I. OVERVIEW and SUMMARY OF
RESOURCE MANUAL
(Directives
for Parish Pastoral Councils (DPPC) A)
This RESOURCE
MANUAL is concerned with the
implementation of the Directives for Parish Pastoral Councils. The overall aim of the
implementation is the spiritual and
pastoral renewal of the Diocese. This
renewal is guided by the Diocesan Mission
Statement.
With its words, “We the Catholic faithful…are
called,” the Diocesan Mission statement
expresses evangelization in terms of
vocation, that is, that we are called by
God to call others to God. Evangelization,
in other words, is a vocation to bring
others to their vocation.
In light of the Diocesan Mission Statement’s
vocational understanding of
evangelization, Directives
for Parish Pastoral Councils, designed
as they are to bring about parish mission
statements and plans for evangelization
through parish self-study, should always
be read in conjunction with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Vocations.
Following are some thoughts about the spirituality
of communion and especially its demand for
prayer as presented by Pope John Paul II
and Pope Benedict XVI. They allow no doubt
about the preparatory work which will be
necessary if Parish Pastoral Councils are
going to contribute as they should to the
renewal of the Diocese of Scranton.
Pope John Paul II saw pastoral councils as one of
the structures for expressing and
promoting communion.
In his Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte, (2001, no. 45)) he 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.
The Holy Father also stressed the importance of
understanding and practicing the theology
and spirituality of communion. He has
reminded us that a spirituality of
communion 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 and continue to be made to
understand and live a spirituality of
communion. This will help to place the
Parish
Finance
Council as well as the Parish Pastoral
Council in the context of communion and
avoid misunderstanding concerning the
purpose or ways of proceeding with these
advisory groups.
i
Prayer and study must be a part of every meeting.
Occasionally a day of recollection and
in-service days, as needed, should be
planned. Meetings organized by the Diocese
must be seen as not only required or
helpful, but as another expression of
communion between the Diocese and the
parish.
In an address to Canadian Bishops on their Ad Limina
visit (May 20, 2006), Pope Benedict XVI
offered them some advice that is
applicable 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”, he stresses the
necessity of being rooted in Christ.
Such
holiness, or such profound communion
through Christ and in the Spirit, is
affirmed among other things by an
authentic pedagogy of prayer, by an
introduction to the lives of the saints
and to simple forms of spirituality that
embellish and stimulate the life of the
Church, by regular participation in the
sacrament of reconciliation, and by a
convincing catechesis on Sundays "the
day of faith," "the day one
cannot do without," "the day of
Christian hope" (cf. Dies Domini, nos. 29-30; 38).
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.
Related to His Holiness’ thought about
“vocation” is the Pastoral
Plan for Vocations of the Diocese of
Scranton. Our Holy Father also said:
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 implement the universal
call to holiness and thereby activate the
particular vocation of every individual.
The Diocesan
Pastoral Plan for Vocations gives
direction for fulfilling this
responsibility. This Resource
Manual should be read in the light of
the Pastoral
Plan for Vocations, and the Pastoral
Plan for Vocations should be read in
the light of this Resource
Manual. They are meant to be
complimentary.
ii
A commitment to prayer and study will assure 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
that is vocational.
In Novo
Millennio Ineunte (2001, no. 38), the
late Pope John Paul II gave us these
encouraging words:
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. Jn15:5).
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? We then share the experience
of the disciples in the Gospel story of
the miraculous catch of fish: "We
have toiled all night and caught
nothing" (Lk 5:5). This is the
moment of faith, of prayer, of
conversation with God, in order to open
our hearts to the tide of grace and allow
the word of Christ to pass through us in
all its power: Duc in altum! On
that occasion, it was Peter who spoke the
word of faith: "At your word I will
let down the nets" (ibid.).
iii
II.
PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL FORMATION
A. INTRODUCTION
This
resource manual is a companion to the Directives
for Parish Pastoral Councils. It is
meant to assist those responsible for the
implementation of the directives.
Occasional supplements will be issued on a
number of themes: Pastoral
Plan for Vocations, Evangelization
of Persons and Cultures, etc.
