Seeing the Forest For the Trees

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Seeing the ForestFor the Trees

• The Parish Pastoral Council
• as a Visioning and Planning Leadership Body
• Mary Ann Gubish, D.Min. Presenter

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Novus Habitus Mentis

• From reacting to the present to creating the
  future.
• From focusing on things, programs, committees to
  seeing the inter-relationships.
• From viewing a static snapshot to reflecting on
  patterns of change and what they mean.
• From seeing people as hapless reactors to seeing
  them as active participants in shaping their
  reality.

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Everything Interrelates

• Reality is made up of circles of influence, we
  too often see straight lines.
• We need to use language of interrelationship,
  otherwise we speak fragmented views.

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LUMEN GENTIUM 8

• The one mediator Christ, established and ever
  sustains here on earth his holy Church, the
  communion of faith, hope and charity as a visible
  organization.
• The 1985 Synod of Bishops proclaimed the
  ECCLESIOLOGY OF COMMUNION as the central and
  fundamental idea of the Vatican II documents.

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Pope Benedict XVI

• It is in the concept of communion that theology
  in our own day has found the key for approaching
  the mystery of the Churcha Sacrament of intimate
  union with God and of the unity of the whole
  human race.
• Dec. 12, 2007
• General Audience

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A WAY OF BEING

• The Church as communio is a way of existence, a
  way of being.
• As a baptized member we take on Gods way of
  being which is a way of relationship with the
  world, with other people, with God. John D.
  Zizioulas
• Being as Communion

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A COMMUNION OF COMMUNIONS
Communio is a reciprocal religious relationship
to be safeguarded at all
costs!
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We Are All In This Together

• The Church is an event of communion, and that is
  why it cannot be realized as the achievement of
  an individual.

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SUNDAY EUCHARIST

• Communio is made most visible at Eucharist, the
  most intensive event for the Church.
• Eucharist celebrates who we are the Body of
  Christa Holy Communion.
• Eucharist gives us a taste of eternal life as
  love and communion.

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Whoever enters into communion with the Lord

• is expected to bear fruit!
• The Amen of the liturgy makes demands beyond the
  Kiss of Peace!

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COMMUNION GIVES RISE TO MISSION

• The Church is missionary by her very nature. It
  is not that the Church has a Mission but the
  Mission has a Church!

• Communion and mission are inseparably connected.
• Where communion is weakened, mission suffers.
  John Paul II

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5 CORE CONCEPTS

• MISSION
• CONSENSUS
• PLAN
• OVERSIGHT
• SPIRITUAL FORMATION

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MISSION Why We Exist

• unchanging glue that holds us together
• leaders die, programs become obsolete
• we grow, decentralize, expand, merge, collaborate
• MISSION endures

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Getting through Change Knowing Our Mission

• Only organizations with a clear focus will make
  it through a period of change!

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JESUS MISSION STATEMENT

• The spirit of the Lord is upon me
• To bring glad tidings to the poor
• To proclaim liberty to captives
• Recovery of sight to the blind
• To let the oppressed go free
• Lk.416-21

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MISSION QUESTIONS

• Why are we here?
• Why is it important that we continue to
  exist?
• Why would anyone want to become a part of us?

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WHAT MAKES US DISTINCTIVE?

• Who are our people?
• What do they hunger for?
• What are the issues?
• What are the signs of the times?

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Ministry of Pastoral Councils

• have a gut level belief in the mission
• can articulate the mission
• are exemplars of the mission
• inspire others because of belief in the mission

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BE VIGILANT ABOUT MISSION
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VOTING CONSENSUS

• majority overpowering minority
• forces people to choose one of two sides
• defend own position
• defeat others
• efficient

• body that acts together or not at all
• no decision is made until everyone is willing to
  go along with it
• scrutinize my own views
• listen with care to others

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CONSENSUS IS...

• SEEKING THE UNITY BENEATH OUR DIFFERENCES

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TRUTH...

• IS NOT A MATTER OF NUMBERS.
• TWO TRUTHS IN CONFLICT PRESS TO FIND THE THIRD
  TRUTH!

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MINISTRY OF PASTORAL COUNCIL

• primary allegiance is to the future of the parish
• willingness to work toward consensus
• flexibility and openness
• listen, listen, listen

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PLANNING MEANS...

• Making Choices About the Future
• Choosing a Direction
• Getting Results

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PLANNING BASICS

• KNOW THE FACTS
• ASK THE FOLKS
• FOCUS ON THE MISSION
• UNCOVER THE 3-5 YEAR GOALS
• CREATE THE YEARLY OBJECTIVES
• OVERSIGHT

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Data Gathering Gives Direction

• Information obtained through data gathering gives
  substance and credibility to a pastoral plan.
• Anecdotal or felt perceptions are not enough.

