Diocese of Scranton

Directives for Parish Pastoral Councils  

A.     INTRODUCTION (Resource Manual Part I, I)

The homily at Bishop Martino’s Installation Mass on October 1, 2003 , the Bishop’s pastoral letter of July 22, 2004 , and the Diocesan Mission Statement present a clear call for the new evangelization of persons and culture in the Diocese of Scranton.  Throughout his writings and homilies, the Eucharist and Evangelization are at the heart of what the Bishop has been sharing with us.  

During the homily at his Mass of Installation, Bishop Martino stated: “Instead of announcing to you a program of action, I prefer today to enter into a period of prayerful reflection with you, and specifically, on our Gospel passage, Luke 5:1-11.  I am inspired to do so by the example of our Holy Father, who presented such a moving reflection on Luke 5:1-11 in his January 2001 Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (“At the Beginning of the New Millennium”).  In this letter, the Holy Father John Paul II tells us that during the Jubilee year 2000 we engaged in many celebrations, but that it all boiled down to one thing: contemplating the face of Christ.  The very same Jesus who spoke to his Apostles in the reading from the Gospel of Luke is present here today ­– really, authentically in Word and Sacrament. Let us contemplate His face as He speaks to US now, not solely to those who first heard His Words almost two thousand years ago.  So, let us prayerfully contemplate His face.”  

With these words, Bishop Martino expressed the spiritual focus that would direct everything to follow in his episcopal ministry in the Diocese of Scranton.  Bishop Martino referred to the Counciliar and post-counciliar documents of Vatican II, and indicated he wanted more than a mere study of their words – he wanted them to become alive and life-giving for the people of the Diocese.  

          In his own words, the Bishop issued a challenge: “How can this Gospel passage be applied today?  Our Holy Father has challenged us to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ among the men and women of today.  He has asked us to evangelize the culture.  What does our Holy Father mean? A culture is the way in which a people relate to God, to one’s neighbors, and to themselves as individuals.  A culture takes root in a given time and given place.  In other words, Pope John Paul II is asking us, HERE in the Diocese of Scranton, as we embark into a new Millennium, to help the people of THIS area to know and love Jesus Christ, to know and love one another in imitation of Him, and to love ourselves with the sacrificial love of Jesus Himself, all as given to us in this Eucharist.  

“However, in order to fulfill this task faithfully, we must take heed of today’s Gospel passage. We must recognize that this task comes not simply from our Holy Father, let alone from within ourselves as a mere impulse.  Rather it is Jesus who chooses us.  It is He who first chooses us.  It is He who directs us, even along paths that in our human weakness may seem strange.  And, when we trust and obey, when we leave everything aside for love of Him and have faith, when we participate in the Church, the community of faith, then and only then the catch will be miraculous.  In other words: ‘Do not be afraid!’  And the world will know hope.  

“Such a depth of faith on our part will only bring vitality to our Catholic family, but this vitality should edify, not frighten, our neighbors who do not share our Catholic faith.  A Catholic who strives to announce the gospel of Jesus Christ in today’s culture indeed proposes teachings and sacraments, but also a loving way of life.  The authentic follower of Christ always proposes, never imposes.  The true follower of Christ does what he or she is called to do, to proclaim in word and deed Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and above all, divine Love.”  

After being in the Diocese for ten months, Bishop Martino was prepared to give more detailed direction for the future as the Diocese continues to implement the Vatican II enrichment of faith.  

In his July 2004 pastoral letter, Bishop Martino stated: “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?”  

The Bishop began to look at structures to assist him in the governance of the Diocese.  In 2005, he established three vicariates and appointed three Episcopal Vicars; he consolidated diocesan offices under Diocesan Secretaries and Vicars to improve coordination and communication within the diocesan management system.  

Looking next to the parishes, the Bishop mandated Directives for Parish Finance Councils in each parish, and began to schedule ongoing formation for pastors and finance council members.  Then, directives for Parish Pastoral Councils will be provided in every parish of the Diocese. Ongoing formation will also be provided for these Parish Pastoral Councils.  These two consultative bodies are meant to give advice and support to the pastors to promote the mission of the Church and pastoral care of the people.

B.     LOCAL HISTORY  

A quick review of recent diocesan history reveals a number of pertinent facts.  Councils at the parish level were recommended in the Diocese of Scranton with the promulgation of the Acts of Scranton Diocesan Synod II, August 15, 1986 .  It stated (D244) that the Bishop be encouraged to implement Canon 536 of the Code of Canon Law as it related to the establishment of advisory parish councils and assist parishes in that implementation.  Parish councils, later to be called “Parish Pastoral Councils,” were formed in limited number at that time.  