The Parish Pastoral Council is a
vital structure for the renewal of parish
life as outlined in the
Mission
Statement of the Diocese of
Scranton
.
These
councils also respond to Bishop
Martino’s call for a “New
Evangelization” in the Diocese of
Scranton.
Recognizing that the success of the
“New Evangelization” depends upon the
active participation of the members of the
parishes, the Presbyteral Council
recommended that Bishop Martino mandate
the establishment of a Parish Pastoral
Council in every parish.
Bishop Martino accepted that
recommendation and mandated that every
parish have a Parish Pastoral Council in
order to foster the participation of the
entire parish – clergy, religious, laity
– in the pastoral life and mission of
the parish, the diocese and of the
universal Church. The norms governing
these councils are contained in the Diocese
of Scranton Directives for Parish Pastoral
Councils.
A Parish Pastoral Council is a
consultative body which advises and
assists the pastor in areas of pastoral
concern. It will be involved in developing
a parish pastoral plan and participating
in ongoing pastoral planning both on a
parish and regional level.
Parish Pastoral Councils are to
conform to the Diocese
of Scranton Directives for Parish Pastoral
Councils, which gives the reasons for,
the essential qualities of, and the ways
in which a Parish Pastoral Council
functions. By using the directives, all
the parishes of the Diocese of Scranton,
both those establishing Parish Pastoral
Councils for the first time and those with
well established Councils, will be more
closely united in the process of renewal.
This manual is a resource for
Parish Pastoral Councils. The materials in
it can be adapted to meet the specific
needs of each parish.
B. OVERVIEW
The following overview provides the
key concepts that are the basis for
understanding Parish Pastoral Councils in
the Diocese of Scranton:
Mission
Consultative
Body
Pastoral
Concerns
Pastoral
Planning
Consensus/Prayerful
Reflection
Roles
within the Council
Relationships
MISSION
(DPPC
C)
All the baptized are called to participate in the
life and mission of the Church. The mission
of the Church is rooted in the mission of
Christ:
“Go into the world and proclaim
the Good News to all of creation” (Mark
16:15‑17).
From its earliest days the Church
has responded to this mission in various
ways depending upon the times and
circumstances. Vatican Council II reminded
us that we must be about the mission of
Jesus, and that all the baptized – lay,
religious and clergy – are called to
exercise both their right and
responsibility to participate in the
mission of the Church. Here in the Diocese
of Scranton, we are in the midst of a
“New Evangelization”, in order to
deepen our understanding and revitalize
our efforts to be the parish and diocese
that Christ calls us to be in these times.
The Diocesan Mission Statement
provides a focus towards which our efforts
for renewal are directed:
DIOCESE
OF
SCRANTON
MISSION
STATEMENT
“We the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of
Scranton
, in union with our Holy Father, the Pope, are
called through baptism to share in the
mission which Jesus Christ has entrusted
to the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic
Church
.
Priests, deacons, religious and
laity, under the leadership of our Bishop,
cooperate to proclaim the Gospel in
accordance with the teaching of the
Church, to celebrate the sacraments,
especially the Eucharist, for the
salvation of all, and to witness by grace
to the Kingdom of God so as to
promote a culture of life, justice and
peace.”
The
Diocesan Mission Statement is also
intended to provide the parishes with a
basis for reflection as they seek to
respond more fully to what Jesus is asking
of them in these times. It gives the
parishes a framework in which they are
able to examine themselves and to reflect
on how they are living out the mission of
Christ. This renewal of parishes is
critical. The following statement from the
National Conference of Catholic Bishop’s
Committee on the Parish highlights this:
The
parish is for most Catholics the single
most
important part of the church. This is
where
for them the mission of Christ continues.
This
is where they publicly express their
faith,
joining
with others to give proof of their
communion
with God and with one another. …
It
is in the parish that the most intimate
concerns
of individuals and the broadest reaches
of
the church’s mission come together.
