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In
that Pastoral Letter, I also raised
an important question: “The
spiritual and pastoral renewal of
the Diocese of Scranton will mean
that we need to look at every one of
our structures, i.e., our parishes,
schools, institutions, buildings and
programs. Are these entities the
right ones for the 21st century? Are
these entities currently prepared to
announce the Good News of Jesus
Christ as Jesus intends them to do?”
With the assistance of the Meitler
Consultants, we made a study of our
schools. The experience of the
consultants helped give us a
perspective and process to not only
preserve Catholic education, but
advance it in our Diocese.
To foster the growth of Catholic
education in our Diocese, we had to
experience some loss, but already we
are experiencing new gain. Now it is
time to study our parishes with the
assistance of The Reid Group. Are we
prepared for evangelization in the
21st century or are we not because
we are inordinately attached to
structures from the past?
Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral
Planning in the Diocese of Scranton
At this time I am urging all
Catholics in the eleven counties of
the Diocese of Scranton to commit to
prayer and cooperation so that the
priorities, goals and criteria of
Called to Holiness and Mission:
Pastoral Planning in the Diocese of
Scranton, our diocesan
effort for planned renewal, will be
realized. Pastoral Planning needs
the support of all priests, deacons,
religious and lay faithful of the
Diocese of Scranton.
The Diocese is not a grouping of
totally independent local entities.
Pastoral Planning at the local level
cannot be done in isolation from the
central administration of the
Diocese or from neighboring
parishes. Diocesan pastoral planning
and uniform diocesan directives can
help to deepen a sense of diocesan
community, spirituality and mission,
as well as foster the spiritual
renewal of our parishes and
institutions. In this way we can
express more effectively the signs
of unity, holiness, catholicity and
apostolicity of the Church of Jesus
Christ throughout the eleven
counties of northeastern and north
central Pennsylvania.
Pastoral Planning is an exercise
leading to prudent stewardship of
spiritual, human, financial and
facility resources for the sake of
parish and diocesan mission. As a
remote preparation for pastoral
planning, I mandated the
establishment of Parish Pastoral
Councils according to uniform
diocesan directives that require at
least twenty minutes of prayer and
twenty minutes of study. I mandated
similar directives for Parish
Finance Councils. Workshops were
conducted throughout the Diocese for
the formation and development of
both councils with information
focused on the essential mission of
the parish and with information to
help parishes discern the best use
of parish resources and to prepare
them for the pastoral planning and
pastoral assessment that will be an
ongoing part of parish life from now
on.
Every parish of the Diocese will
participate in this Diocesan
Pastoral Planning process. Various
possibilities may emerge.
1. A parish may discover that the mission
of the parish is compromised by
being too small, or that with its
limited resources it cannot
accomplish its mission.
2. A parish might come to the awareness of
a need to become consolidated with
another parish and become a new
canonical parish with one pastor.
3. Other parishes may come to the
awareness of the advantage of being
linked with another parish and share
a common pastor and resources.
4. Other parishes will come to see the
advantages of entering into
partnership with another parish,
each having their own proper pastor
but now sharing resources and
working together.
Only the grace of God and prayerful
reflection on the conditions of the
Diocese and the priorities, goals
and criteria that are needed for an
effective mission and prudent
stewardship will lead to spiritual
renewal and prepare us for the
evangelization of persons and
culture that is our mission.
We must be as faithful, creative and
willing to make sacrifices in the
21st century, as our ancestors were
in the 19th and 20th centuries. We
best respect our heritage not by
merely maintaining what we received
but by learning how to respond to
the challenges we face in our own
time. What was helpful or necessary
in the past may not be all that
useful today and, in fact, might be
an obstacle to our mission.
Salient Factors
In July, I met with members of the
Episcopal Council, the Vicars
General, Regional Episcopal Vicars,
the Chancellor, and members of the
Diocesan Curia – the heads of
various departments – for two days
of prayer and reflection on the
state of the Diocese in the light of
our Diocesan Mission Statement.
These are some of the salient
factors we considered:
1. Our parishes were mostly established in
the 19th and early 20th centuries,
with attention given to the centers
of population and travel
considerations at that time. Some of
the pertinent questions and factors
that need to be studied now include:
current and projected demographics;
present concentrations of people;
the number of parishes at present;
the proximity of churches to each
other; the seating capacity of
churches; how many Masses are
needed; the number of priests who
will be available in the future; and
where parishes are now and will be
needed in the future.
