Pastoral Councils Help Fulfill Mission of Church

(Msgr. Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G., Vicar General of the Diocese, continues his series of descriptions of the Church and their relevance for our Diocese and pastoral planning.)

In September and October, priests, deacons, members of parish pastoral councils and representative laity of parishes throughout the Diocese will gather to pray and to reflect on the implementation of the Diocesan Directives on Parish Pastoral Councils.

Because these meetings are designed as training sessions, it is important that all members of current parish councils attend. Likewise, in parishes that do not have a parish council, it is important to have a sufficient number of parishioners accompany the pastor so that they can collaborate with the pastor in the formation of a Parish Pastoral Council.

Pope John Paul II instructed that “The Church of the Third Millennium will need to encourage all the baptized and confirmed to be aware of their active responsibility in the Church’s life.”

The late pontiff stressed the importance of implementing an extensive pastoral plan for vocational promotion that would not only promote vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, but also communicate “the value of all other vocations, rooted as they are in the new life received in the sacrament of Baptism.” He further stated that “it will be necessary to discover ever more fully the specific vocation of the laity, called ‘to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them to the plan of God,’ they ‘have their own role to play in the mission of the whole people of God in the church and in the world…by their work for evangelization and the sanctification of people.”

Our pastoral plan for vocations finds affirmation in the recent words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Within the universal call to holiness (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:3) is found the particular vocation to which God summons every individual. In this regard, I encourage you to remain vigilant in your duty to promote a culture of vocation.”

Our pastoral plan for vocations is an integral part of the New Evangelization. It will be a significant responsibility of the Parish Pastoral Council to develop, after the parish self study, a Parish Evangelization Plan that will include a blueprint for the promotion of vocations. Direction for this responsibility can be found in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Vocations, which was sent to all priests and deacons in May. The plan is also available on the Diocesan website (www.dioceseofscranton.org – click on Vocations under “Departments and Resources”) for those who are interested in further information. Spiritual renewal in our parishes will begin with an awareness of the universal call to holiness and recognition of the gift and responsibility of the Baptized and Confirmed to share in the mission of the Church and parish.

The Parish Pastoral Council is but one form or expression of inviting the laity to share their gifts and talents for the mission of the Church. The council is a structure that will be a communion of gifts and vocations: priests, deacons, members in consecrated life and members of the laity who will gather to pray and to plan together for the mission of the parish. The variety of vocations and talents, perspectives and gifts will enhance the effectiveness of the parish mission.

The first task of the parish and its Parish Pastoral Council is to study and to implement the Directives for Parish Pastoral Councils approved by Bishop Martino. In his Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, Pope John Paul II stated:

“Communion must be cultivated and extended day by day and at every level in the structures of each Church’s life. There, relations between Bishops, priests and deacons, between Pastors and the entire People of God, between clergy and Religious, between associations and ecclesial movements must all be clearly characterized by communion. To this end, the structures of participation envisaged by Canon Law, such as the Council of Priests and the Pastoral Council, must be ever more highly valued. These of course are not governed by the rules of parliamentary democracy, because they are consultative rather than deliberative; yet this does not mean that they are less meaningful and relevant. The theology and spirituality of communion encourage a fruitful dialogue between Pastors and faithful: on the one hand uniting them a priori in all that is essential, and on the other leading them to pondered agreement in matters open to discussion.”

Pope John Paul has also stressed the importance of understanding and practicing the theology and spirituality of communion and mission. He taught that at the source and center of the parish and its evangelizing mission is the Eucharist. “Every commitment to holiness, every activity aimed at carrying out the Church’s mission, every work of pastoral planning, must draw the strength it needs from the Eucharistic mystery and in turn be directed to that mystery as its culmination.”

Inspired by these words, the meetings on the implementation of the Parish Pastoral Councils in September and October will begin with 30 minutes of Eucharistic prayer. Bishop Martino has already required every parish in the Diocese to annually celebrate the Forty Hours Devotion and encourages Holy Hours for the intention of an increase of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Pope John Paul II has consistently reminded us that a spirituality of communion and mission must be learned, applied and lived before we begin reorganizing and restructuring our parishes. Before, during and after the formation of a Parish Pastoral Council or its renewal according to the Diocesan Directives, efforts must be made to continue to understand and live a spirituality of communion and mission. The late pope provided caution with these words: “Let us have no illusions: unless we follow the spiritual path, external structures of communion will serve very little purpose. They would become mechanisms without a soul, ‘masks’ of communion rather than its means of expression and growth.”

