Pastoral Planning For Communion And Mission
By Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G.
 

Pastoral planning takes place in the context of 1) parochial communion and Diocesan mission, 2) the universal call to holiness and vocation, 3) Eucharist, and 4) evangelization of persons and culture.

It is important for all members of a parish to be aware of these components of parish renewal, the parish mission statement, parish self-study and pastoral planning. These elements will also provide a focus and direction for the ongoing work of the Parish Pastoral Council.

I. Parochial Communion and Diocesan Mission

In the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, the Second Vatican Council issued an instruction and challenge for all baptized and confirmed laity: “The parish offers an obvious example of the apostolate on the community level inasmuch as it brings together the many human differences within its boundaries and merges them into the universality of the Church. (1) The laity should accustom themselves to working in the parish in union with their priests, (2) bringing to the Church community their own and the world's problems as well as questions concerning human salvation, all of which they should examine and resolve by deliberating in common. As far as possible the laity ought to provide helpful collaboration for every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by their local parish.”

This decree also noted the importance of developing an awareness of Church communion and membership in a diocese and the universal Church in these words: “They should develop an ever-increasing appreciation of their own diocese, of which the parish is a kind of cell, ever ready at their pastor's invitation to participate in diocesan projects…Thus they should be concerned about the needs of the people of God dispersed throughout the world.”

All members of the church must develop a Catholic and missionary attitude, an awareness of communion, and a spirit of cooperation and collaboration with neighboring parishes, the diocese and the Church universal.

Misunderstanding of the theology of the Church and the principle of subsidiarity leads to a serious error described as “parochialism” or “congregationalism.” This attitude of isolation, operating in a vacuum as it were, acting independently of communion with the diocese and universal church can only be corrected by an awareness of parochial communion and a correct understanding of the principle of subsidiarity.

In the law of the Church, section two of Canon 529 states: “A pastor is to recognize and promote the proper part which the lay members of the Christian faithful have in the mission of the Church... He is to cooperate with his own bishop and the presbyterate (community of priests) of the diocese, also working so that the faithful have concern for parochial communion, consider themselves members of the diocese and of the universal Church, and participate in and sustain efforts to promote this same communion.”

Theology shapes church life, is expressed in church law, and in the life, practice and structures of a parish. A faulty understanding of theology leads to a congregational mentality and practice known as parochialism which is opposed to the practice of parochial communion.

There are practical consequences of this misunderstanding. One is an error that leads to a focus on the maintenance of buildings rather than on the mission of the Church. A second erroneous consequence is a failure to live in communion with the diocese and a failure to cooperate and collaborate with neighboring Catholic parishes. The authentic theology and spirituality of the Church is a spirituality of communion and mission.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, in A Handbook of Spiritual Renewal, shared a reflection on the importance of unity. He notes: “On the eve of his suffering and death, Jesus prayed ’that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’(Jn 17:21) It is significant that Jesus did not primarily express his desire for unity in a teaching or in a commandment to his disciples, but in a prayer to his Father. Unity is a gift from above, stemming from and growing toward loving communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christian prayer for unity is a humble but faithful sharing in the prayer of Jesus, who promised that any prayer in his name would be heard by the Father.”

Ecumenism is one of the responsibilities of the parish, because the church is communion and mission. But we also must pray for unity within the parish, unity with the diocese and unity with the universal Roman Catholic Church. Each Eucharistic prayer prays for unity with the diocesan and universal church when we pray for the bishop of the diocese and the pope. The Church praying is the Church teaching. Prayer for unity and activity to deepen and express that unity and communion with the bishop and the pope is essential in accordance with the theology of the church and parish.

During this time of parish spiritual renewal in the Diocese of Scranton, the words spoken by Pope John Paul II to the bishops visiting him from the Detroit and Cincinnati Provinces are important for all members of the Diocese to study and to put into practice: “A spirituality of communion will naturally bear fruit in the development of a diocesan spirituality grounded in the particular gifts and charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit for the upbuilding of each local Church… At the same time, an authentic ‘diocesan spirit’ will also inspire and motivate the whole Christian community to a greater sense of responsibility for the fruitful carrying out of the Church's mission through its rich network of communities, institutions and apostolates (cf. Apostolicam Actuositatem, 10).

