1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Choosing Pastoral Council Members: Making Room For the Spirit
CENTER SECTION: PASTORAL PLANNING AND COUNCILS
Choosing Pastoral Council Members: Making Room For the Spirit by Ellen Rhatigan
NPLC NEWSLETTER NPLC news, events, initiatives, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now
The heater in the old church hall rattled so loudly that having to shout “WE JOIN TOGETHER IN PRAYER!” didn’t quite enhance the sacred space of the prayer circle. Within the circle, parishioners representing five different cultural groups struggled to understand each other through varying degrees of English fluency, the shouting, and the seemingly constant stream of fire trucks outside. The awkward silences during faith sharing soon became deadly. Discernment Night, usually my favorite activity in pastoral planning, wasn’t going so well for this small Brooklyn parish, and for a few minutes I wondered when the Holy Spirit would arrive, since I certainly didn’t know what to do.
Diocesan Initiative The development of pastoral councils, as a diocesan norm, is still in its infancy in the Diocese of Brooklyn. While some individual parishes have been planning for years, the Office of Pastoral Planning, under the direction of Robert Choiniere, was challenged with the diocesewide initiative of forming and training almost 180 leadership bodies over the course of about a year. Due to the sheer scale of the initiative, discernment of council members soon became the number one priority. Identifying the right parishioners to serve on a consultative, visionary leadership body that will engage in pastoral planning is a crucial, yet daunting, task for any parish. Different methods for choosing council members, such as election, appointment, discernment, or some combination of those, each come with their own benefits and outcomes. However, Brooklyn chose to advocate a four- to six-week full discernment process. Pastoral planning was new to many in the diocese, and we needed a process that not only sought to determine the right people to serve on each parish council at this time, but would also be educational and formational in nature. The premise was that the way in which council members would be chosen should model the type of visionary planning we would ask them to employ. Council members would then be asked to collaborate with the pastor and the staff, discerning the will of God for the parish through Scripture, tradition, and the voice of the people while also respecting where each unique parish and pastor is and needs to go. The thought was that they might as well start that as soon as possible, through their own discernment.
Discernment Process While the pastor ultimately decides how his council is chosen, a small team of people was trained to hit the streets and firmly advocate a discernment process within the parishes. Pulpit talks, bulletin announcements, educational literature, and information sessions led to an invitation to people to nominate fellow parishioners or themselves for consideration for membership on the pastoral council. Finally, on the night of discernment, potential council members would experience that sacred form of decision-making where room is made to affirm each other’s gifts and to listen for the call of the Holy Spirit. These are often long, exhausting sessions that never failed to leave me rejuvenated in spirit and in awe at the beauty of our God. This brings me back to that frigid evening in the heart of Brooklyn, where everything seemed to be going wrong and the Spirit had left me to my own devices. www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_choosing.php
1/2
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Choosing Pastoral Council Members: Making Room For the Spirit As a group, we did come to consensus that it would be preferable to freeze than scream, so we turned off the heater. But something was definitely missing. We went around the circle, discussing what individuals appreciate about their parish and answering questions meant to elicit where their parish should go and what gifts each had to offer a pastoral council. This very often becomes a sacred and precious conversation that raises the level of discernment and adds great spiritual depth to the experience. But if awkward shifting is any clue, we weren’t getting anywhere. An older man, “Juan,” sat still and silent, representing, I thought, just how uncomfortable everyone felt. What was I doing wrong? Did they not understand the questions, or each other? Were the parallel communities fostered by their cultural differences too difficult to navigate? Had I facilitated too many discernment nights and set my expectations too high?
Telling His Story Juan finally spoke. Ignoring whatever question I had asked, he began to tell his story. He spoke of being a new immigrant, homesick, lonely, and depressed. He walked the streets in despair, crying out in his head for the God he now doubted to save him. He thought he was dreaming when he heard faint, drifting music in his own language. He followed the music to the door of a church where a man welcomed him in his native tongue. He broke down and cried, knowing he was home. One by one, the others ignored my beautiful discernment questions to tell their equally moving stories. I searched for a way to gently bring the group back to task. Surely, conversion stories are wonderful and powerful, but this is not the time or place! A gentle voice in my head not quite my own (my description of God) scolded me, telling me to practice what I preach and get out of the way of what was happening. Parishioners were relating to each other, and the Spirit was palpable. The pastor read my mind, turning to me to whisper in his own halting English something akin to “Your task for us is not God’s plan right now. Don’t worry, the planning will come. Leadership will rise. Right now, what this parish needs are witnesses.” The time finally came to affirm each other and ask which participants wished to move forward with discernment and who felt called to serve in another capacity in the parish. There was no need for public discernment. The number of people who felt called to move on in discernment was the exact number being called for, and they equally represented each of the cultural groups of the parish. The evening ended with a dramatic prayer by the pastor that the council bears witness to the welcoming and saving Christ for all newcomers who are searching to find a place to call home. There are many wonderful books and articles on the criteria for council members and the benefits and challenges of different methods of choosing the right leaders. I have learned much from these and from my colleagues in the field. But through these experiences in Brooklyn, we quickly learned that no matter which approach we advocated, the uniqueness of each parish and pastor would dictate how a council is chosen as well as how the council will function as a leadership body within the parish. If we wanted planning to succeed, we had to continue to pay careful attention to the dynamics at play in each parish, and how the Spirit calls us to respond. I had forgotten that for a moment, and in this situation, the movement of grace in that prayer circle not only led to the formation of a council, but it began a process of parish identity that is being lived out through the work of the council today. Ellen Rhatigan is associate director of the Office of Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. Her e-mail address is erhatigan@rcdob.org
A Publication of the National Pastoral Life Center
www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_choosing.php
| About CHURCH | Writers' Guidelines
Site design by
Symmetrical Design
2/2
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Research on Inter-Parochial Pastoral Councils
CENTER SECTION: PASTORAL PLANNING AND COUNCILS
NPLC NEWSLETTER
Research on Inter-Parochial Pastoral Councils: An Emerging Model for Parish Consultative Bodies
NPLC news, events, initiatives, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now
by Robert J. Miller Pastors were asked to describe how their multi-parish council works, its purpose, the role that the pastor assumes in the council, the external support he has for this structure, and how it relates to other parish and diocesan councils and to the parishioners. In this article their answers are summarized. There are essentially three ways that pastors of multiple parishes set up their pastoral councils: T ype A, the parallel council: two (or more) parish pastoral councils meeting separately with the pastor present, presiding over, and meeting with each; T ype B, the additional council: representatives of the two (or more) parishes are formed into a multi-parish council to coordinate the activities of the parishes represented in it and to complement the consultation continuing to be provided to the pastor by individual parish pastoral councils; and T ype C, the replacement council, in which representatives of two (or more) parishes are formed into one pastoral council with the shared pastor presiding, in lieu of a parish pastoral council for each parish. This study is focused on Type B-additional and Type C-replacement councils. When qualifying the sample, we eliminated Type A-parallel councils since parish representatives do not meet together as a multi-parish council. One exception to this was a pastor currently working with Type A-parallel councils who was in the process of changing them into a Type Creplacement council. The rest of the respondents turned out to be evenly divided between Type B-additional (multi-parish councils that augment the work of the parish pastoral councils) and Type C-replacement multi-parish councils. Another pastor was in the process of moving his council from a Type B-additional to a Type Creplacement council. Throughout the discussion of the findings the terms “multi-parish pastoral council” and “council” will be used interchangeably. When citing directly from the transcripts, the terms pastors used to describe their version of these councils will be used, including cluster council, partnered council, and joint council. The author will clarify the specific type as required.