Prayer and study must be a part of every meeting of every parish advisory group, whether it is the Parish Pastoral Council or the Parish Finance Council. Occasionally, a Day of Recollection and In-Service Days should be planned for these advisory groups. Without prayer and study, these groups will not be as effective as they can be. Our culture encourages activity, to be busy and sometimes to rush into things. The wisdom of the Church is to act prayerfully and prudently.

Pope John Paul II gave this important advice that we need to read several times and take seriously: “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).”

When we don’t take time for prayer and study, the late pontiff raised an important question: “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?” People with great gifts, talents and good will, even with an honorable history of service and contribution, who are either unwilling or unable to make a commitment to prayer and study, will render the Councils less effective, and should not serve.

Meetings organized by the Diocese should be seen as not only required or helpful, but as another expression of communion between the Diocese and the parish. These meetings sponsored by the Diocese can be one way of developing a sense of belonging to the Diocesan community and overcoming a congregational attitude.

In his book, Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way, Pope John Paul II reflected on his experiences as Archbishop, working with his Archdiocesan Curia or department leaders. He wrote: “I used to put two questions to my coworkers: ‘Which truth of faith sheds light on this problem?’ and then: ‘Whom should we approach for assistance?’ ” These two questions can help a Parish Pastoral Council remain anchored in faith and focused on its role of promoting a deeper understanding of the Church as Vocation, Communion and Mission. These questions will also remind the members of the importance of prayer, study and reflection in the process of council sessions. Church meetings must already remain faith based and faith focused. Church meetings are different from secular meetings.
In an address to Canadian Bishops on their Ad Limina visit last May, Pope Benedict offered them some advice that is salient for us as well:

“In your plan of pastoral renewal, you are faced with the delicate task of the reorganization of parishes and also of dioceses. This can never be carried out in an appropriate way by simple social models of restructuring. Without Christ, we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5). Prayer roots us in truth, reminds us incessantly of the primacy of Christ and, in union with him, the primacy of the interior life and of holiness. The parishes are, therefore, rightly considered above all as houses and schools of communion. Consequently, the reorganization of parishes is essentially an exercise of spiritual renewal. This calls for a pastoral promotion of holiness, so that the faithful remain attentive to the will of God, from whom we share true life, becoming participants of the divine nature (cf. Dei Verbum, no. 2).”

After encouraging prayer and providing a caution about simply using “social models of restructuring,” Pope Benedict stresses the necessity of being rooted in Christ:
“I am certain that the rediscovery of Jesus Christ made flesh, our savior, will lead to a rediscovery of the personal, social and cultural identity of the faithful. Far from confusing the diversity and complementarity of the charisms and functions of ordained ministers and lay faithful, a reinforced Catholic identity will revive the passion for evangelization, which is proper to the vocation of every believer and of the nature of the Church.”

Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI see the interconnection of Evangelization, pastoral ministry and the cultivation of vocation., in effect three aspects of the mission of the Church in contemporary society. The document In Verbo tuo likewise comments on the interconnection of these three aspects of the mission of the Church. A study of the document can help the Parish Pastoral Council see its mission more clearly. The document states: “Vocation is at the very heart of the new evangelization…it is the call of God to man for a new season of truth and liberty…the vocational perspective is the soul and the unifying criterion of all pastoral work. All pastoral work must be vocational, beginning with the explicit intention of placing the believer before the proposal of God.”

A commitment to prayer and study will ensure the effective organization or restructuring of the parish pastoral council, the development or renewal of the parish mission statement, and a Parish Evangelization Plan that includes a plan for cultivation of vocations and renewal of parish life, pastoral work and spiritual renewal. Prayer and reflection by all parishioners at this time will contribute to the success of the Parish Pastoral Councils. Councils that begin with prayer and whose sessions maintain a prayerful environment will more effectively fulfill their mission.