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This phase of pastoral planning aims to create, sustain, and increase the vitality of parishes and faith communities in the Diocese of Rochester. It focuses on collaboration, diversity, and unity in service to the mission of the Church.
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Purpose of PPNM2 The goal of pastoral planning is to create, sustain, and/or increase the vitality of parishes and faith communities in the Diocese of Rochester.
Mission of the Diocese of Rochester • We joyfully embrace our baptismal call to worship God, to preach the good news of Christ, to build up the community of faith and hope in the Holy Spirit, and to serve those in need. • Nourished by the Eucharist, we work with other churches and all those who seek harmony within the human family to advance the reign of God.
Mission of the Diocese of Rochester • Continuing our century old tradition of courage and creativity and responding to the Second Vatican Council’s call for the ongoing conversion of the Church, we strive to meet the needs of our community in this time and in this place.
Values of the Diocese of Rochester • To be a collaborative Church • To call forth lay leadership • To utilize fully the richness of our diversity • To be open, trusting and respectful in our dialogue with one another • To engage in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and cooperation
Vision of the Parish of the Future • As we move through a future of unknown opportunities and challenges, we must keep our focus on the creation and sustenance of vital parishes and faith communities. • While we can measure many aspects of parishes, a vital parish is one enlivened by the spirit, which cannot be directly measured.
Vision of the Parish of the Future • How do we know if the Spirit is present? • “By their fruits, you will know them.” • The following is a description of what such a vital parish might look and act like.
Parish • Faith community • Community of the baptized who have committed themselves to follow Jesus Christ as Redeemer. • The Body of Christ at a particular time and in a particular place. • Two great sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist
Baptism • Life-generating event in the life of each baptized person and of the entire community • Incorporation into the Body of Christ • Every baptism takes place within and before the entire community.
Eucharist • The continuing life of the Body of Christ is energized and fed by the Eucharist. • This sacramental mystery is both sign and cause of our life in Christ and of the unity based on that common life.
Signs of life and unity • Easter Triduum is filled to overflowing. • Easter Vigil is often celebrated with neighboring parishes. • Entire extended communities come together for common celebrations of Pentecost.
Diversity and Richness of Larger Community • Less focus on geographic area • Inclusion of campus communities • Engagement with incarcerated faithful • Ill and infirm • Celebration of Baptism and Eucharist in ways that contribute to the vitality of the Church and to unity with all those in the region who are incorporated into the Body of Christ.
Hospitality and Sense of Welcoming • “All are welcome here.” • Faith as expressed in the Creed • Differences in life circumstances are irrelevant to full and complete membership • And are celebrated as evidence that the Spirit of Christ is actively present in the community.
Ability to Sense and Respond to Change • “ever new and ever the same” • Ever the same: the Good News of Jesus Christ • Ever new: human and physical environment • The ongoing incarnation and incorporation reflects and interacts with the world as it is at any specific time.
Places of Study and Learning • An almost unquenchable thirst to learn about God, Jesus Christ, the Church, and human spirituality • Scripture and tradition are the means by which they construct the Church suited for their time and their place • Certification and/or advanced education for those who might lead others in this learning
Worship • Active, vital, and attractive • Ideal: the entire faith community gathers as one for Sunday Eucharist • Members serve in a variety of roles • Visitors’ comments: “Something different and alive here.”
Preaching • Varied, focused, and well executed • Preaching reflection groups • Preaching addresses the experience of the baptized in their efforts to be in the world but not of the world. • Regular feedback on both content and delivery
Prayer • Sunday Eucharist • Variety of liturgical and devotional opportunities for public prayer • Commitment to personal prayer • Small group faith sharing • Prayer is the foundation of the parish
Exuberance of the Body of Christ • Vitality of faith naturally overflows into the world with a commitment to gospel living • “Now not I live, but Christ lives in me.” • This new life of Christ becomes the life that the Church and the faithful express.
Beatitudes in Action • Each parish pursues a varied agenda of social justice and action. • Working for justice and mercy for the weak and vulnerable among them • Individual action • Parish action • Social ministries reflect the needs of a specific time and place.
Collaboration • Healthy identity and autonomy built on authentic collaboration • There is a graced ability to • accept others, • live comfortably with ambiguity, and • focus on important things that bring people of faith together rather than separate them
Joyfulness In the end, it is joyfulness that seems to characterize these communities best. There is a pervading sense of joy based on faith that God exists and loves us, that Jesus saves us, and that together we work for the Reign of God that has been established but has not yet fully flowered.
Joyfulness It is a joy that is not based on a lack of problems, challenges, difficulties, disagreements, disappointments, and sorrows; there are plenty of these. Rather, it is a joy based on faith, a joy that thrives in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
In the end, the only way to explain such a community is to see it as an incarnation of God and the Spirit of life and love.
Appreciate Our Experience • What are some of experiences with your parish or faith community that give you life and joy? • Are there ways you have actively contributed to the life of your parish that enliven you? • What are the times when you felt so full of the Spirit that you could not contain yourself? • Are there elements of your parish experience that seem to stretch into this joyful future?
Face Reality • What obstacles do you see on the path toward this envisioned parish? • Are there forces in the outside world that seem to work against this joyful future?