Summary and Recommendations for Future Research This report describes an exploratory qualitative study intended to investigate the development of multi-parish pastoral councils among Catholic parishes in the United States by identifying and describing the pastors’ perspectives on multi-parish pastoral councils. Councils of this type are being employed by 31% of the pastors (1,367) who are pastoring more than one parish. This means that at least 2,734 (13%) of the Roman rite parishes and missions in the United States participate in multi-parish councils. This study suggests that these councils are being employed in a variety of creative ways, but that pastors frequently need to adapt policy and procedures designed for individual parish pastoral councils in order to create the methods that they use for their multi-parish councils. Further exploratory research could investigate what is happening in this lay consultative parish structure known as the multi-parish council. It could include observing the dynamics of these councils by a researcher present to their deliberations. Salient themes, patterns, or categories of meaning for pastors and multi-parish pastoral council members could be identified and explored. www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_research.php
1/2
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Research on Inter-Parochial Pastoral Councils Explanatory research could attempt to identify the events, beliefs, attitudes, or policies that have served to shape multi-parish pastoral councils. Further research that describes the guidelines specifically established by dioceses to guide the formation of multi-parish councils is needed. The particular literature and church documents used in developing such guidelines would be very helpful to other dioceses that do not have any guiding policy for these lay consultative bodies. Multi-parish councils may increase, as the numbers of parishes sharing pastors are expected to continue to grow. Periodic follow-up studies to determine the extent of growth of pastoring multiple parishes and the use of multi-parish councils need to be conducted. In this study, half of the multi-parish councils were described by the pastor as possibly a transition step that may result in the merger of the parishes involved at some point in the future. Further study needs to be conducted to determine to what extent this expected outcome is realized and to identify the differences between parishes whose pastoral councils call for a merger of parishes and those that continue on as separate parishes working together in multi-parish councils. Studies making more objectivist assumptions, such as a study of the proportion of Type Creplacement multi-parish councils compared to Type B-additional multi-parish councils and the characterisics of the parishes involved in each would be able to triangulate with interview data. Finally, the strategy of asking pastors to assume responsibility to pastor several parishes is one of several strategies available to the Catholic church in the United States to ensure access to the rich sacramental life of the church. Other strategies currently employed by the church include restructuring parishes into larger, more distantly separated communities and entrusting the sacramental and pastoral care of the parish to someone who is not a priest, in accordance with Canon 517.2. In addition, new strategies not currently in use in the church may come into being. Research needs to be conducted to monitor how the church across the United States employs this range of options and the reasons for the strategy that is employed in each diocese. With regard to this topic we have much to learn. As we move into the twenty-first century, one thing that is clear is that new emerging models of pastoral leadership, consultative bodies, and staff positions will be developed through the creativity of pastoral leaders and the inspiration of the Spirit. The full report of the study summarized in this article can be downloaded at http://www.emergingmodels.org/article.cfm?id=29 Robert J. Miller, Ph.D., is director of research for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Penn.
A Publication of the National Pastoral Life Center
www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_research.php
| About CHURCH | Writers' Guidelines
Site design by
Symmetrical Design
2/2
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Parish Pastoral Council
CENTER SECTION: PASTORAL PLANNING AND COUNCILS
The Parish Pastoral Council by Mark F. Fischer
NPLC NEWSLETTER NPLC news, events, initiatives, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now
I first sensed confusion regarding pastoral councils in 1985. I was attending a joint convention of the National Pastoral Planning Conference and the Parish and Diocesan Council Network in Baltimore. Two speakers gave a general introduction to pastoral councils. They said that such councils coordinate systems of standing committees. That was not what I had been taught in my home diocese of Oakland, California. I knew that the 1965 Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People had called for councils that “can take care of the mutual coordinating of the various lay associations and undertakings.” The Laity Decree did not speak, however, about “pastoral” councils. It spoke about councils for the lay apostolate. It was Vatican II’s Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church that spoke of “pastoral” councils. The decree taught that such councils have a threefold task. It is “to investigate and consider matters relating to pastoral activity and to formulate practical conclusions concerning them.” The decree focused on diocesan pastoral councils. It did not mention parish pastoral councils, so the document on bishops has been less popularly regarded as the source of PPCs. It took me a long time to see that the Bishops Decree is the true Vatican II source for parish pastoral councils. It originated the “pastoral” council idea—the idea of a council with a threefold task, the task that today we call pastoral planning. The original idea for diocesan pastoral councils was extended to parishes in the 1973 Circular Letter on Pastoral Councils from the Congregation for the Clergy. What was good for bishops could be good for parish priests as well. “Pastoral” councils exist to aid the apostolate of the pastor. They are not primarily aimed at the lay apostolate, the apostolate of being a Christian in the world. For that reason, it is inappropriate to cite the Laity Decree as the charter for parish pastoral councils. “Pastoral” councils were not established to coordinate lay initiatives. They were created so that pastors could benefit from the study, reflection, and recommendations of prudent Catholics in their communities.
