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My dear faithful of the Diocese of Charlottetown:
1. The Church is
one, holy, Catholic (universal) and apostolic. Our diocese
– the Diocese of Charlottetown – is a small but
significant part of the universal Church. The faithful of our
diocese are called to live their relationship with God in various
types of community: the community of their family and friends;
the faith community of the parish; and as members of the universal
community of the Church.
It is within this broad framework that I address this pastoral
letter on Parish Pastoral Associates to the faithful of the
Diocese. I have now completed my twelfth year as Bishop of
Charlottetown. During this time I have witnessed the many ways
in which people of faith from every part of the Island live out their
commitment to Christ in daily life. It is because of this lived
faith experience that our parishes remain a beacon of the Gospel
values of faith, hope and charity. We must remain
attentive to our fundamental call to evangelize the world around
us. This is primarily the vocation of the ordained.
However, it is the baptismal call of every Catholic to spread the
kingdom of Christ, to proclaim the Word, to remain faithful to the
teachings of the Church and to assist others in developing a deep
relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. We are also called to
respond to the challenges of our times. This year our
Diocese is celebrating one hundred and seventy-five years as a
diocese. When we look at the history of our Diocese we
see that, for many years, we have been blessed with numerous
vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In the past,
many of our parishes were served by two, and sometimes three, priests
as well as religious sisters. The clergy and sisters could rely
on the active involvement of lay people to help them in their
ministry. This allowed for frequent celebrations of the
sacraments as well as for parish family visitation, pastoral
counselling, active involvement in catechesis, support for families,
etc. During the past two decades, there has been a drop in the
number of priests available to serve our parishes. We
actively promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
In spite of this, there has been a diminishment in the number of
priests available to serve parishes. Many of our priests are
asked to minister to the people of two or more parishes. There
are still a number of religious sisters who generously dedicate their
time and energy to parish ministry but these are fewer with each
passing year.
We are called to continue to pray for vocations and to encourage
young Catholic men and women to consider serving as priests or
religious sisters. The strength of our diocese in so many areas
is eloquent testimony to the contribution of clergy and religious
sisters. The role of the ordained priesthood is essential to
the life of the Church. However, we are also called
to respond in faith to the challenges of today. We should not
view the changes occurring around us as something negative. It
is not productive to lament the passing of what has gone before.
After all, the call to evangelize and to develop our love for Christ
in our own lives and in the lives of others never ceases. The
present time affords us an opportunity to follow the call of the
Spirit and to grow in faith as God's people.
3. Approximately
two years ago I mandated a committee of the Diocese to explore the
possibility of initiating a Parish Pastoral Associates
program. A Parish Pastoral Associate may be a religious
brother or sister or a lay person who has received the necessary
training and is mandated with the proper authority to minister within
a parish community. Their role is complementary to that
of the priest and is not meant to replace him.
We
are already familiar with the role that some religious sisters have
assumed in a number of parishes. They are responsible for
virtually all aspects of parish life, with the exception of the
celebration of the sacraments. We also have a number of
other lay people who have committed themselves to ministry in such
areas as pastoral counselling, home visitation, youth ministry,
sacramental preparation, liturgical preparation and parish
administration. The Parish Pastoral Associate will be able to
serve most efficiently in areas predetermined and supported by the
Pastor and the Parish Pastoral Council. He/she will not replace
the volunteers who perform many essential duties.
The current committee mandated to explore the concept of the Parish
Pastoral Associate is chaired by Father John Lacey. Over the
past eight months this committee has worked diligently in assisting
me to develop guidelines and processes which we will use in the
diocese for the formation and support of Parish Pastoral
Associates. Part of the committee's work has involved
consultation with pastors and other pastoral workers. The
committee also consulted with members of Parish Pastoral Councils and
other diocesan groups, including the Presbyteral Council and the
Diocesan Pastoral Initiatives Council. I thank these
people for their interest and input and ask that all of us continue
to pray for the success of our joint labours.