(Communities
of Salt and Light: Reflections on the
Social Mission of the Parish, U.S. Catholic
Bishops, 1993)
CONSULTATIVE
BODY
(DPPC
D) (DPPC D.5)
Collaboration through consultation is a means for
participation of the laity in the
Church’s mission. The Parish Pastoral
Council, a consultative body, provides a
structure whereby the laity, religious and
clergy work together, that is,
collaborate, to promote the Reign of God
– to build up the Body of Christ. Both
the documents of the Second Vatican
Council and the revised Code of Canon Law
call for the development of Parish
Pastoral Councils.
A consultative body is a group of
advisors who make recommendations after
careful deliberations. As a consultative
body, the recommendations of the Parish
Pastoral Council bear considerable weight.
It is not a decision-making group,
although it has an essential role in the
decision making process. In a parish, the
pastor has the central leadership role and
is the final decision maker. However, he
carries out this role in consultation with
others. He gathers information, seeks
advice and counsel and gives serious
consideration to what he hears before he
makes his decision.
Furthermore, the specific functions
of the parish pastoral council, i.e., to
propose a mission statement for the
parish, to provide opportunity to
collaborate for the good of the parish, to
plan for spiritual growth, and to make
recommendations to the pastor, enjoin upon
the pastor and council members the
obligation to be accurate and objective in
their observations and judgments. This
requires accuracy, diligence in the
gathering and reporting of data and
objectivity in evaluations and
recommendations. It also requires careful
attention to the specific culture of the
parish and the region, concern for the
wider community of which the parish is a
part, and appreciation for special
populations and/or circumstances.
The Parish Pastoral Council is the
major consultative body advising the
pastor in certain pastoral issues. It is
envisioned that this council will work in
cooperation with the Parish
Finance
Council. The pastor will look to the Parish
Pastoral Council for recommendations on
how the parish can be faithful to living
out the mission of Christ. He will consult
the Council when he needs the practical
wisdom of the members before making a
decision that will affect the parish. He
will not consult the Parish Pastoral
Council about technical matters, where an
expert opinion is necessary. The Parish
Pastoral Council does not deal with the
administrative, day‑to‑day
operations of the parish. Nor is it a
grievance forum for parish groups, the
parish school or parish personnel.
In summary, the pastor needs to
consult with the laity who in turn have
the right to express their views and
concerns to the pastor. The Parish
Pastoral Council is an important structure
established to foster this collaboration
in the mission of Christ by all its
members (cf.: Directives,
p. 11).
PASTORAL CONCERNS
Pope John Paul II in a general audience on
September
1, 1993
described parishes in these words:
“Parishes
are the living organs of the one body of
Christ, the one Church. They welcome and
serve both the members of the local
communities and all those who for any
reason come there at a given moment.”
Pastoral concerns are issues which
flow from the very nature and purpose of
the parish’s mission.
Examples of these issues are:
·
liturgy
and prayer life of the parish
·
the
teaching of the faith to all age groups in
the parish
·
the
practice of the faith and its proclamation
to others
·
the
service of all in need: the hungry,
hurting, aging, shut‑ins, addicted,
lonely and disabled
·
promotion
of vocations in the parish
·
concerns
for peace and justice in the parish.
·
ecumenical
and interfaith activities.
The Parish Pastoral Council
recommends pastoral plans and directions
in response to these kinds of issues.
These plans and recommendations need to be
broad but directional.
PASTORAL PLANNING
(DPPC
E.6)
Pastoral planning is a prayerful and
collaborative process by which a Parish
Pastoral Council comes to a deeper
awareness of the parish as a local
community of the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic
Church
.
This planning develops a Parish Mission
Statement, assesses parish strengths and
resources, limitations and needs, and
makes recommendations to the pastor
concerning priorities and goals. Planning
devises ways to accomplish the mission of
the parish and evaluates what is done. It
does so in light of the Gospel, Church
teachings, Diocesan pastoral priorities
and the specific realities of the parish.
Pastoral planning helps to answer the
questions: “Who are we as a parish?
What do we seek to become as a
parish community?
