New approaches to being ‘parish’

MADISON  In light of changes that continue to sweep society and the Church — compounded by the challenges of ministering in the current COVID-19 pandemic, several parishes in the Diocese are in the process of imagining new approaches to being “parish,” especially in their primary role to make people missionary disciples.

On Oct. 19, ministry teams from the seven parishes — pastors with a few key leaders each — met in the auditorium of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard here to begin the process of revitalizing their faith communities.

At the gathering, “A Parish ‘Contagious with Hope’ ” parishes were reminded they are called to transform the hearts of the faithful by bringing them closer to Jesus — a conversion so powerful that it could inspire them to go out to preach the Gospel in this time of dramatic change, technologically, socially and demographically.

Father Paul Manning, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan vicar for evangelization, led the seminar, which is part of its “The Parish Project: Building Parishes on Purpose,” series, devised by St. Paul’s staff, to assist parishes in developing new plans and strategies going forward.

“We want to help parishes grow in leadership by helping them identify issues that they need to address. They are called to attract new believers, move them and their current faithful into a long-term relationship with Jesus and form them to become evangelists,” said Father Manning who spoke in context of Church documents that explore the role of the parish, including the new instruction by the Vatican, “The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church.” “We want to assist parishes in creating realistic goals in real time so they can achieve those goals,” he said.

Participating were teams from the following parishes: Notre Dame of Mount Carmel, Cedar Knolls; St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany; St. Patrick, Chatham; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains; Assumption, Morristown; St. Margaret of Scotland, Morristown; and Holy Family, Florham Park. Also joining the conversation during the four-hour session was a team from St. Paul’s.

Father Paul, aided by Brian Honsberger, St. Paul’s director of programs and operations, spoke about “parish” through the lens of the Code of Canon Law. The parish — along with the governing diocese — is an “expression of the universal Church” in its particular jurisdiction, said Father Manning, quoting the Code.

“Parishes are called to exercise their missionary vocation as a center for encountering Christ for evangelization. They can do this by engaging people in kerygmatic catechesis, which unveils the Gospel and makes it present and proclaims the kingdom and makes it present in the person of Christ,” Father Manning said. This more modern understanding of parish, he said, counters older notions of parish as merely buildings, a geographic territory and a bureaucratic organization. The priest also called today's parishes places of “relationship, service and shared memory.”

Before Father Manning’s catechesis on parish, each team took a snapshot of where it sees its parish now, writing on white boards at their individual tables — socially distanced and wearing face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

They wrote about things that are working for them, including an ability to be flexible in lockdown; initiatives they put in place to serve their communities during the crisis, such as improved digital communication, livestreamed Masses, video conferenced meetings, sacraments held outside and a renewed importance of the “domestic Church” at home; and a return of optimism now that churches have reopened, albeit with limited capacity.

Some parish teams also reported difficulty in implementing some of these initiatives. They also voiced concerns about their ability to attract parishioners back to live Mass now that they are used to the ease of watching livestream liturgies at home; growing ministries while still in the midst of the pandemic; stabilizing their finances after months without Mass attendance; and figuring out what Christmas Masses will look like. The teams took turns reporting their findings back to the larger gathering.

These days, the Church struggles to reach out to members of the millennial and younger “Z” generations. They spend much of their work and social lives online and do not stay in a particular place for too long, frequently jumping from parish to parish and job to job, Honsberger said.

“We must speak their language as evangelists in challenging these young people to the universal call to holiness but first we must command their respect,” Honsberger said.

During the seminar, team members also broke up into mixed groups to dialogue and learn from team members of other parishes. Afterward, some participants voiced their concerns, such as Father Hernan Arias, St. Margaret’s pastor, who said that many Cath­olics have left the Church for evangelical churches. He asked, “What are they getting from evangelical churches that they aren’t getting from us?” Father Paddy O’Donovan, Notre Dame’s pastor, lamented, “Many young people see no reason to come to us on Sunday.”

At the end of the Oct. 19 workshop, teams gathered to start brainstorming ideas to address pressing issues in their parishes. Father Manning urged the teams to continue examining their parishes and firming up their strategic plans. Parishes are invited to sign up for another seminar, “Leading Like Jesus,” on Monday, Jan. 25 from noon to 4 p.m. Seating is limited. “The Parish Project” started last year with a workshop on how parishes can evangelize to Generation Z. The series is inspired by books and programs about revitalizing parishes, such as “Parish Catalyst,” “Re­built” and “Divine Renovation,” the priest said.

After the seminar, Cristina Folan, Notre Dame’s communications coordinator, noted, “It’s important for parishes to collaborate, sharing their successes and challenges and having a unified missionary vision as the Diocese.”

An enthusiastic Father Thomas Rekiel, Holy Family’s pastor, said, “It’s good to think about the work that needs to be done in our parishes. It is always great to have your parish team — and others — come up with great ideas. Working together — that’s the future.”