In 1990, the Pastoral Vision statement for the Diocese of Scranton, “The Welcoming Church,” called for some very practical considerations regarding parish leadership.  It encouraged the formation of Parish Pastoral Councils, noting that “The pastoral council will guarantee its effectiveness if it accepts the role of being a prayerful, discerning community of the people.”  

From the lived experience of Diocesan Synod II, RENEW, “The Welcoming Church,” and special listening sessions across the Diocese, guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils were formulated in the former Office of Parish Ministries.  Those guidelines became the starting point for pastoral council development in many parishes following the Episcopal Visitation Self-Study process.  

In his July 2004 pastoral letter, Bishop Martino wrote, “However, we must do even more.  I want to see our spiritual and pastoral renewal begin and beautifully reinvigorate our grassroots, our parishes.  I will soon mandate a uniform Parish Pastoral Council in every parish.  The Parish Pastoral Council will be the pastor's chief advisory group – please note: ADVISORY group, not board of trustees – in planning for the parish's renewed vigor in evangelizing all the people in the parish's area.  I will also soon be ascertaining that every parish currently has a Finance Council as mandated by Canon Law.  The Finance Council will help the pastor in drawing up the parish's annual budget and the parish's budgetary projections for coming years.  The Finance Council will also witness to me about the parish's ability to fulfill its budget.  

“Once Parish Pastoral Councils and Finance Councils are in place, all parishes will begin a period of Parish Self-Study.  Through this carefully disciplined process, each parish will create a snapshot of how well it is fulfilling – or not fulfilling – sufficiently its mission to announce the Good News in Word, Sacrament and through a serving Community.  Once each parish sees it strengths and weaknesses, its proud accomplishments and its inevitable deficiencies, it can plan with nearby parishes to see if there is a better way to serve ‘the neighborhood of parishes.’  Are joint efforts possible, for example, instead of overlapping separate efforts?  Are our current deanery boundaries the most helpful ones for our evangelization efforts?  

“Once our pastoral planning is accomplished at the various grassroots levels, we will then begin to see the contours of a diocesan pastoral plan.  This will take into consideration the rich diversity of our Diocese throughout its entire 11 counties: the areas of population growth and decline, the economic realities faced by our people, and the new immigrants who deserve a generous Scranton diocesan welcome.  I also envision a Diocesan Pastoral Council of clergy, religious and laity as a means by which I will receive good advice from the grassroots.  In addition, a Diocesan Pastoral Council will enable us all to see that the Catholic Church to which we belong is not just in our parish or neighborhood, but is vibrantly present in 11 Pennsylvania counties.  We will understand in a practical way that the Catholic Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic – not just someplace else, but right here!”

These new directives for Parish Pastoral Councils respond to Bishop Martino’s call for a “New Evangelization” through the renewal of parish life as announced in his installation homily, his pastoral letter and outlined in the Diocesan Mission Statement issued in February 2005.  

Bishop Martino has taken his direction from Pope John Paul II: “As I wrote in my Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, it is not a matter of inventing a 'new program.'  The program already exists: it is the plan found in the Gospel and in the living Tradition; it is the same as ever.  Ultimately, it has its center in Christ himself, who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with him transform history until its fulfillment in the heavenly Jerusalem” (Ecclesia De Eucharistia, 60).

In his encyclical on the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II focused our attention on the Eucharist as the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church and parish: “The implementation of this program of a renewed impetus in Christian living passes through 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,” the Pope said.  He further noted: “In the Eucharist we have Jesus, we have his redemptive sacrifice, we have his resurrection, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we have adoration, obedience and love of the Father. Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?”  

The following directives highlight the fact that planning is essential to any pastoral endeavor.  Bishop Martino has emphasized that pastoral and spiritual renewal must be centered on the Eucharist and Evangelization.  He is concerned that pastoral planning will be grounded in the mission of the Church and the parish.  Bishop Martino challenges all to accept the necessity of prayer and the importance of ongoing faith formation for an effective contribution by the Parish Pastoral Council.  These new directives are grounded in Church teaching and in a wealth of pastoral wisdom and experience.  They offer to parishes which have many emerging needs a structure that embraces consultation, collegiality and prayerful discernment.  

C.     THE PARISH (Resource Manual Part I, B. Mission lines 181 – 219))  

          The parish has only one purpose – to continue the mission of Jesus Christ.  Its only goal is to help every member grow to the fullness of holiness through his or her Christian vocation, in other words, to call forth saints.  

