Resources for Parish Planning
Through Baptism, we are incorporated into Christ and we are called to share in his mission. Each of us, through distinctive roles, is called to participate in God's work of salvation. Lay women and men, through their Baptism, are given a special mission to carry the gospel into their everyday activities. Religious men and women, through the practice of chastity, poverty and obedience and through the particular works of their religious communities, are called to a distinctive witness to their Baptism and to the values of the Kingdom of God. Through their sacramental ordination, deacons are called to mirror the work of Christ as Servant. Through their sacramental ordination to the priesthood, priests become other Christs, participating in a special way in the role of Christ as Priest, Prophet, and Shepherd. cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 3, 50, 790, 1267
The Ongoing Activity of Pastoral Planning
Pastoral planning is an ongoing activity in which the actions taken to implement the plans are assessed by the pastoral council, and the results of the assessment are used as new information in revising the plan. Many parishioners and parish staff as well as the parish pastoral council members and the Pastor participate in this cyclical process as planners, persons taking action or assessing the results. All need to understand why and how it is done. The following resources are intended to assist parish councils during their planning efforts.
Why do Parish Pastoral Councils Engage in Pastoral Planning? The goal of all pastoral planning is the renewal of individuals and parishes. Renewal is a life long process. It is the ongoing, daily conversion of the heart to the will of God. It is the movement of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the baptized to desire to know God more fully and to do His will more faithfully.
Pastoral planning is a way to create an environment within parishes that fosters the renewal of the individuals and helps them to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
In the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Bishops speak of the mission of Christ, the nature of the Church and the role of the laity. Pope John Paul II, in preparing the faithful for the beginning of the Third Millennium of Christianity, wrote and spoke often about the Holy Spirit’s renewing presence in the Church.
Reflection on these might be beneficial for the members of the Parish Pastoral Council as a help to recall why they meet and plan and how their work strengthens the parish.
For consideration:
- "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20) Novo Millennio Ineunte, 29, Apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II (January 2001)
- Precisely because it signifies life, communion in the Church must constantly increase. Ecclesia in America , 36, Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II (January, 1999)
- The parish is a privileged place where the faithful concretely experience the Church. Ecclesia in America , 41, Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II (January, 1999)
- In our own day too, the Spirit is the principal agent of the new evangelization. Tertio Millennio Adveniente , 45-46, Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II (November 1994)
- The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, as in a temple. Lumen Gentium, 4, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church promulgated by Pope Paul VI ( November 1964)
- The Church has received this solemn mandate of Christ to proclaim the saving truth from the apostles and must carry it out to the very ends of the earth. Lumen Gentium, 17, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church promulgated by Pope Paul VI (November 1964)
Synod Initiatives
- Evangelization and "The New Evangelization"
- Structures for Participation and Accountability
- Ongoing Education and Formation: Adults, Young Adults and Youth
- Ministry and Leadership: Lay, Consecrated Life and Ordained
- Eucharist and Sacramental Living
- Social Justice: Living at the Service of God's Reign