4. In considering
the role of the Parish Pastoral Associate it is important to review
some of the basis for that role. Our scriptural tradition
articulates very eloquently the role that the laity play in the
Church. St. Matthew makes reference to the communal aspect of
the Church when he writes, "Where two or three are
gathered for my sake, there I am in the midst of them" (Mt
18:20). In the letters of St. Paul we find numerous examples of
the giftedness of the laity. One of the richest passages on
gifts is found in 1 Corinthians 12 where the diversity of people and
their gifts are celebrated. His call to Timothy (1 Tim 6:11)
resonates with the desire that Timothy, as one of those gifted to
bring the message of the love of God to everyone, assume that mantle
of responsibility and give active witness to those around him with
clarity and forcefulness.
5. The Decree on
the Apostolate of the Laity from the Second Vatican Council is rich
in its depth of understanding of the role of the laity as well as its
clarity of vision in providing direction to the Church in affirming
and developing that role. The Decree underscores the
importance of the laity "to manifest Christ's message by words
and deeds and to communicate His grace to the
world." It further states that "the laity
must take on the renewal of the temporal order as their own special
obligation." The Decree recognizes the intimate,
essential and active role of the laity in participating in the life
and activity of the Church. It also challenges the laity
to accustom themselves to working with the priest to identify
individual, communal and universal concerns and to resolve them
through common deliberation. This deliberation ought to
be an open dialogue guided by the Spirit through prayer, reflection
and "working to make the divine message of salvation known and
accepted by all."
There is a lesson for everyone in the Decree on the Apostolate of
the Laity. It challenges laity to minister as individuals, as
well as part of a group, while respecting the gifts of each
person. It encourages unity and organization in this area
and celebrates the importance of the parish in this function.
It also highlights the centrality of the Eucharist in establishing
the bonds of community and giving strength to ministry. In fact
the Council recognizes that "the hierarchy entrusts to the laity
some functions which are more associated with pastoral
duties". Many of the points highlighted in the
Decree point to the direction in which the laity are called to
minister in the temporal world in collaboration and in cooperation
with the clergy. Through the exercise of their baptismal
promises "the laity bear witness to Christ, the Saviour of the
world, as well as to the unity of the human family."
It must be noted that the Second Vatican Council also highlighted
the importance of supporting the laity in their ministry through
proper formation. This formation will also insure that
the important work of evangelization will be conducted in a proper
manner, guided by the Spirit, and in accordance with Church
teaching. This ministry must also serve as a catalyst for the
creation of vibrant parish communities which in turn will strengthen
the universal Church.
6. Pope John Paul
II has reiterated on many occasions the message that the Church must
constantly find new ways of spreading the kingdom of Christ.
The parish must be a place where people gather in community to
celebrate God's presence in worship. It also provides
assistance to families in overcoming a sense of anonymity and
welcomes people to become involved in their neighbourhood and community.
This vision of parish includes first and foremost the Pastor who
"fosters spiritual life" with a "deep experience of
the living Christ". It must also involve the
laity in a way which allows them to become fully engaged in the
evangelization task of the Church and with the fostering of Christian
development in all areas of life. Pope John Paul II called on
lay people to live out their baptismal vows in two ways.
First, as a people of faith in the secular world where they live out
the message of God through daily life. The second he
calls "intra-ecclesial," calling for the
building of the Church community through service as catechists;
visitors of the sick, shut-ins or imprisoned; youth ministers;
leaders of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults groups and other
faith formation groups.
7. The development
of Parish Pastoral Associates must be accompanied by appropriate
diocesan and parish structures which affirm and promote these areas
of lay ministry. A Parish Pastoral Associate:
a. is called to service in a parish
through a meaningful
discernment process
b. will have successfully completed the Diocesan
Formation Program for Parish Pastoral Associates
c. where required, and under the direction of
the Pastor with consultation of the Parish Pastoral Council, may be
engaged in parish pastoral responsibilities such as evangelization,
visitation of the sick, wake services, preparation for Baptism and
Marriage, coordination of faith formation groups and parish liturgy
preparation, etc.
d. in the absence of the Pastor, and with
approval of the Pastor or Bishop, may preside at suitable liturgical
services such as Liturgy of the Word, Communion Service, Wake
Services, Liturgy of the Hours, and other liturgical services within
the parish or cluster of parishes in which he/she is mandated to serve
8. The initial
mandate (Term 1) of the Parish Pastoral Associate will be for a
two-year term. After the initial mandate, the individual may then be
appointed by the Bishop for a three year term. Normally
the individual will withdraw for a minimum of one year before being
called for a third term.