            Through Baptism and Confirmation all are called to exercise both their rights and responsibility to participate fully in the life and mission of the Church.  This mission of the Church is rooted in the mission of Christ who commanded everyone – clergy, religious and laity – to “go into the world and proclaim the good news to all of creation” (Mark 16:15 ).  For most Catholics, the parish has provided the parameters within which Christian faith has grown and flourished, serving as the essential component of their experience of the Church and the place where the mission of Christ continues.            

            This vocation of all the People of God, the community of believers in Jesus Christ, to promote the Reign of God on earth permeates the teachings and spirit of the documents of Vatican Council II.  All members of the Church – laity, religious and clergy – according to their proper charisms and roles collaborate in the responsibility for fulfilling its mission.  

“… the laity have an active part to play in the life and activity of the Church.  Their activity is so necessary within Church communities that without it the apostolate of the pastors is generally unable to achieve its full effectiveness” (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 10).  

“In recent years, one of the fruits of the teaching on the Church as communion has been the growing awareness that her members can and must unite their efforts, with a view to cooperation and exchange of gifts, in order to participate more effectively in the Church’s mission. … Contacts with the laity, in the case of monastic or contemplative Institutes, take the form of a relationship that is primarily spiritual, while for Institutes involved in works of the apostolate these contacts also translate into forms of pastoral cooperation.  Members of Secular Institutes, lay or clerical, relate to other members of the faithful at the level of everyday life. … We may say that … a new chapter, rich in hope, has begun in the history of relations between consecrated persons and the laity” (Vita Consecrata, 54).  

“Pastors also know that they themselves were not meant by Christ to shoulder alone the entire saving mission of the Church toward the world.  On the contrary, they understand that it is their noble duty to shepherd the faithful and recognize their service and charismatic gifts that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one heart”  (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 30).            

The Code of Canon Law defines a parish as “a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor as its proper pastor under the authority of the diocesan bishop.”  The parish, then, must always be understood in relationship to the diocese, called in canon law “a particular church.”  Communion and subsidiarity, which are always to complement one another, constitute this relationship.  Communion occurs through the Bishop’s efforts ever to further the union of parishioners with one another, of parishes with the Bishop and diocese and of the diocese with the Church universal.  When this is taking place because members of the church, in accord with their roles and abilities, are fully engaged in serving the church, subsidiarity is happening.  

D.     PASTORAL COUNCIL (Resource Manual, Part I, B, Consultative Body, lines 222 – 255)  

          The foundations of pastoral councils rest in the Church’s official documents and in the teachings from Christian antiquity about communion, participation and consultation.  

            The Code of Canon Law gives juridic expression to Vatican Council II’s teaching on the vocation and mission of the People of God and provides structures to accomplish collaborative responsibility on every level of ecclesial administration.  

            Canon 208 speaks of everyone’s responsibility to work together in the building up of the Body of Christ.  

“In virtue of their rebirth in Christ, there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function” (Code of Canon Law, 208).  

            Canon 529 §2 calls for the pastor to develop structures which incorporate the principles of collaborative responsibility and of consultation with the staff and parishioners.  

“The pastor is to acknowledge and promote the proper role which the lay members of the Christian faithful have in the Church’s mission by fostering their associations for religious purposes; he is to cooperate with his own bishop and with the presbyterate of the diocese in working hard so that the faithful be concerned for parochial communion and that they realize that they are members both of the diocese and of the universal Church and participate in and support efforts to promote such communion” (Code of Canon Law, 529 §2).  

This canon emphasizes the pastor’s duty to promote the role of the laity and to do so always in the context of ecclesial communion.

            Canon 536 specifically deals with Parish Pastoral Councils.  

“After the diocesan bishop has listened to the presbyteral council and if he judges it opportune, a pastoral council is to be established in each parish; the pastor presides over it, and through it the Christian faithful along with those who share in the pastoral care of the parish in virtue of their office give their help in fostering pastoral activity.  This pastoral council possesses a consultative vote only and is governed by norms determined by the diocesan bishop (Code of Canon Law, 536).  

In the instruction from the Congregation of the Clergy entitled The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish Community, the following is noted:  

“Like the diocesan pastoral council, the provisions of law foresee the constitution of a pastoral council at parochial level, should such be considered opportune by the Bishop, having heard his council of priests. The basic task of such a council is to serve, at institutional level, the orderly collaboration of the faithful in the development of pastoral activity which is proper to priests. The pastoral council is thus a consultative organ in which the faithful, expressing their baptismal responsibility, can assist the parish priest, who presides at the council, by offering their advice on pastoral matters.  The lay faithful ought to be ever more convinced of the special meaning that their commitment to the apostolate takes on in their parish; hence it is necessary to have a more convinced, extensive and decided appreciation for ‘Parish Pastoral Councils’.  There are clear reasons for such: In the present circumstances the lay faithful have the ability to do very much and, therefore, ought to do very much towards the growth of an authentic ecclesial communion in their parishes in order to reawaken missionary zeal towards nonbelievers and believers themselves who have abandoned the faith or grown lax in the Christian life.” (The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish Community, 23).  

