 |
An Introduction toVibrant Parish Life – Phase IIPhase I – Looking Back |
|
|
In February of 2001, following discussions with our diocesan consultative groups, Bishop Anthony Pilla presented a Pastoral Letter entitled Vibrant Parish Life. This began a major diocesan initiative that serves as the framework for an evolving “pastoral plan” for our diocese. The heart of this message is grounded in the hope that “we will do all that is possible to sustain and enhance the vibrant parish life to which Jesus calls us – for every parishioner and for our priests and parish ministers." |
Since 2001, the implementation of Vibrant Parish Life included training parish leaders, educating parishioners, conducting parish self-studies, and networking among parishes to explore further opportunities for collaboration around common interests. In January of 2005, a report of this past work was presented.
The Vibrant Parish Life initiative has achieved a great deal in strengthening the life and ministry of our Church across the entire diocese. It has built upon the work of The Church in the City and our parish partnerships, our school planning efforts and other diocesan initiatives. Individual parishes have used their self-study to renew their parish life and to develop and strengthen ministries to better serve people. Parishes strengthened collaborative initiatives with other parishes. Perhaps most importantly, there is a growing mentality of cooperation and collaboration. In all kinds of discussions within and among parishes, people are asking: “how can we do this collaboratively?” Yet as significant as these achievements have been, we must continue to deepen our collaboration if we are to address the continuing needs and challenges of our Church.
Phase II – Purpose, Steps and Values
The purpose of Vibrant Parish Life- Phase II builds upon all that we have done and is stated as follows:
We are being called to be Church in new ways so that every area in the Diocese of Cleveland has the opportunity to further develop vibrant Catholic communities and ministries.
This phase includes sharing priests, deacons, parish life coordinators, lay ecclesial ministers and other parish staff, as well as actively engaging the gifts of all the baptized. We accomplish this through education, planning, and collaboration in the clustering, reconfiguring and effective staffing of parishes.
There are two major concurrent steps for parishes in this Phase:
1) Providing a comprehensive education about current and future realities in our diocese, especially regarding parish staffing and the implications of having fewer priests.
2) Discerning cluster partners, and then working together in a long term relationship of collaboration to plan and provide pastoral care for these communities. In forming this relationship, each parish has its own parish identity, canonical status and financial accountability. A cluster of parishes will address the future staffing and reconfiguring of parishes to meet pastoral needs for the next 5-10 years. In some cases over time, these collaborative efforts may lead to addressing the merging, consolidating or closing of parishes to strengthen and sustain the long term mission and ministry of the Church.
Our work needs to be centered in the following core values:
- The commitment to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
- The conviction that all of our efforts must be centered in prayer and discernment.
- The importance of reading the signs of the times and responding to the circumstances of today.
- The recognition that the challenges facing the Church require all Catholics to live their Baptismal call more fully, and to assume leadership and responsibility for the mission and ministry of the Church.
- The call to be good stewards of the gifts and resources which God gives to us.
- The desire to educate and empower the people of the diocese to responsible leadership.
- The hope for a conversion of heart leading to a profound respect and appreciation for the unique dignity, integrity, gifts and differences of each parish. (Over)
Resources being provided during Lent of 2006
Six meetings for parish leaders are being held to present a set of resources to accomplish this work. These resources have been developed through extensive work by a committee representing a broad cross-section of diocesan life, and a major consultation with parish leaders in the fall of 2005.
Resources to provide a comprehensive education about diocesan realities and changes include a series of documents and other resources for parish study and discussion in the following areas:
- Vibrant Parish Life values
- Called through Baptism
- Parish staffing
- Purpose of forming clusters of parishes
- Church structures
- Societal realities
- Parish financial realities
Resources for discerning cluster partners include guidelines in the following areas:
- Definition of a cluster of parishes
- How cluster partners will be discerned
- Objective and subjective criteria to guide parishes in proposing 2-3 configurations of clusters partners
- Overall timeline
- Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ’S)
- An 8-step guide for discerning clusters of parishes with final approval by Bishop
- Maps, demographic/sacramental trends,
and self-studies from district parishes
Changing Realities in the Church
Over 60% of our 233 parishes now have one priest assigned. One priest simply cannot do what was possible when 2, 3 or 4 priests were assigned to a parish. There also has been tremendous growth in the number of deacons and lay persons ministering in our parishes. However, the ability to address pastoral needs is uneven based on the size and gifts of parish staffs in different parishes. There are opportunities to better serve more people in specific areas of ministry through collaboration among parishes.
In the United States, 2/3 of dioceses now have fewer diocesan priests than parishes. Many of these dioceses have been forced to deal with this reality sooner than they expected. In our diocese, it will be several years before we will have the same number of active priests as we have parishes. This gives us time to learn from the experiences of other dioceses. Today, we have an opportunity to plan for the future. Today, we have choices. If we fail to plan, the day will soon come when circumstances rather than choices will determine our future. As a Church, we must use the time we now have to discern where the Spirit is leading and give our people a voice in how we can create a vibrant Catholic life and ministry for everyone.
Guiding Principles
The consultation process called forth by Vibrant Parish Life- Phase II is grounded in our diocesan commitment to the principles of communio, subsidiarity and collaboration. We need to do things in ways that are centered in communal prayer and discernment. Our planning is most effective when we respect and embrace our relationship as community, and engage the people who can most clearly know and effectively deal with pastoral care at the parish and diocesan levels. Parishes are being asked to come together and collaborate in planning for the future life and ministry of the church in their own local areas. There is no preconceived diocesan plan. We need to engage the wisdom and insight of parish and diocesan leaders in discerning local needs, possibilities for cooperation, and ways to best use and share resources of our parishes.
Exciting, Hopeful Possibilities
These are very exciting times in the Church. Guided by God’s presence with us, we have many possibilities and opportunities before us. We are called to be faithful, and not fearful. We are called to a moment of conversion, to “harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7). Let us remember the words of St. Paul: “God has so constructed the body…so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another” (1 Corinthians 12: 24-25). May God help us to bring forth the fullness of life!
Presented by the Vibrant Parish Life - Phase II Diocesan Committee - February 27, 2006