Pastor and Parishioner in the Pastoral Council www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_parish_pastoral_council.php
1/3
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Parish Pastoral Council A phrase in Canon 536 gives pause to many lay people. It states that the pastoral council “possesses a consultative vote only.” The plain meaning of this phrase is this: The pastor consults, but he is not obligated to accept the advice he receives. He consults, but the consultation is not binding. The phrase gives pause because many publications, here in the United States and abroad, suggest that the pastoral council has more than a consultative vote: Councillors exercise “leadership” when “they discern what is best for the parish” (Jane Ferguson, A Handbook for Parish Pastoral Council, Dublin, Ireland, 2005). The council is a “leadership body” whose job is to “discern and articulate the mission of the parish” (Mary Ann Gubish et al., Revisioning the Parish Pastoral Council, New York, 2001). The council is to “set short-term and long-term pastoral goals for the parish community within the framework of diocesan priorities” (Cecilia Anning, Handbook for Parish Pastoral Councils, Brisbane, Australia, 2007). These publications suggest that the parish pastoral council leads and sets goals, despite its consultative vote. If the council leads, then the pastor is not the leader. But this creates a problem. Bishops entrust parishes to pastors, not to councils.
The Persistent Question Who leads in the council—the pastor or the councillors? There have been many attempts to answer this persistent question. One approach is to make the pastor a “member” of the council rather than a “presider” who consults. The assumption behind this method is that pastor and council are one, and the council’s decision includes the pastor’s approval. But what if the pastor disagrees? Another attempt has been to consider the pastor a “ratifier” of the council’s decisions. When the pastor senses that the councillors have reached consensus, he formally ratifies their decision. The agreement of members indicates that the Spirit is with the group, and the pastor has discerned the Spirit’s presence. If he doesn’t discern that presence, however, ratification becomes a problem. The attempts to resolve the problem by making the pastor a “member” of the group or the “ratifier” of its decisions have not been successful because they presuppose a unanimity between pastor and councillors that may not exist. Allow me to propose another solution.
The Pastor as Consulter All of the church’s documents agree that the pastor consults the council. But the documents do not clearly say how or why the pastor consults. We have to tease out the how and why from our Christian tradition. We can begin by focusing on the teaching in chapter ten of John’s Gospel about Jesus as the good shepherd. This teaching is quoted in every official document about pastoring. “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn 10:9). “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). “I know my own and my own know me” (Jn 10:14). These verses suggest, first of all, the relationship of love that is supposed to exist between pastors and faithful Christians. They love him because his job is to “save them,” to bring them to good pasture. They owe their livelihoods to each other. Second, the pastor has a goal. The goal is abundant life. Through his pastoral office he helps his people find it. Third, he knows his people because he has consulted them. He cannot lead them unless he understands them. He consults them because his role as pastor depends on them. A pastor without a congregation is not much of a pastor. The pastor consults so as to discern how and where to lead.
Councillors as Planners If the pastor is the consulter, the councillors are the ones consulted. The church’s official documents do not say much about the role of pastoral councillors. But two things are clear: the task of the council and its apostolate. The task of the council is the threefold role of investigating, pondering, and reaching conclusions (Decree on Bishops). We call this pastoral planning. Councillors must be able to do this threefold task. The selection of councillors should include opportunities for parishioners to judge who has the gift for the work of the pastoral council and who does not. Councillors should be expected to do what the church asks of them. Pastors, for example, should expect councillors to investigate thoroughly, to ponder deeply, and to reach www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_parish_pastoral_council.php
2/3
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Parish Pastoral Council should expect councillors to investigate thoroughly, to ponder deeply, and to reach conclusions wisely. Councillors have a right to know what they are being consulted about. They deserve to know what form the consultation is to take. The pastor should explain to them what he hopes for from the consultation. The council’s apostolate is pastoral. It is not the lay apostolate. The council’s main task is not to promote the lay person’s role as the representative of the church in the world. Rather it is to help the pastor do his particular job, that of leading the parish. That is why the church’s documents say that councillors participate in the apostolate of the pastor. Planning is different from implementing. Many pastoral councils mistakenly view themselves as not only a planning body, but an implementing body as well. The council implements parish policy, they say, through a system of standing committees or commissions. No Vatican document, however, gives pastoral councils the implementing role. When councillors implement parish policy, they do so as volunteers under the pastor’s direction. As pastoral councillors, their task is to investigate, discern, and make prudent recommendations. The pastor implements them with the help of parish staff and volunteers.
Pastor-Councillor Collaboration So what is the answer to our question about who leads in the council? The simplest answer is that the pastor leads. He does so by consulting. He invites the council to reflect. He receives its recommendations. Does that mean that pastors have absolute power? May they ride roughshod over the feelings of councillors? Have councillors no recourse when pastors treat them discourteously? No. The church’s official documents clearly imply the proper relation between the pastor and councillors. He consults because he wants to be a good shepherd. He cannot lead his people unless he insists on serving, not on being served. Councillors recognize this. When a pastor is not authentic in consultation—that is, when he is not sincere, when he treats his councillors discourteously, when he rejects good advice without an adequate explanation—then lay people have recourse. The Boston canonist Richard C. Cunningham expressed it well in Code, Community, Ministry (1992). Speaking of the laity, he said, “They still possess the power of numbers, of finances, of public opinion, of sensus fidelium, of conscience and the radical power of shaking the dust from their feet as they exit.” Councillors put their gifts at the service of the good pastor because they want to strengthen his apostolate. Their recommendations should include a means for recruiting and training volunteers to carry out the plan. The good pastor leads the council by consulting well. Councillors participate in his apostolate of parish governance by exercising their council responsibilities in a thorough, honest, and Christlike way. Councils do not need more than a consultative vote. When their planning is so thorough and persuasive that the pastor accepts it and acts on it, they have succeeded. Mark F. Fischer, Ph. D., is a professor on the faculty of St. John’s Seminary, Camarillo, Calif. He has developed an online Web course for pastoral councils that is available for free at www.mfischer.stjohnsem.edu. He hosts a council Web site at www.pastoralcouncils.com
A Publication of the National Pastoral Life Center
| About CHURCH | Writers' Guidelines
www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_parish_pastoral_council.php
Site design by
Symmetrical Design
3/3
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Pastoral Council’s Pursuit of Excellence
UP FRONT
The Pastoral Council’s Pursuit of Excellence Mary Ann Gubish
NPLC NEWSLETTER NPLC news, events, initiatives, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now
