The Parish: A People, A Mission, A Structure
By Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G.
 

During Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese Of Scranton, parishioners have the opportunity to reflect on the nature, mission and the organization or structure of their parish, and to understand the parish in the context of the mission of the diocese and universal Church.

In a statement of the Committee on the Parish, published in 1981 by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, we read: “…a parish seeks to become ever more fully a people of God, sharing the mission of Christ, and developing the structure necessary for supporting its community life and carrying out its mission.” (The Parish: A People, A Mission, A Structure, 1981 USCCB).

In his July 2004 Pastoral Letter, Bishop Martino raised some significant questions that are being answered through the present pastoral planning process: “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?’’

Through the ongoing formation of Parish Pastoral and Parish Finance Councils, and through Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese Of Scranton, adult faith formation opportunities have been provided for the faithful throughout the Diocese to deepen their awareness of the spirituality and theology of the Church and parish. The call for prayer and these faith formation opportunities provide a foundation for parish spiritual renewal and parish restructuring. For the parish to be able to accomplish its evangelizing mission and provide pastoral care in the 21st century it is necessary to respond to the challenge of the Second Vatican Council and ongoing renewal that was initiated by the council.

In Sources of Renewal: The Implementation of Vatican II, by the late Pope John Paul II, the editor of the book noted: “Sources Of Renewal is basically a work of research and, at the same time a reply to questions concerning faith and the whole life of believers: what does it mean to be a Christian, to live in the church and in the modern world?”

In his introduction, Pope John Paul described his intention that the book will “introduce the reader to the relevant documents of Vatican II, but always from the point of view of translating them into the life and faith of the Church.” Pope John Paul II saw the Second Vatican Council as an enrichment of faith, a deeper awareness and understanding of faith that would lead to the formation of attitudes which will allow the council documents to become alive and life-giving in the life of the faithful.

Prayerful spiritual renewal, openness to the Holy Spirit, reflection on the teaching of the Church and the culture and circumstances of evangelization and pastoral care inevitably lead to an evaluation of parish structures and organization for effective and fruitful parish mission. Pastoral planning based on the gift of faith and the gifts of reason, on the spirituality and theology of the Church and parish, will provide us with the means to provide pastoral care and enable us to meet the evangelizing challenges of the present.

The 1981 Bishops’ document describes a parish in these words: “it is a people, a people called together by God. It is a people empowered by the Spirit to make increasingly true and obvious their response to God through Christ. The Parish tries to take shape in this context of faith and prayer, always with openness to the Spirit.”

The history of the Church shows how it has responded and developed throughout the ages and cultures, how the Church understood its mission, how it provided pastoral care and how it responded to the needs and cares of the people.

Father Guy Bedouelle in The History of the Church, published by Continuum, looks at the Church through the lens of challenges that it encountered throughout the centuries. Father Peter Lynch in The Church’s Story: A History of Pastoral Care and Vision, published by Pauline Books and Media, sponsored by the Daughters of Saint Paul, looks at the Church from the point of view of the challenges of pastoral care and how the Church addressed changing cultures and circumstances in an attempt to meet the needs of the people.

Envisioning Faith: The Pictorial History of the Diocese of Scranton by James B. Earley, and a two-volume work of the late Monsignor John P. Gallagher: A Century of History: The Diocese of Scranton 1868-1968 and A Second Century Begins: The Diocese of Scranton, 1968-1993, describe continuity and change as the Diocese responded to challenges.

The history of the Church and of the Diocese can encourage and motivate us to be willing to prayerfully evaluate how we evangelize and provide pastoral care in the 21st century. Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese Of Scranton is one example of prayerful reflection and planning to meet the challenges of present.

The Mission of the Parish

In his address to Bishops from France on the occasion of their Ad Limina visit on Jan. 25, 1997, the late Pope John Paul II stated: “The parish institution is meant to provide the Church’s great services: prayer in common and the reading of God’s Word, celebrations, especially that of the Eucharist, catechesis for children and the adult catechumenate, the ongoing formation of the faithful, communication designed to make the Christian message known, services of charity and solidarity and the local work of movements… At this time when pastoral structures are being renewed, it will be appropriate to resume the in-depth study of the ecclesiological teaching of the Second Vatican Council, in the Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and in the various documents providing directives, especially those concerning priests and the laity.

“It seems to me that the main concern in this necessary reorganization is to allow the parish effectively to fulfill its functions which I have just recalled. It should therefore not be too small and, as far as possible, it should continue to be close to the practicing faithful and all their brothers and sisters.”