2. At present there are 186 diocesan
priests active within the Diocese.
By 2012 there will be 147.
3. A parish must focus on its mission, not
on maintenance of buildings or its
history. When is a parish too small
to fulfill its mission? How much of
parish resources are dedicated to
repair and maintenance of aging or
unnecessary buildings? How do we act
as good stewards of limited parish
resources? Are their better ways to
accomplish our mission and more
prudent ways to use our resources?
4. We need to examine local culture and
circumstances throughout the Diocese
and the various communities where
our parishes are located so that we
may develop appropriate and
effective plans for the
evangelization of persons and
cultures. We must, in the words of
the Second Vatican Council, “read
the signs of the times” and design
the most effective ways of
evangelizing through a prudent use
of resources.
Our reflection led to the
identification of these nine
pastoral priorities:
1. Encourage vocations to the priesthood
and religious life.
2. Reform the liturgical and catechetical
life of the Diocese.
3. Foster adult faith and
missionary-spirit formation.
4. Reform parish-based religious education
programs.
5. Strengthen the Diocese’s apostolates
among the faithful who are new in
our country.
6. Promote chastity education and
Christian formation in marriage and
family life.
7. Implement the timeline for pastoral
planning and parish, deanery,
vicariate, and diocesan-wide
revitalization.
8. Foster stewardship and eliminate
indebtedness.
9. Monitor the reform of Catholic
schools.
Goals and Criteria
These pastoral priorities will be
realized through the goals and
criteria of Called to Holiness
and Mission: Pastoral Planning in
the Diocese of Scranton.
Our diocesan planning process will
help parishes evaluate their current
ministries, activities and resources
in the light of parish and diocesan
mission, plan for ways to enhance
parish life, fulfill the priorities
described above, and collaborate in
order to both share and conserve
resources so that ministries,
services and activities can be more
fruitful. In the process, parishes
may be restructured to more
effectively witness to the presence
of the risen Christ in all parts of
the Diocese and effectively serve
the entire faith community and the
larger Church.
The Council of Priests and other
diocesan advisory groups will
provide advice to me as I see the
need for their assistance. In
addition, we have organized a
Diocesan Pastoral Planning
Commission of priests, deacons,
religious and lay faithful
reflecting the diversity of
vocations and gifts in our local
Church.
Each parish will have a core team
consisting of the pastor, one member
of the Parish Pastoral Council, one
member of the Parish Finance Council
and two other members of the parish
appointed by the pastor. The Parish
Core Team will be responsible to see
that required work is accomplished
at the parish level, that
parishioners are involved in the
planning process, that there is open
and direct communication within the
parish, and that their parish is
represented at all cluster meetings;
that is, meetings of several
parishes together.
Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish
Finance Councils will provide input
to the Parish Core Team.
Communication and cooperation
involving the Parish Core Team and
these councils are very important.
Joint prayer services involving the
Parish Pastoral Council, the Parish
Finance Council and the Parish Core
Team will be crucial in promoting
ongoing effective communication and
cooperation at the parish level.
I ask especially that there be
fervent and consistent prayer by all
parishioners for the success of
Called to Holiness and Mission:
Pastoral Planning in the Diocese of
Scranton.
Cluster Core Teams will include
Parish Core Team members from all
parishes in a given cluster. They
will study the various parish and
cluster evaluations, provide a
rationale for their suggestions, and
communicate and respond to the
Diocesan Planning Commission. This
brief outline of some of the
components of our diocesan pastoral
planning process will be explained
in greater detail through The
Catholic Light, Catholic
Television, our diocesan website
(www.Dioceseofscranton.org), and
through materials which will be
supplied for our parish bulletins in
the coming weeks.