Diocesan and parish pastoral councils are evolving. These post-conciliar structures are beginning to adapt to the wisdom of the church as indicated in Christus dominus 27, canons 511-514, and canon 536. This vision leads to the insight that pastoral councils, situated in the context of a faith community, exist to do pastoral planning. The “New Commentary on Canon Law” (Paulist Press, 2000) further explicates the purpose of councils at both the diocesan and parish levels. The very concrete and clear explanation suggests that pastoral councils exist to plan in a consultative way by a three-pronged interrelated process of investigating and considering pastoral needs and proposing recommendations. While planning is common to other groups or projects in a diocese or parish, the Code of Canon Law is affirming that a pastoral council is the only ecclesial body that exists solely to do pastoral planning. The wisdom noted thus far frames a parish pastoral council as the artist who crafts the plan for the future and in so doing guarantees quality pastoral life. The pastoral plan has its origin in both the investigation of the reality of the members of the faith community as well as in the study of demographics and other data. When attention is given to these important planning tasks, the Vatican II ideal of consultation is also realized. This is probably the most significant component of pastoral planning, that it has the potential to build up the faith community. In order for a pastoral plan to have integrity, the Christian faithful must come together to agree on mission and purpose and to set common goals. When members of a parish pastoral council successfully initiate a planning process, they have increased their knowledge of the parish, have improved the flow of communication at all levels, and have ultimately become more invested in the mission of the parish. The Rev. John A. Renken, a canonist, in an article entitled “Diocesan/Eparchial Pastoral Councils,” notes that “when a pastoral council performs its role effectively and appropriately, much will be done to further ecclesial communio. The pastoral council will assist the program for the church in every age, found in the gospel and the church’s living tradition, to be enfleshed in the detailed pastoral plan of each particular church, as envisioned by Pope John Paul II in Novo millennio ineunte.” For over fifteen years it has been my privilege to sit at many council tables as well as to conduct formation workshops for pastors, pastoral leaders, and councils in North America and Australia. Without oversimplifying the complexity of fulfilling the multi-dimensional planning function of a conciliar structure, I can say that I have found several foundational underpinnings to be common to effective pastoral councils: www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0809/upf_pastoral_council.php
1/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Pastoral Council’s Pursuit of Excellence
1. The challenge for excellence from the top Nothing is more important than a bishop’s shaping a vision that inspires, motivates, challenges, and provokes accountability in his local church. Passion and energy come from knowing we are going somewhere together. Unhealthy competition between parishes and within parishes is the result of everyone doing his or her own thing instead of challenging one another to excellence for the sake of the greater good. When a bishop, with his diocesan pastoral council, crafts a vision and pastoral plan for the diocese, every parish will be able to ride on the waves of that momentum. If this is not present, pastors and parish pastoral councils have a harder job because the visible link to communion with the diocese, as well a sense of corporate ownership of the mission, is missing.
2. Theological reflection: a discipline for living deep, not fast Having a theological foundation in hope will support all planning efforts. Our church is not about survival but about joy, fullness of life in Christ, and hope. This is why we plan. Planning has its origin in the Resurrection. The influential German theologian Jürgen Moltmann in his book Hope and Planning suggests that “unless hope has been roused and is alive there can be no stimulation for planning.” And “without planning there can be no realistic hope.” Good advice for bishops, pastors, and pastoral councils who are charged with visioning and planning! Only hope-filled councils can envision a vital future for their dioceses and parishes. In turn, a vibrant, compelling pastoral plan creates hope in parishioners. Sadly, the opposite is also true. Leaders without hope and concrete goals often lose interest in planning for the future, and they settle for the status quo or gripe and complain about present problems and eventually revert to crisis management. Without a spiritual and theological “why,” we will have an ongoing struggle with the “how.” Pastoral councils at all levels who strive toward becoming true faith communities grounded in prayer and theological reflection about what they are doing tend to keep moving forward. Ironically, living fast and not deep hinders progress.
3. Gatekeepers of the parish mission Pastoral councils survive and are effective if they consistently keep the whole parish focused on mission. Jesus always had his eye on his mission. In Lk 4: 16-21 we read, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me…I have come to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free…” Every Catholic parish has a mandate to continue Christ’s mission in its own unique way. In other words, a parish is responsible for the quality of its life. Veering from this mission can lead to separate and individual agendas or disintegration into simple maintenance. A parish without a profound sense of mission is in big trouble because it does not know why it exists and therefore will lack the passion and energy to move forward. Too often parishes become centers of activity that lack the direction that comes from a clear sense of mission. On the other hand, a heartfelt, compelling, and unique mission statement can stir up enthusiasm and motivate the whole parish to achieve it. Pastoral councils devise ways to invite the parishioners to create this shared identity among what is quickly becoming an enormously diverse Catholic population in many parishes. Why are we here? Why is it important that we continue to exist? Why would anyone want to become a part of us? What makes our parish unique and special? A top-down, dictated identity or mission usually produces disappointing results. Building a shared mission must be seen as a central element of the planning work of the parish pastoral council. Everything else flows from it. In the end a very important lesson is taught, that a “parish does not exist for itself, but for the Mission of Christ.” (‘The Parish: A People, A Mission, A Structure,” USCCB, 1980)
4. Planning becomes a way of life In his Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, Pope John Paul II envisioned pastoral planning in the context of ecclesial communion, a realistic way to become a “participatory church.” “In order to build up the ‘communion for mission’ and the ‘mission of communion,’ every member's unique charism needs to be acknowledged, developed, and effectively utilized.” He further suggested that participatory structures such as pastoral councils foster greater involvement of the laity. Through this ecclesial structure, “pastoral planning with the lay faithful should be a normal feature of all parishes.” Councils have to adopt an annual planning process that is both simple and cyclic. The goal is to make planning a way of life for the parish. Eventually, the process itself dictates when and how a council should meet or develop venues for broad consultation. A simple planning cycle could consist in gathering and studying information, identifying concerns and issues, creating new goals or revising goals, specifying one-year strategies to move the goals forward, empowering parishioners to implement the objectives, evaluating the accomplishments, and then starting over again. Throughout the year the council interacts with the parish at large, whether at large parish assemblies or smaller focus groups or one-onone interviews. Whatever process is chosen, it needs to be information-based, flexible, collaborative, and realistic, gaining momentum from one step to another. Information stays information until people work through it together, solving problems and achieving goals. www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0809/upf_pastoral_council.php
2/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Pastoral Council’s Pursuit of Excellence
5. Quality control by goals and objectives If the pastor or pastoral leader must have a structure of checks and balances in relationship to parish finances, the quality of the pastoral life of a parish should not go unchecked either. The pastoral planning function by its nature is a way to guarantee quality pastoral ministry in areas such as worship, faith formation, stewardship, and leadership. Vitality and viability of parishes should be the aim of every bishop. It is at the council level that this quality control is monitored. At the heart of a parish plan are the goals that a parish hopes to bring to reality in due time. For example, improving the quality of liturgical music as a goal can lead to strategies of revising worship aids or purchasing a new organ or introducing cantors at every Sunday liturgy. When strengthening marriages and nurturing the life of families become priorities, training leaders of parent focus groups and enhancing marriage preparation programs are given attention. A decision to focus parish energies and resources during a particular year on such improvements and the development of appropriate strategies to achieve specific ends can make a significant difference. Goals announce clear priorities for everyone in the parish; they signal that a particular pastoral issue is front and center with financial and human resources to follow. When everything is important, nothing is important. There should be no doubt that the role of the pastoral council as the guarantor of quality pastoral life influences the very nature of parish life.