What are we called to do? How are
we best going to do it?”
Pastoral planning encourages the
collaboration of clergy, religious and
laity. It needs to be an ongoing process
within each parish that promotes
cooperation with neighboring Catholic
parishes and develops an awareness of
being a part of the Diocese of Scranton,
based on the principles of communion and
subsidiarity.
The Parish Pastoral Council, with
the pastor as president, is the pastoral
planning body of the parish. It carries
out this task in collaboration and
cooperation with the parish staff,
committees, groups and parishioners. As
the pastor consults with the Council, so
the Council itself is called to consult
with other parish leadership and
parishioners in its planning processes. As
the planning body of the parish, the
Parish Pastoral Council needs to be rooted
in prayer, open to the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, as well as committed to
patient listening and to study.
CONSENSUS/PRAYERFUL REFLECTION
(DPPC
E.4)
The Parish Pastoral Council makes recommendations
to the pastor through a consensus process
in an atmosphere of prayerful reflection.
Consensus is the process of arriving at a
decision after a time of prayer and study.
It is characterized by general agreement
rather than by voting. It results in a
recommendation that all the members of the
council agree to accept and support.
The process of consensus
decision-making is one where all sides
have an opportunity for input, for
appropriate and adequate discussion, for
reflection, and for the resolution of
major discrepancies. The importance of
this model is that there are no winners or
losers as there are in a voting model.
Where there is a recommendation, reached
by consensus after prayerful reflection,
all of the people who participated in
making the recommendation have been
prepared to uphold it.
The recommendation that the Council
makes must be based on what is good for
the whole parish. Council members will
need to listen to the members of the
parish: those who are active and those who
are inactive. It will study the needs of
the broader community of which the parish
is a part and determine how best to
respond to those concerns as well.
Councilors need to commit themselves to
regular times of prayer and study centered
on Jesus and the teachings of the Church
if they are going to be prepared to engage
in consensus.
ROLES WITHIN THE COUNCIL
It
is important to remember that there is a
unity of mission but a diversity of roles
when we consider the work of the pastor,
the coordinating committee, the members of
the Council and the parish staff. Together
they are united in making the parish the
place where all can enter into the mission
of Christ.
Pastor
(DPPC
E.1) (DPPC F.IV.1) (DPPC G.II.1)
The
pastor serves the parish entrusted to him
by the Bishop. He has the central
leadership role in the life of the parish.
The pastor carries out this role in
consultation and cooperation with the
other priests, deacons, staff members and
parishioners. The Parish Pastoral Council
advises and assists him in pastoral
matters. The pastor presides over the
Council and the coordinating committee.
Coordinating
Committee
(DPPC C.IV.4) (DPPC G.5)
The coordinating committee is responsible for
formulating the Council’s agenda,
planning the meetings and dealing with
Council matters between meetings. It is
composed of the pastor, the chairperson,
the vice-chairperson and the secretary.
Members
(DPPC F.III) (DPPC G.I.1)
Members of the Parish Pastoral Council are to be
representative of the entire parish,
recognizing and reflecting the parish’s
rich diversity. The Council needs to
include women and men, the old and the
young, the married and the single, people
of different economic levels, different
racial and ethnic origins and different
educational backgrounds. It needs to have
people of varying opinions and ideas. All
the members must be committed to fostering
the life and mission of the church and to
promoting the good of the whole parish.
The Parish Pastoral Council is to
be a representative body and not a body of
representatives. It is not recommended
that parish committees or organizations be
specifically represented on the Parish
Pastoral Council. People are not elected
to serve a certain constituency or to
bring a particular agenda to the council.
Councilors should not see their rules as
representing parish committees or
organizations such as the Liturgy
Committee or the Home and School
Association. In fact, if a member of a
parish committee or parish organization
becomes a member of the Parish Pastoral
Council, the following guidelines should
apply:
Members
of the Parish Pastoral Council must
recognize their responsibility to
represent the entire parish rather than
the exclusive membership or agendas of
parish committees or parish organizations
to which they may belong.
Representation is p
