For almost nine years I am not so much fully in touch with my parish. I could only stay there during vacation time. But I still know a little of its activities and programs although I could not guarantee the exactness of what I know. It was just about 15 years ago that this parish started to organize the parish pastoral council. At that time the parishioners had only a little grasp regarding their role in the parish organization and administration. There was a confusion in connection with the nature of the PPC as a consultative body. But this issue was clarified by means of some meetings and conferences to orient the members of the PPC.
The PPC is composed of various committees for the different concerns in the parish. But my observation is that until now the committees and ministries have not yet reached the full mobilizing stage wherein the dynamics of lay empowerment is evident. I have the perception that most of the lay persons active in the church ministries still have the attitude of waiting what the parish has to say or to tell. Most of the lay groups lack the initiative to have a collective plans and decisions and bring these into the consideration of the parish priest. Taking into account this situation, I think what the parish priest can do is to create and atmosphere that would encourage the active parishioners to contribute their ideas and suggestions for the well-being of the parish community.
In the aspect of planning, the parish has not yet formulated its vision-mission statement or if there would be any it should have been published or posted. The lack of such statement could be the reason why it is not clear to the parishioners what ought to be done. They have not identified the common goal/s of the whole organizational system in the parish. There are active lay organizations, ministries, apostolates, movements and devotional groups, but there is no communal effort to synchronize and coordinate well the programs and activities that would somehow go in line with the common (or general) objective of the entire parish in conformity with that of the diocese. With this situation at hand there is no comprehensive pastoral plan laid down by the parish with the headship of its pastor.
Looking at the brighter side, despite the absence of a pastoral plan our parish continues to move on. As of this time we have an active and committed parish priest and assistants with the cooperation of some dedicated lay people in the different groups. These groups could be segregated into the different committees that comprise the so called WESTFLY (Worship, Education, Service, Temporalities, Family Life, and Youth).
The evangelization and formation program, as I see it, could be grouped into three: those given as pre-sacramental preparations (pre-cana, pre-jordan, pre-confirmation seminars); those which are conducted by a particular group for their members and new recruits (seminars, trainings, updating, recollection); those which are intended for the whole faithful community (recollections, re-orientation seminars).
On the temporal aspect as of this point in time the parish is still primarily dependent on the Arancel System and other mass offerings. To carry out its projects fund raising activities are conducted such as solicitations and second collections. During the Christmas vacation I learned that the focus of our parish now is the construction of a new parish rectory. This project entails a lot of effort to gather a bigger amount of money for the completion of this project. To my mind this is a good endeavor considering that our parish rectory is nearly dilapidated. But this project should not hinder other concerns such as the continuing evangelization and formation of the parishioners.
Priests, as co-workers with their bishops, have the primary duty of proclaiming the Gospel of God to all. Thus, the highest priority must be given to evangelization. But sadly, the work of evangelization usually falls on the hands of the laity sometimes with little support from the pastors. Well, preaching is always given during the celebration of the Mass. But it doesn’t suffice if we have to consider the percentage of attendance during masses which would roughly be less than 10 percent of the total number of parishioners. If we have to count the efforts, the pastor would say that much effort have been afforded to the work of evangelization. But if we have to compare the amount of money spent for evangelizing works as against the maintenance and construction of projects, did we spent much for preaching the word of God?
The PPC is composed of various committees for the different concerns in the parish. But my observation is that until now the committees and ministries have not yet reached the full mobilizing stage wherein the dynamics of lay empowerment is evident. I have the perception that most of the lay persons active in the church ministries still have the attitude of waiting what the parish has to say or to tell. Most of the lay groups lack the initiative to have a collective plans and decisions and bring these into the consideration of the parish priest. Taking into account this situation, I think what the parish priest can do is to create and atmosphere that would encourage the active parishioners to contribute their ideas and suggestions for the well-being of the parish community.
In the aspect of planning, the parish has not yet formulated its vision-mission statement or if there would be any it should have been published or posted. The lack of such statement could be the reason why it is not clear to the parishioners what ought to be done. They have not identified the common goal/s of the whole organizational system in the parish. There are active lay organizations, ministries, apostolates, movements and devotional groups, but there is no communal effort to synchronize and coordinate well the programs and activities that would somehow go in line with the common (or general) objective of the entire parish in conformity with that of the diocese. With this situation at hand there is no comprehensive pastoral plan laid down by the parish with the headship of its pastor.
Looking at the brighter side, despite the absence of a pastoral plan our parish continues to move on. As of this time we have an active and committed parish priest and assistants with the cooperation of some dedicated lay people in the different groups. These groups could be segregated into the different committees that comprise the so called WESTFLY (Worship, Education, Service, Temporalities, Family Life, and Youth).
The evangelization and formation program, as I see it, could be grouped into three: those given as pre-sacramental preparations (pre-cana, pre-jordan, pre-confirmation seminars); those which are conducted by a particular group for their members and new recruits (seminars, trainings, updating, recollection); those which are intended for the whole faithful community (recollections, re-orientation seminars).
On the temporal aspect as of this point in time the parish is still primarily dependent on the Arancel System and other mass offerings. To carry out its projects fund raising activities are conducted such as solicitations and second collections. During the Christmas vacation I learned that the focus of our parish now is the construction of a new parish rectory. This project entails a lot of effort to gather a bigger amount of money for the completion of this project. To my mind this is a good endeavor considering that our parish rectory is nearly dilapidated. But this project should not hinder other concerns such as the continuing evangelization and formation of the parishioners.
Priests, as co-workers with their bishops, have the primary duty of proclaiming the Gospel of God to all. Thus, the highest priority must be given to evangelization. But sadly, the work of evangelization usually falls on the hands of the laity sometimes with little support from the pastors. Well, preaching is always given during the celebration of the Mass. But it doesn’t suffice if we have to consider the percentage of attendance during masses which would roughly be less than 10 percent of the total number of parishioners. If we have to count the efforts, the pastor would say that much effort have been afforded to the work of evangelization. But if we have to compare the amount of money spent for evangelizing works as against the maintenance and construction of projects, did we spent much for preaching the word of God?
Another aspect which the parish has not yet given attention is the works of charity, especially for the needy. This must be a part of the proper objectives of our local Church. Would the parish include this matter in its plan for the administration of temporal goods? The answer only lies in the well integrated Parish Administrator. May the charitable works not become one of the often neglected aspects of my ministry. Sometimes we get too engrossed with what gives us comfort and we only remember the needy during Christmas. They just become objects of our disguised charity to satisfy the fad being brought about by the season. And I fear that I may only just be satisfied with giving “bundles of joy.” I pray that the Lord may help me anchor my vision of ministry in my heart so that the aspirations which I have written may not just remain in theory but in the future be seen and felt in the actual experience.
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