, such as housing, employment and health care.

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Editor's Note:Media inquiries should be directed to Rev. Msgr. James T. McDonough at 610-995-9450.

Contact
Donna Crilley
Communications Assistant
215-587-3747