6. Means for mission: parish finances and pastoral planning Pastoring God’s people is why the church is organized, why it holds property, collects money, and has various functions and offices. Such an overarching understanding integrates rather than separates the many entities of parish life. A common breach from the pastoral focus can happen when pastors, pastoral administrators, and finance councils become consumed with paying salaries and bills and just “getting by.” Without even realizing it, many parishes become motivated by finances rather than the mission of Christ. Despite the existence of finance councils (canon 537), parishioners and even pastoral council members too often are uninformed about the parish financial situation. A parish pastoral council cannot in fact prepare a high-quality yet realistic pastoral plan without the full disclosure of parish finances. An appropriate relationship between pastoral and finance councils is important. Even though each has its particular role, they ought to work together toward guaranteeing quality pastoral life in the parish. Finance councils do not set the pastoral agenda and therefore should not arbitrarily determine where the money goes. On the other hand the parish pastoral council should be informed by the finance council about the realistic financial situation of the parish, especially in the area of operating costs and necessary capital improvements. At least two joint meetings of the councils each year are beneficial: one before the annual plan is set, in order to review the overall financial condition of the parish; and another after the plan is determined, when the budget for the plan needs attention. The annual pastoral plan in turn makes public to the parish the pastoral priorities, with each priority given a projected expense in the parish budget. Translating the goals and objectives into quantifiable budgetary terms allows the parishioners to see that their money is being spent wisely. A 2003 Gallup poll sponsored by FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activity) showed that nearly half of frequent Sunday Mass attendees said that they did not have any idea of what happens to their donations. In the end we can’t afford not to plan. Pastoral planning is stewardship in action. When parishioners are invited to participate in setting pastoral priorities they gain a sense of ownership. Research has shown that financial support increases as a result of parishioner involvement in decisions about the future. The faithful become more informed stewards of the “household”! The proper stewardship of parish resources must be judged in light of the larger vision of the parish. Mission-motivated pastoral planning assures that the means are always for the mission.
7. Mobilize the gifts: the ad hoc appeal When all is said and done, a plan of any kind is ineffective unless it bears fruit. A major leadership role of the parish pastoral council is guaranteeing the implementation of the pastoral plan. A parish pastoral council with a strong sense of engagement throughout the year should not have problems identifying people or groups to implement the annual objectives. With a proper invitation, encouragement, support, and clear direction, more and more gifts of the community are mobilized for the greater good. The opposite is also true—people usually do not respond for very long to small and self-centered purposes, disconnected from a larger mission. Blame a poor planning process and not apathy if there is a lack of commitment to parish priorities. It is also important to consider that the demands of modern life are so great in many families that only so much time can be donated. Inviting parishioners to implement a task that could realistically be accomplished in one year or less is more palatable than inviting them to oversee entire programs or to staff standing committees. Once formed, ad hoc committees receive support and encouragement from the council as the plan moves from paper into www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0809/upf_pastoral_council.php
3/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: The Pastoral Council’s Pursuit of Excellence receive support and encouragement from the council as the plan moves from paper into action.
Conclusion To “govern” in a faith context is not just a matter of administrative management and flow charts. Ecclesial governance is directed toward communion. Ultimately the success of pastoral councils is dependent on the oversight of bishops and pastors who empower laity to share the responsibility of pastoral leadership. Planning is a function of leadership. It demands an understanding of and the patience for process, and a big picture philosophy. More than administration or maintenance, to “govern” is to empower the vocation of others’ call to holiness. A normative parish planning process will by its nature enhance the religious imagination of its members. Councils who over and over again invite parishioners to think in new ways will see changes in attitude and behavior. More important, parishioners begin to think differently about what it means to be a baptized member of a Catholic parish. The parish is being reshaped into a participative Catholic community. Mary Ann Gubish is currently the Director for Envisioning Ministry for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She is the co-author of Revisioning the Parish Pastoral Council (Paulist). The Conference of Pastoral Planning and Council Development recently honored her with the prestigious Yves Congar Award.
A Publication of the National Pastoral Life Center
www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0809/upf_pastoral_council.php
| About CHURCH | Writers' Guidelines
Site design by
Symmetrical Design
4/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Three Pastors on Pastoral Councils
CENTER SECTION: PASTORAL PLANNING AND COUNCILS
Three Pastors on Pastoral Councils Rev. Timothy Ramaekers, pastor, St. Joseph Church and Santa Teresita Mission, Chu Placentia, California.
NPLC NEWSLETTER NPLC news, events, initiatives, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now
“Begin with the End in Mind,” the second of seven habits from Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is the primary benefit of the parish pastoral council to me. “The End in Mind” is really about vision. Where do we as a parish want to be in three to five years? For me the end in mind is best summed up in the parish’s mission statement, because it focuses on what we want to be as a parish, and though the members of the parish pastoral council aren’t the implementers of the vision, the mission statement also says what we want to do as a parish. Everything that we do as a pastoral council is driven by the mission statement, which is the vision. The role of the pastor and the pastoral council is to keep the vision “out there,” that is, to keep it visible, present at all times to the parish community, reminding the community of who we are. I say to the members of the pastoral council time and time again that we are “the voice in the wilderness.” It is the role of the pastoral council always to bring parishioners back to our mission statement. One of the benefits of the pastoral council to me is that I don’t stand alone. We stand together, and the vision came out of a process that involved the leadership of the parish. Many members of the parish had input around defining who we are. Our mission statement has been read aloud before each Sunday liturgy since the autumn of 2005. A number of parishioners asked why; others suggested that it be read once a month, and still others asked that the practice be dropped permanently. I took the matter to the pastoral council for input, and they unanimously insisted that the reading of the mission statement continue to be part of our Sunday liturgies, because it says who we are. The direction of faith formation in our parish has shifted as a result of our mission statement and our Orange, California, Bishop Tod D. Brown’s pastoral letter Learning, Loving and Living Our Faith. We’re shifting into “whole community catechesis,” which involves everyone in the parish in learning, loving and living our faith. This shift is in alignment with the portion of our mission statement that reads, “as a welcoming inclusive community we provide strong faith formation through Eucharist, sacraments, education, stewardship and service.” One of the blessings of the pastoral council is that it keeps me accountable to the parish. It’s the vision of Vatican II. We’re in this together. A key word in our mission statement is “with.” “With the guidance of the Holy Spirit we live the message of Jesus Christ.” We don’t say “under,” we say “with.” The parish is not under the guidance of the pastor. Rather the pastor, along with the pastoral staff, pastoral council, finance council, and the various ministries and organizations work together with each other to implement the vision. One of the blessings of our Roman Catholic tradition is the examination of conscience that the faithful are encouraged to do at the end of the day. The monthly pastoral council meeting is the parish’s examination of conscience around our mission statement. Are we staying on track? What are the challenges that we are facing in implementing our vision? Are there any adjustments that we need to make? At times there’s frustration because things seem to be moving at a much slower rate then originally anticipated, but we take encouragement from the parable of the mustard seed. Growth remains a mystery but it’s a wonderful thing to behold. What our parish is becoming, as a result of our pastoral council and grace, is a wonderful thing to behold.