A “sense of diocese,” a “diocesan spirit” and a “Diocesan spirituality” flowing from a study of the Diocesan Mission Statement, and the acceptance and implementation of diocesan directives and policies, will develop unity and communion within the parish and diocese, and cooperation and collaboration with neighboring parishes.

II Universal Call to Holiness and Vocation

In his Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, John Paul II cites the universal call to holiness and reflects on its meaning for pastoral planning: “It is necessary therefore to rediscover the full practical significance of Chapter 5 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, dedicated to the ‘universal call to holiness.’ The Council Fathers laid such stress on this point, not just to embellish ecclesiology with a kind of spiritual veneer, but to make the call to holiness an intrinsic and essential aspect of their teaching on the Church… But the gift in turn becomes a task, which must shape the whole of Christian life…In fact, to place pastoral planning under the heading of holiness is a choice filled with consequences …It is therefore essential that education in prayer should become in some way a key point of all pastoral planning… charity of its nature opens out into a service that is universal; it inspires in us a commitment to practical and concrete love for every human being.

“This too is an aspect which must clearly mark the Christian life, the Church's whole activity and her pastoral planning…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).”

Pope Benedict, speaking to Canadian bishops, noted: “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. Jn 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).”

When we look at our lives in terms of the call to holiness, vocation, mission and responsibility, from the dimension of both faith and reason, we can enrich our search for personal meaning and happiness.

Pope John Paul II has stated: “Life has an essentially vocational structure…All human existence is therefore an answer to God, who makes his love felt especially on some occasions: the call to life, the entrance into his Church’s communion of grace; the invitation to bear witness in the Christian community to Christ according to a completely personal and irreplaceable plan; the definitive call to communion with him at the hour of death. There is no doubt therefore that the ecclesial community’s commitment to the pastoral care of vocations is most serious and urgent…it is giving a radical direction to one’s existence and of making decisive choices that guide one’s future.”

The Church and each parish must develop a culture to support and encourage a deeper awareness of vocation and invite individuals to respond to their vocation. People must be educated and helped to accept their responsibility to participate in the mission of the Church. Promoting vocations is an integral part of the New Evangelization.

Everyone has the right and responsibility to develop a fuller understanding of the importance of pastoral work concerning vocations in each parish. The Parish Pastoral Council can lead the way by developing opportunities to promote vocational awareness and in ongoing development of a culture that promotes vocations. It is everyone’s responsibility to encourage and to invite people to respond to their call or vocation from God.

III. Eucharist

Pope John Paul II noted: “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.”

A parish must do more than verbally acknowledge that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and mission of the parish. In the Apostolic Exhortation, Sacrament of Charity, Pope Benedict XVI provided both an insight and a challenge when he stated: “The Eucharistic form of Christian life is clearly an ecclesial and communitarian form. Through the Diocese and the parish, the fundamental structures of the Church in a particular territory, each individual believer can experience concretely what it means to be a member of Christ's Body.”

A study of this document and a reflection by the Parish Pastoral Council will not only assist its ongoing formation, but help also to make all of the parishioners more aware of the consequences of our faith and devotion to the Eucharist. There is, as Pope Benedict noted, a need to live with a “Eucharistic consistency;” our faith, our Eucharistic devotion must be allowed to influence our thoughts, our actions, and our structures.

IV. Evangelization of Persons and Cultures

There are a variety of methods of evangelization, and every aspect of pastoral care involves evangelization. In his Apostolic Exhortation on evangelization, Pope Paul VI states: “But evangelization would not be complete if it did not take account of the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of man's concrete life, both personal and social. This is why evangelization involves an explicit message, adapted to the different situations constantly being realized, about the rights and duties of every human being, about family life without which personal growth and development is hardly possible, about life in society, about international life, peace, justice and development – a message especially energetic today about liberation.”

He further notes: “Preaching, the verbal proclamation of a message, is indeed always indispensable.” He also drew attention to the importance of catechetical instruction and the use of the mass media or means of social communication. As mentioned earlier, evangelization, by its nature, promotes an awareness of personal responsibility and vocation.

Individuals and parishes must work and pray to renew all aspects of parish life in the light of the Eucharist and evangelization, as well as study pastoral care through an understanding of the spirituality of communion and mission.