Conclusion
We are continuing a time of major
change in our Diocese so that we can
more effectively accomplish our
mission through the grace of God and
prudent use of our limited
resources. During the time of change
and tension following the Second
Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI
addressed words to the Catholic
world that are pertinent to our
Diocese at this time: “Let the
agitated members of various groups
therefore reject the excesses of
systematic and destructive
criticism! Without departing from a
realistic viewpoint, let Christian
communities become centers of
optimism where all the members
resolutely endeavor to perceive the
positive aspect of people and
events. ‘Love does not rejoice in
what is wrong but rejoices with the
truth. There is no limit to love's
forbearance, to its trust, its hope,
its power to endure.’ The attainment
of such an outlook is not just a
matter of psychology. It is also a
fruit of the Holy Spirit.”
I also recall these words of Pope
John Paul II: “If in the planning
that awaits us we commit ourselves
more confidently to a pastoral
activity that gives personal and
communal prayer its proper place, we
shall be observing an essential
principle of the Christian view of
life: the primacy of grace. There is
a temptation which perennially
besets every spiritual journey and
pastoral work: that of thinking that
the results depend on our ability to
act and to plan. God of course asks
us really to cooperate with his
grace, and therefore invites us to
invest all our resources of
intelligence and energy in serving
the cause of the Kingdom. But it is
fatal to forget that ‘without Christ
we can do nothing’ (cf. Jn
15:5).
“It is prayer which roots us in this
truth. It constantly reminds us of
the primacy of Christ and, in union
with him, the primacy of the
interior life and of holiness. When
this principle is not respected, is
it any wonder that pastoral plans
come to nothing and leave us with a
disheartening sense of frustration?”
I am asking all priests, deacons,
religious and lay faithful of the
Diocese of Scranton to join me in
prayer as we continue our diocesan
efforts during this time of profound
parish renewal, and as the Church
throughout the world prepares to
celebrate the year of Saint Paul
from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009.
Just as the spiritual renewal of our
parishes, institutions and schools
must take place in communion with
the Diocese and its evangelizing
mission, our diocesan efforts must
take place in communion with the
Catholic Church throughout the
world.
In proclaiming the Pauline Year,
Pope Benedict XVI indicated that
today we need the example of the
great apostle and missionary Saint
Paul: “The success of his apostolate
depended above all on his personal
involvement in proclaiming the
Gospel with total dedication to
Christ; a dedication that feared
neither risk, difficulty nor
persecution.” Read the Second Letter
of St. Paul to the Corinthians, or
some of his other Letters, and see
the difficulties, tensions,
divisions and frustrations that
challenged him. The story of his
missionary efforts has been a
consolation to the Church throughout
the centuries because his story
gives hope and encouragement to
every church community when it has
to deal with conflict and problems,
with change and loss.
In fulfilling the mission entrusted
to the Diocese of Scranton in the
21st century, we must not give in to
fear; we must be willing to make the
appropriate pastoral plans and the
necessary sacrifices that may be
asked of us. May the example and the
intercession of Saint Paul help our
Diocese and our evangelizing
mission.
The Grace of the Paschal Mystery of
the death and resurrection of Our
Lord can help us to deal with loss
and change in our lives and in our
Diocese. In the Letter to the
Philippians, Saint Paul wrote of his
experience of loss for the sake of
greater gain: “For his sake I have
accepted the loss of all things and
I consider them so much rubbish that
I may gain Christ….” When embraced
in a spirit of faith, our losses
lead to new gain and new life.
When praying in the small chapel of
San Damiano in Assisi, Saint Francis
heard the voice of Christ speak to
him from the chapel crucifix:
“Francis, go, repair my church
which, as you see, is falling into
ruin.” Francis began to repair the
deteriorating building, but soon
realized he was not called to do
maintenance on the structure or to
preserve a building; but rather, his
mission was to repair the Church,
the living Body of Christ through
spiritual renewal. He came to the
deeper understanding of the meaning
of Church.
I strongly urge everyone to meditate
on the Icon of the cross of San
Damiano and the words addressed to
Saint Francis. I hope that such
reflection will help us, as a
Diocese, to move from an attachment
to the past and come to a new
awareness of the mystery of the
Church and its mission at this time.
I pray that we be open to hear the
voice of Christ that comes to us
today, through the scriptures and
the teaching of the Church, and that
we respond with courage and
enthusiasm to the call to holiness
and mission, as we begin a process
of pastoral planning for profound
spiritual renewal.
With gratitude for your prayerful
attentiveness, I am,
Sincerely yours in
Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, D.D.,
Hist. E.D.
Bishop of Scranton
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