Father Michael-Dwight Galinada, Pastor, St. Angela Merici Church, Brea, California One of the expectations of parish ministry is the development of a pastoral council. Often this is mandated by the local diocese, and if a parish has not begun to create this ministry, it becomes at least on paper a high priority. The natural inclination is to focus on “what we need www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_three_pastors.php
1/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Three Pastors on Pastoral Councils becomes at least on paper a high priority. The natural inclination is to focus on “what we need to do” rather than “what we are invited to become and be” in the larger picture of this community of faith. Implementing a ministry, particularly one that has an impact on the mission, vision, and goals of a parish, moves those in leadership to look beyond merely setting up a structure and reviewing the guidelines handed down by a diocese or a national conference to see how a parish might mirror official policy. When I arrived at my current assignment, the basic concept of a parish pastoral council had already been operative. The council did realize that a change in the priest-staff of the parish was imminent, and therefore a new understanding of its ministry was also being introduced. There was some anticipation of how its role as a parish pastoral council would be sculpted and shaped. Also already in existence was a separate Spanish-speaking parish council or concilio. Most members were leaders of Spanish-speaking ministries. Members had been given little guidance or direction after the inception of the council. As a result, a few individuals emerged who took leadership roles and formed the council separate from the other pastoral council as well as from the parish community as a whole. The natural temptation was to jump right in and do what was necessary to bring every one into compliance with current diocesan guidelines regarding the implementation of a pastoral council. I chose not to go that route. I believed it was important for council members to become comfortable with me and realize I was approachable. An equally high priority for me was to create opportunities in which I would be able to understand how they perceived the history and vision of the parish and ministry in concrete and tangible ways. I began this process by spending an enormous amount of my time with the members of both councils, not only at meetings, but, more important, when they shared ministry. I stopped by to say hello and/or sat quietly, did manual labor, supported, and encouraged them, affirming both their individual and ministerial contribution to the parish community. I immersed myself into their lives. If we were going to embark together toward a ministry whose responsibility and call was to listen, support, respond, and assist in implementing the vision, mission, and goals of the community, we needed to lay the groundwork in regard to our own relationships. It seems to me that this was essential prior to introducing a process that would enable them to make an important shift in the perception of their role as leaders: the invitation to embrace ministry as one whose focus is not on a particular aspect of the parish or interest group or a single ministry but the faith community as a whole. I made the decision to allow the councils to function in ways that were familiar while at the same time challenging them to broaden their horizons. The English-speaking council invited a consultant from the diocese who greatly assisted in this process, but I decided to personally introduce the concept of a pastoral council to the Spanish-speaking (while allowing the concilio to continue to function). I believed this was a more pastoral approach, since I knew suggesting immediate major changes or shifts in understanding of their roles and/or ministry could very well threaten the current Spanish-speaking leadership and perhaps lead the membership to feel or think that their contributions were now being dismissed. (At the same time I was using the Sunday Eucharist to encourage current and new ministerial opportunities to develop among the Spanish-speaking with the promise of greater access to the parish facilities.) The English-speaking council unfolded well under the guidance of the facilitator. My role was to try to grasp how the community understood its own unfolding, as expressed through the pastoral council membership. It was also important to understand how we envisioned the parish five or more years into the future. This could lead to creating a vision for the parish (via a parish assembly), the emergence of a mission statement, and the development of a fiveyear pastoral plan. None of these had previously existed. One area that was challenging for the English-speaking council as well as for me was discerning the delicate balance of its role as a council. Empowerment and ownership are prime; however, grasping the understanding that its ownership and empowerment are not measured in creating policy is not an easy task. I believe this is hard for anyone in ministry. We usually measure our “success” in results that are tangible. I am not convinced that the fruits of a pastoral council are always tangible as much as they are experienced in the slow and very tedious process of the life of the faith community. Patience, flexibility, deep faith in the Spirit, and an understanding of call and ministry are components that must be engendered in and constantly remembered. I addressed the transition of the concilio Hispano to a concilio pastoral by inviting the members for an evening of reflection on their ministry. We reviewed how their gifts and their efforts had led to the progress and growth of the Spanish-speaking community in the past year(s). We spoke about deepening their commitment to the ministry by reflecting not only on the work entrusted to them but also on how the spirit of ministry creates and shapes the lives of the people they serve.