Our Diocesan prayer is a prayer for “profound parish renewal,” for a deeper understanding of the theology of the Church and parish. A renewed understanding of the mission of the parish will lead to a renewal of pastoral life, to an examination of activities and structures, so that the Diocese and its parishes are more effectively organized for the evangelization mission and pastoral care.

Collaboration, Partnership, Stewardship and Catholicity

One aspect of catholicity involves the mutual sharing of gifts: “In virtue of this catholicity each individual part contributes through its special gifts to the good of the other parts and of the whole Church. Through the common sharing of gifts and through the common effort to attain fullness in unity, the whole and each of the parts receive increase. Not only, then, is the people of God made up of different peoples but in its inner structure also it is composed of various ranks. This diversity among its members arises either by reason of their duties, as is the case with those who exercise the sacred ministry for the good of their brethren, or by reason of their condition and state of life, as is the case with those many who enter the religious state and, tending toward holiness by a narrower path, stimulate their brethren by their example…Between all the parts of the Church there remains a bond of close communion whereby they share spiritual riches, apostolic workers and temporal resources.

“For the members of the people of God are called to share these goods in common, and of each of the Churches the words of the Apostle hold good: ‘According to the gift that each has received, administer it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.’ ” (Constitution on the Church – Lumen Gentium)

Spiritual Renewal: Holiness and Mission

Two insights of Pope John Paul II will help us to maintain focus and direction during pastoral planning. In Redemptoris Missio, he stated, “The call to mission derives, of its nature, from the call to holiness….The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission.”

In Christifideles Laici, his apostolic exhortation on the Christian lay faithful, he taught: “Communion with Jesus, which gives rise to the communion of Christians among themselves, is an indispensable condition for bearing fruit: ‘Apart from me you can do nothing’ (Jn 15:5). And communion with others is the most magnificent fruit that the branches can give: in fact, it is the gift of Christ and His Spirit…Communion and mission are profoundly connected with each other, they interpenetrate and mutually imply each other, to the point that communion represents both the source and the fruit of mission: communion gives rise to mission and mission is accomplished in communion.”

The efforts to study various ways of promoting partnership, stewardship and the practical aspects of Catholicity through Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese Of Scranton, is grounded in the teaching of Pope John Paul II. In Christifideles Laici, we read: “It is necessary that in light of the faith all rediscover the true meaning of the parish, that is, the place where the very ‘mystery’ of the Church is present and at work…The parish is not principally a structure, a territory, or a building, but rather, ‘the family of God, a fellowship afire with a unifying spirit’, ‘a familial and welcoming home’, the ‘community of the faithful.’

“Plainly and simply, the parish is founded on a theological reality, because it is a Eucharistic community. This means that the parish is a community properly suited for celebrating the Eucharist, the living source for its up building and the sacramental bond of its being in full communion with the whole Church. Such suitableness is rooted in the fact that the parish is a community of faith and an organic community, that is, constituted by the ordained ministers and other Christians, in which the pastor – who represents the diocesan bishop – is the hierarchical bond with the entire particular Church.”

Pope John Paul II describes the value of cooperation, collaboration, the practical aspects and implications of Catholicity and partnership of parishes when he states: “Since the Church’s task in our day is so great its accomplishment cannot be left to the parish alone. For this reason the Code of Canon Law provides for forms of collaboration among parishes in a given territory and recommends to the bishop’s care the various groups of the Christian Faithful, even the unbaptized who are not under his ordinary pastoral care.”

The late Pope John Paul II further observed: “The Synod Fathers for their part have given much attention to the present state of many parishes and have called for a greater effort in their renewal: ‘Many parishes, whether established in regions affected by urban progress or in missionary territory, cannot do their work effectively because they lack material resources or ordained men or are too big geographically or because of the particular circumstances of some Christians (e.g. exiles and migrants).’ …For the renewal of parishes and for a better assurance of their effectiveness in work, various forms of cooperation even on the institutional level ought to be fostered among diverse parishes in the same area.”

Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese of Scranton is our plan to bring the teaching of Pope John Paul II on parish spiritual renewal and restructuring into existence. Prayer, openness to the Holy Spirit, a deeper understanding of Catholicity and its implications for the parish; and an enriched understanding of the Church and parish and their evangelizing mission is necessary for the Diocese of Scranton to meet the pastoral challenge of the 21st century.