A Parish Pastoral Council, therefore, is established to exercise zeal toward nonbelievers and lax believers, thus gathering a faithful people to the parish.  

It does this through making this goal inform its understanding of the parish’s mission.  In its deliberations the council ever keeps its eye on the future fulfillment of this mission of the parish.  The council determines those needs of the parish to be met if the parish is to accomplish its mission.  It will prioritize with a view toward choosing which ones here and now can be met, and then recommend its findings to the pastor.  

            The Code of Canon Law makes it very clear that a pastoral council is not a legislative body.  It is not a policy-making, decree-issuing, statute-formulating council.  It does not enact, decree, authorize, or regulate; nor does it prohibit, enjoin, correct, or enforce.  It does not pass bills for the pastor to sign or veto.  The pastoral council is not a finance council.  Church law now requires that every parish have a finance council to aid the pastor in the administration of parish goods (Canon 537).  Neither is the pastoral council the grievance machinery of the parish.  Ultimately, the pastor himself remains responsible for the authoritative decisions which he is called to make in the exercise of his pastoral ministry.  Yet, ecclesial communion also presupposes the participation of the faithful, inasmuch as they share responsibility for the good of the Church.            

Pope John Paul II, in an address to the Bishops of New Jersey, stated:  

“Within a sound ecclesiology of communion, a commitment to creating better structures of participation, consultation and shared responsibility should not be misunderstood as a concession to a secular ‘democratic’ model of governance, but as an intrinsic requirement of the exercise of episcopal authority and a necessary means of strengthening that authority” (Address to the Bishops of New Jersey, Ad Limina Visit, 3).  

This observation by the Holy Father about bishops in their dioceses can also be made about pastors in their parishes because the Church, whether diocesan or parochial, is always a communion.  

            In summary, through the Parish Pastoral Council a process is provided by which the family of faith within a parish is brought together to share a vision of the parish’s mission and assume its proper role in the fulfillment of that mission.  It is important that the Parish Pastoral Council be aware of the local culture of the parish and community if it is to effectively foster parish communion and mission.  

E.    IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE PARISH PASTORAL
      COUNCIL  

1:  ROLE OF THE PASTOR (Resource Manual, Part I Roles within the council lines 319 – 324))

          So integral is the role of the pastor to the parish council that without his presence, there is no council.  When a parish loses its pastor (through death, retirement, transfer, etc.), all activity of the Pastoral Council ceases.  When the new pastor is appointed he may reconvene the old council, if he wishes, or he may decide to form a new council.  This decision belongs to the pastor alone.   If a Parochial Administrator is appointed to a parish either because the parish is vacant or because of the incapacity or ill-health of the pastor, or for some other cause, this Administrator is to reconvene the existing Parish Pastoral Council and will assume the rights and responsibilities of the pastor in relation to the Council.  

2:  THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL AND PRAYER

          The Parish Pastoral Council aims to know and fulfill the mission of the parish.  The parish, however, cannot exist except in relationship to the Diocese.  Communion and subsidiarity constitute this relationship.  

            Council members, if they are going to appreciate accurately the parish and its mission, will need to live out this communion.  Only through a spirituality of communion will they so live.  This spirituality was described by Pope John Paul II:

            “A spirituality of communion indicates above all the heart’s contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us, and whose light we must also be able to see shining on the face of the brothers and sisters around us.  A spirituality of communion also means an ability to think of our brothers and sisters in faith within a profound unity of the Mystical Body, and therefore as ‘those who are a part of me’.  This makes us able to share their joys and sufferings, to sense their desires and attend to their needs, to offer them deep and genuine friendship.  A spirituality of communion implies also the ability to see what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God: not only as a gift for the brother or sister who receives it directly, but also as a ‘gift for me’.  A spirituality of communion means, finally, to know how to ‘make room’ for our brothers and sisters, bearing ‘each other’s burdens’ (Galatians 6:2) and resisting the selfish temptations which constantly beset us and provoke competition, careerism, distrust and jealousy.  Let us have no illusions: unless we follow this 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” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 43).  

            Profound, faithful prayer on the part of council members will be necessary for them to develop such a spirituality. Without this prayer and consequent spirituality in the lives of the members, the council’s work cannot be fruitful.