We shared and affirmed the contributions of the leadership. We also looked at how the council saw the parish five years into the future and ways in which they believed their hopes and dreams might be measured. This opened up a discussion regarding vision, mission, and how to create strategies to assure that their work would continue to grow and be a blessing to the www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_three_pastors.php
2/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Three Pastors on Pastoral Councils create strategies to assure that their work would continue to grow and be a blessing to the community. Each member was given an opportunity to share his or her experience, personal role in ministry, understanding of ministry, perception of the Spanish-speaking ministry in relationship to those who spoke Spanish, and the relationship of the Spanish-speaking community with the English-speaking of the faith community. This took an enormous amount of time, but each was given a respectful opportunity to express feelings and ideas. Following our sharing, the membership agreed that there was a need to begin supporting the development of a pastoral council. I shared with them, as I had with the English-speaking council, my hope and vision that eventually they would come together to form one pastoral council. My prayer was that this would happen within three years, but the decision would rest with the discernment of the councils and the work of the Spirit. The result of this extensive sharing was twofold: It was decided to maintain the concilio Hispano not as a parish council but under a new name. This group would meet when needed to plan major activities throughout the year—for example, the celebrations for Our Lady of Guadalupe and SummerFest—in order to facilitate communication within the Spanishspeaking ministries and groups. The concilio pastoral would be introduced and developed with the assistance of the same facilitator that the English-speaking council used. The gathering concluded without a hitch, difficulty, or worry. I believe our discussions and planning went well because of the relationships and avenues of communication that had been created the previous year. The new membership for the concilio pastoral emerged not only through my personal recommendations, but from the experience of the Spanish-speaking parishioners with individuals within the whole community. Most if not all were young and have become involved in the Spanish-speaking community in the past few years. Some “seasoned” members were also invited to serve on the council. There was no negative feedback about the fact that the concilio pastoral was composed of younger members. Again, I believe this was because the Spanish-speaking parishioners realized that they had a vital presence within the faith community, and it was of paramount importance to them to encourage potential growth by being open to the younger Spanish-speaking parishioners. They saw the need not only to offer opportunities for participation, but to encourage parishioners (both Spanish-speaking and bilingual) to contribute their gifts to the Spanishspeaking community and the community of Saint Angela Merici. After a year, both the (former) concilio and concilio pastoral have an excellent relationship with each other and have developed a collaborative understanding of their roles. As a result of similar experience and processes, other councils have emerged in the parish: the worship council, pastoral ministry council (ministries to the sick, aged, homebound, and bereaved), social justice or gospel of life council, faith formation council, etc. A deliberate choice was made to use “council” rather than “committee,” as a committee implies a temporary grouping to accomplish a specific goal, while the councils are understood as related, collaborative, essential to one another, and part and parcel of the life of the faith community.
Father Arthur Holquin, Pastor, Mission Basilica, San Juan Capistrano, California Now that I am in my second pastorate, I am convinced more than ever of both the value and blessing that comes from the collective wisdom of a parish pastoral council. Just as the pastor today must disengage from the naïve as well as unhealthy model of being a “lone ranger” in his service to God’s people, so it must be in reference to the question of pastoral wisdom as leader of a community of faith. No individual, be he pope, bishop, priest, or deacon, is gifted with “wisdom” merely by virtue of his ordination. A wise leader of faith is one who comes to understand well the value of discernment in the midst of those who share a common passion for building the reign of God in a parish community. In completing my fifth year as pastor of Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano and having gone through the process of re-establishing a parish “pastoral” council shortly after my appointment, both the end result as well as the process leading to that result have been a blessing to me in my thirty-four years as a priest. A good pastoral leader is one who is humble enough to realize that he hasn’t cornered the market on insights. Pastoral insight invariably comes when one listens carefully and attentively to the hopes and dreams of the people that one is called to serve. For me, pastoral insight is immeasurably enhanced within the context of the give and take of a parish pastoral council. However, I have learned that as a pastoral leader it is critical to have the courage and the skill to help a pastoral council know what it is and is not about as a structure for primary consultation within a parish. I have learned that to get the best wisdom and insight from a parish pastoral council it is important that they not be distracted into expending time and energy on work that is better done by one’s pastoral staff or on issues best handled by that staff. Pastoral councils that look to the overarching issues of “Who are we? What are we about? Where are we going?” and “How are we getting there?” fulfill their mandate far better than figuring out what color to paint the rectory! It is said that endeavors in life rise or fall by their beginnings and endings. The restructuring of www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_three_pastors.php
3/4
1/4/13
CHURCH Magazine: Three Pastors on Pastoral Councils It is said that endeavors in life rise or fall by their beginnings and endings. The restructuring of our parish pastoral council began with a year-long process with a small task force committed to reviewing existing models and then shaping a foundation document that would serve the uniqueness of the mission community. I am sure that at times the members of the task force had the impression that “Father is stalling!” However, in time, as we reviewed the fruit of this year-long process and the eventual foundation document that emerged, we came away with a strong conviction of the value of this “beginning process” for the future stability and pastoral health of our pastoral council. While the foundation document continues to be an important orienting point of reference for the pastoral council, neither is it something that is set in stone or static. After the first council, following re-organization, served for three years and it was time to begin the process to discern the membership of a new pastoral council, adjustments and changes were made in the original foundation document that enhanced the process for election/selection of members for the new three-year council. We opted for the majority of members to be elected at large by the community: there are elements of both risk and trust in the movement of the Spirit! While the pastor appoints four members to complement the eight that are elected, there was initial apprehension on my part that the elected members might not represent an appropriate cross section of the parish community. However, following the election process, once again I was delightfully surprised by the movement of the Spirit who raised up members for the council from the vote of the faithful who beautifully mirrored the rich diversity of our community. The church functions best and ministers wisely when the collective gifts of the community are sought and celebrated. That has certainly been my experience in ministering to God’s people in close collaboration with my parish pastoral council these past four years. Their gifts and talents have helped me to realize ever more effectively the motto of the founder of Mission San Juan Capistrano, Blessed Junipero Serra, “Always Forward!”
A Publication of the National Pastoral Life Center
www.churchmagazine.org/issue/0812/cen_three_pastors.php
| About CHURCH | Writers' Guidelines
Site design by
Symmetrical Design
4/4
CENTER SECTION: MULTIGENERATIONAL MINISTRY
Young Families Are a Package Deal by Dennis M. Corcoran
NPLC NEWSLETTER NPLC news, events, initiatives, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now
I remember the moment well. I was at a friend’s wedding and her three-year-old nephew was the ring bearer in the procession. He was in a cute little tuxedo with saddle shoes that were just a little too big for him. After walking all the way down the aisle like an angel he reached the first step of the sanctuary, where the priest was standing waiting for the bride, calmly slipped off his shoe and proceeded to throw it, hitting the priest squarely in the chest. Before the child’s mother could run from her pew, the priest had handed the shoe back to the boy, only to have him throw it again, fortunately missing the priest’s head. At the reception which followed, I must have heard more than a dozen people say something like, “That is why three-year-olds don’t belong at weddings.” You might be wondering why I would begin an article on ministry to families with young children with such a story, but I believe there is an underlying sentiment, held by a majority of parishioners in most parishes, that children, infant to kindergarten, have a very limited place in church. We’ll tolerate them for the first Mass on Christmas Eve and at baptisms which take place outside of Mass. Other than that, most parishioners prefer any ministry to “that age group” to happen away from the rest of the faithful. While I think there is an important ministry exclusively to and with young families, I believe that as long as parents of young children feel that when the adult community is present for an assembly it’s preferred that the young ones be segregated or even left home, evangelizing that segment of our population will be very difficult. Knowing that at some time all infants and young children can be unpredictable, disruptive, and distracting, parents tend to stay away from those places where owners and leaders expect young children to be perfect. The first question we have to ask ourselves honestly, as pastoral ministers, is whether or not our parish is one of those places. If the answer is yes, then any initial success we achieve in reaching out to young families will eventually result in a dead end. I would like to suggest a three-step plan for those who honestly feel they have a strong enough conviction for ministry to this age group.