In exceptional circumstances, the Bishop may provide a special
mandate to a Parish Pastoral Associate to administer the sacrament of
Baptism and/or to officiate at marriages or funerals outside of Mass.
9. The formation
requirements outlined by the Second Vatican Council note that the
formation must be grounded in theology, philosophy and ethics, and
not just be theoretical. The requirements also include those
elements which allow for the healthy development of human
relationships as well as respond to the issues of the world around us.
10. It should be
noted that the establishment of Parish Pastoral Associates is not
simply the act of appointment by the Pastor and Parish Pastoral
Council, completion of the formation program and mandating by the
bishop. Rather the process involves the whole faith
community. The community gives direction to the ministry of the
Associate in a way which makes a parish stronger and healthier.
We are encouraging the full participation of the Pastor, the Parish
Pastoral Council and the entire parish in this process of prayer and
discernment. The discernment encourages the parish to determine
which gifts in the parish need to be developed and the areas of
ministry which require attention. This discernment
process can happen in many different ways, such as surveys, focus
groups, parish meetings and meetings of Parish Pastoral Council
committees. A potential Parish Pastoral Associate must be
someone with a positive sense of Church and a strong faith life.
Each Parish Pastoral Associate will be committed to the completion
of a two-year diocesan formation program which will include Theology,
Scripture, Sacraments, Liturgy, Pastoral Ministry, Canon Law, History
of the Church, The Church in the Modern World, Evangelization,
Leadership Development, Change Processes, etc. Training
will be conducted by priests, sisters and lay people who have an
appropriate formation in these areas. The formation will be
accompanied by a process of spiritual direction for each
participant. This will foster a sense of the mission of
evangelization and Christian development for the Associate. The
formation will be both theoretical and practical.
11. Upon successful completion
of the Diocesan Parish Pastoral Associate Formation Program,
candidates who continue to be recommended by their respective Pastor
and the Diocesan Director of Formation, may then be mandated by the
Bishop to serve in particular ministries in their parish.
In a situation where there may be a change of Pastor, it is expected
that the new Pastor will respect the decision of the previous Pastor
and the Parish Pastoral Council, at least for the current term of the
mandate of the Parish Pastoral Associate.
12. I am inviting and
encouraging all parishes in our diocese to consider participation in
this initiative. I am confident that, as Pastors and Parish
Pastoral Councils engage their parishioners in prayerful discernment,
they will determine many priorities for pastoral ministry.
The formation and use of Parish Pastoral Associates can become a
positive influence to engage and support parish pastoral life.
We should not be afraid to respond to change and to seek new ways to
minister to the needs of our people. Parishes cannot be
expected to stand still and look solely to the past as an effective
means of ministry in our communities. With the help of the Holy
Spirit, we must look prayerfully to the future and courageously
explore new avenues to address the spiritual needs of all the people
of our parishes and diocese.
St. Clare of Assisi, whose feast day, August 11th, coincides with
the establishment of our diocese one hundred and seventy-five years
ago, stated that being open and sensitive to God's will is often
difficult. God calls us to ongoing growth and change in our
spiritual lives as individuals and as members of a family, parish and diocese.
I trust that this initiative, as outlined in this pastoral letter,
will help the faithful of our diocese to develop their individual and
collective gifts and those of our parishes in a manner that will draw
us closer to Christ and to one another.
13. Suggestions for parish
discernment processes may be obtained from the Diocesan Pastoral
Planning Office or any member of the Diocesan Formation
Committee. Members of the committee are: Father John Lacey,
Sister Regina McQuaid, Marion Murphy and Bennett Campbell.
14. I wish to thank all of you
for your prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Vernon Fougere, D.D.
Bishop of Charlottetown
Given at Charlottetown on this 1st day of May in the
year of our Lord two thousand and four, on the feast of St. Joseph
the Worker.
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