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Hard FactsObservable Trends

• Fiscal reports
• Job descriptions
• Parish history
• Census totals
• Sacramental stats
• Catechetical and School stats
• October Count

• Parish organizations
• Current demographics of neighborhood/city/boro
• Economic/social realities
• Public projects (sewage, highways, bridge
  closings)
• Plans of nearby parishes
• Ecumenical efforts

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The Plan is in the People

• Frequent canvassing and specific surveys
• Parish assemblies
• Mini-assemblies
• Clipboards after Sunday Liturgies

• One on One Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Neighborhood Assemblies
• Invite yourself to the meetings of parish
  organizations

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Parish Pastoral Planning Cycle
Gather Information
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MINISTRY OF PASTORAL COUNCIL

• commit to planning
• remain faithful to planning cycle
• create opportunities for parishioners to
  contribute to and share ideas for the future
• identify pastoral needs
• respond to these needs

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NOT BY CHANCE

• IF PLANNING PROPOSES A FUTURE BY DESIGN, NOT BY
  CHANCE, OVERSIGHT GUARANTEES THAT THE PLAN IS
  KEPT ALIVE BY ON-GOING EVALUATING, AND MAKING
  APPROPRIATE ADJUSTMENTS.

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OVERSIGHT MEANS

• Promoting ACCOUNTABILITY
• Taking time to EVALUATE
• 1. Council performance
• 2. Implementation groups performance
• 3. Impact of goals and objectives on the total
  parish
• SUPPORTING in times of difficulty
• CELEBRATING VICTORIES

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PASTORAL COUNCIL MINISTRY

• communicate
• communicate
• communicate
• affirm
• empower
• practice patience
• put on love

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SPIRITUAL FORMATION

• Prayer, study, reflection on Scripture and Church
  teachings are ways of listening for Gods
  direction as we identify and prioritize the ways
  in which the parish is being called to live out
  its specific mission.

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PASTORAL PLANNING IS LISTENING

• Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in
  vain who build it! Psalm 127

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MINISTRY OF PASTORAL COUNCIL

• Spiritual Formation Team
• Faith Sharing
• Discernment
• Annual Retreat
• Knowledge of the pastoral elements of parish life

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PARTICIPATION

• IS THE ESSENCE OF COMMUNION AND MISSION!

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The Conciliar Church

• Ecclesial communion implies that each local
  church should become a participatory churchthere
  is a need to foster participatory structures as
  pastoral councils
• John Paul II

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Implications of the Ecclesiology for Parish
Pastoral Councils

• Faith Sharing
• Focus is on parish relationships in Christ (avoid
  the activity trap)
• Open, transparent consultation

• Leadership Body
• Representative Body
• Clergy and Laity in dialogue
• Mutuality, respect, reciprocity

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Pastor and Council Behaviorsthat Match the
Ecclesiology

• Listen, gather, invite, convene
• Learn conflict management, consensus building
• Develop People Skills

• Welcome and engage the wider community, other
  parishes, other denominations.
• Grow in your understanding of the Church as a
  Communion and Mission.

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THE PURPOSE To Foster Pastoral Activity

• In Christus Dominus 27
• To study the life and activity of the parish
  that is to research the needs, the ideas, the
  hopes of those whom the council ministers to.
• To evaluate the pastoral life of the parish in
  light of its mission.
• To recommend pastoral initiatives.

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What the Council

• IS NOT
• Legislative
• Policy-making
• Decree-issuing
• Finance Driven
• Administrative
• Coordinating

• IS
• A mission motivated leadership body who with the
  pastor and in broad consultation with the parish
  creates long and short range goals and objectives
  by which the pastoral work of the church is to be
  accomplished.

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Truly Pastoral

• It may well be that we will see emerging a true
  pastoral council on the parish level, leaving the
  development and coordination of ministerial
  committees and apostolic lay organizations to
  parish staff, thereby avoiding the growing sense
  of boredom on parish supercouncils where the only
  action month after month is hearing reports from
  committees, commissions and organizations each
  having a reserved seat on the board.
• Canonist Bertram Griffin
• Code, Community, Ministry

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And the Lord Said

• Write the vision down.
• Make it plain upon tablets,
• So they may run who read it!
• Habakkuk 22

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Where do we go from here

• With our council?
• With the parishioners?
• What are the questions we have?

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THANK YOU

• It has been a privilege to share the good news of
  what leadership can attain in our Catholic
  Church!
• Please contact me for information or inspiration
  at
• mgubish_at_diopitt.org