Step One: It’s All About Vision We should at various times be ministering to the parents while including the child or children; ministering to the child or children while including the parents; and of course ministering to the whole family unit. In order to do this, I believe the entire leadership of the parish needs to be on board. For example, is the phrase “intergenerational” or “young families” included anywhere in the parish vision or mission statement? Is there agreement within staff and leadership councils that we need to be in relationship with these families before their children reach the age for the Catholic or public educational system? These are not easy questions. There are many who believe that children at an unpredictable age should not be included in the “regular life” of the parish. Funerals, weddings, Sunday Eucharist, and the hallways of the parish center may have no room for young children and their parents. I will never forget working with one parish in its evangelization efforts toward young families. They agreed that equipping both the men’s and women’s bathrooms with changing tables sent an important message about recognizing one of young families’ practical needs. After the changing stations were installed and their presence announced in their bulletin, I paid another
changing stations were installed and their presence announced in their bulletin, I paid another visit to the parish. On entering the men’s room I saw an 11” x 17” laminated sign which read, “It is rude and disrespectful to leave diapers in the trash. Please take them with you!” A short investigation turned up the fact that the pastor’s secretary, not in agreement with the outreach, came in one Monday morning to an “offensive smell” and posted the signs. I told the pastor that whatever positive steps were done with the changing tables, the signs were clearly sending the opposite message. To show how important it is for everyone in leadership to be involved, at the next staff meeting, a brilliant compromise was reached. Another secretary, with a daughter who has a young family, suggested that they install a shelf next to the changing tables and include a few diapers, wipes and a box of sealable plastic bags above which was written, “For used diapers.” Problem solved! In the advertising industry, I believe they refer to it as being “on message.” Everyone’s actions must be expressing the parish’s intention to welcome and minister to the needs of these families.
Step Two: The Gathered Approach Before we can talk about ways the parish can reach out these young families, we have to talk about the one time every year when they reach out to us: Christmas. Of all the age groups that celebrate Christmas in our culture, none do it with more wonder and excitement than preschoolers. As I mentioned earlier, in every parish across the country at the first Mass on Christmas Eve, around 4 p.m., you will find young families coming out in force. Although I have grown to appreciate the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel as a theological perspective for Christmas and the Incarnation, these families have come to hear the familiar “story” found in Luke’s Midnight Mass Gospel and I believe that’s what we should give them. We must move from the familiar to the unfamiliar if we are going to engage this demographic. “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Silent Night,” and “Joy to the World” work just fine for music. I know some parishes that effectively use a picture of Santa praying in front of the Nativity scene to show where the final and important focus for Christmas needs to be.
be. In our parish, we have a room off the church with sound from the church and set up with quiet toys like blocks and stuffed animals. When we do the welcome at the beginning of Mass, we make it clear how excited we are that so many young families are with us and while we hope that they can remain with us in the main body of the church, we realize sometimes the parents need a break with their children. If that becomes the case they are welcome to use the side room. That first Mass is a command performance for our entire pastoral staff. Everyone is welcoming and ministering to those families at that Mass. Children’s Liturgy of the Word, nurseries, and well-trained children as lectors and music ministers are just some of the other ways parishes are effectively reaching out every Sunday to this age group. I think it needs to be said that while no one wants to ignore the working parent, the combination of time pressures, guilt, and exhaustion make it very difficult to “gather” the working parent on any kind of regular basis. Some parishes have built small playgrounds on the church property at which these families are welcome, and have “playground volunteers,” parents with grown children, who spend time at the playground on Saturdays and Sundays in good weather in hopes of engaging the young working parents in dialogue. Grouping the families who have had a baby baptized in the same year (for example, “the Class of 2008”), and communicating with them as such, has been helpful for some parishes. For example, “All the parents of the 2008 baptismal class are invited with their infants to a coffee social on Tuesday morning. We will also have available religious books and tapes that might help you with the basic religious formation of your child.”
Step Three: The Ungathered Approach If we are going to be highly effective in reaching out to young families prior to traditional religious formation, we must not exclude the “ungathered” approach or what some call “resourcing.” The Center for Ministry Development along with publishers like Harcourt, Ligouri, and others I just haven’t gotten to yet are producing wonderful material for the religious support of young families. These are materials that are used in the home by the family, the domestic church. There is no need to overload them with material or they won’t even open the envelope, but timely and clearly communicated material can be very useful when reaching out to these families. This generation of young families, while having every communication tool imaginable, is basically isolated in a culture that makes privacy paramount. Anything that can be done to meet their relational need will eventually be successful. Supplying a list of youth in the parish who baby-sit, offering practical support for marriages, personally inviting young families to the social activities of the parish and grouping them together at table are just some of the ways we can be of support and engage them relationally. Those of you who are familiar with the Small Christian Community approach will recognize that grouping these families into SCC’s could be the greatest gift we could give to them and to the church. One young father of three, who is currently in a Small Christian Community with five other young families in the parish, had this to say: “My SCC is the most significant thing in our life right now. We pray together, socialize, baby-sit each other’s kids, do service projects together with our children, celebrate each other’s anniversaries, and go to church events together. The main way we nourish our lives, outside of the Sunday Mass, is through our SCC.” I have a dream that someday we will figure out helpful ways to use the Internet with this demographic. No doubt some have already begun! What about chat rooms with a trained family minister from the parish or parish-based Web bulletin-boards where ideas can be shared for Christian parenting? How about regional e-mail sharing for Catholic parents who have lost a child? The list could go on and on.
Just the Beginning I do not write this article in hopes of capturing or exhausting the entire ministry that is being done or that can be done with the young families of our church. My hope is that this continues a conversation that desperately needs some more time and effort. No matter what study or statistic you find, they all point to the decline in Catholic participation by this age group. We must continue to share ideas and programs that are working in our parishes. If something not covered is having great success in your parish, please feel free to e-mail me so I can continue to facilitate this valuable conversation. Dennis M. Corcoran is the Pastoral Associate at the Church of Christ the King in New Vernon, N.J. He is married, with four children, 16 and under. He can be reached at dcorcoran@churchofchristtheking.org
A Publication of the National Pastoral Life Center
| About CHURCH | Writers' Guidelines
Site design by
Symmetrical Design