HONG KONG (SE): The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy released The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelizing mission of the Church, a new instruction to guide the reform of parish communities. It urges parish communities to abandon “outdated” models and to embrace what Pope Francis has styled as a spirit of “missionary evangelisation.”
The new guidelines, dated June 29, the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, were released on July 20 and are an instruction, meaning they are a set of non-binding suggestions for the renewal of parish life. The new one follows the inter-dicasterial Instruction of 1997, dedicated to the theme, Ecclesia de mysterio, on certain questions regarding the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the sacred ministry of the priest and the Instruction of 2002, published by the Congregation for the Clergy on The Priest, Pastor, and Guide of the Parish Community.
The aim is to encourage the co-responsibility of the baptised and to promote pastoral care based on closeness and cooperation between parishes. What emerges most forcefully from the Instruction is the urgency of missionary renewal, a pastoral conversion of the parish, so that the faithful may rediscover the dynamism and creativity which allows the parish to always be “going forth” aided by the contribution of all the baptised faithful
The Instruction consists of 11 chapters and can be divided into two parts: the first (chapters 1-6) offers a broad reflection on pastoral conversion, missionary outreach, and the value of the parish in the contemporary context. The second part (chapters 7-11) dwells on the subdivisions of parish communities, various pastoral roles that make them up, and the ways in which the governing norms are applied.
According to the introduction, the new guidelines “represent a valuable opportunity for pastoral conversion that is essentially missionary.” It says, “Parish communities will find herein a call to go out of themselves, offering instruments for reform, even structural, in a spirit of communion and collaboration, of encounter and closeness, of mercy and solicitude for the proclamation of the gospel.”
The aim is to encourage the co-responsibility of the baptised and to promote pastoral care based on closeness and cooperation between parishes. What emerges most forcefully from the Instruction is the urgency of missionary renewal, a pastoral conversion of the parish, so that the faithful may rediscover the dynamism and creativity which allows the parish to always be “going forth” aided by the contribution of all the baptised faithful.
The “culture of encounter” should provide the necessary context for promoting dialogue, solidarity and openness to all. In this way, parish communities will be able to develop a true “art of accompaniment.” In particular, the Instruction recommends the witness of faith in charity and the importance of caring for the poor
The guidelines note that parish life in the present context is undergoing rapid changes and the digital world in particular is changing the dynamics of parish life. A parish in its modern setting is no longer attached to its geographic location, but has increasingly reflected the dynamic of a “community by adoption,” where a person feels welcomed and nourished. As a result, “any pastoral action that is limited to the territory of the parish is outdated,” instead it is an existential space.
It recommends that since parishes are no longer the main gathering places or social centres for local communities, it is necessary to find “new forms of accompaniment and closeness.” Parishes should focus on spiritual dynamism and pastoral conversion based on the proclamation of the Word of God, the sacramental life, and the witness of charity.
The “culture of encounter” should provide the necessary context for promoting dialogue, solidarity and openness to all. In this way, parish communities will be able to develop a true “art of accompaniment.” In particular, the Instruction recommends the witness of faith in charity and the importance of caring for the poor.
While led by a priest, any changes made in a parish must be done in consultation with the parishioners, reads the Instruction, insisting that “to remove ourselves from the life of the People of God hastens us to the desolation and to a perversion of ecclesial nature.”
The guidelines caution priests not to “commercialise” and not to give the impression that the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, along with other ministerial activities and the sacraments by charging fees. They stipulate that financial difficulties within a diocese are not a legitimate reason for closing down parishes
It underlined the need to avoid the “clericalisation of pastoral activity” by allowing laypeople to be “protagonists of evangelisation” through different ministries, which should be allowed to mature and grow on their own. The document reiterates existing provisions in Church law allowing deacons, religious and lay people to lead a Liturgy of the Word in conjunction with baptisms and funerals, but only in exceptional cases when a priest is unavailable.
Pointing to the importance that shrines play in many people’s spiritual lives, the Instruction called them a “precious instrument” which can strengthen communities. It urges pastors to organise more parish visits to shrines.
The guidelines caution priests not to “commercialise” and not to give the impression that the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, along with other ministerial activities and the sacraments by charging fees. They stipulate that financial difficulties within a diocese are not a legitimate reason for closing down parishes.
The guidelines stress that the pastor is the head of his parish and that his tasks cannot be assigned to a group of priests or laypeople, meaning that titles such as “team leader,” which imply joint governance of a parish, “are to be avoided.” In order to maintain the stability of a parish, it was recommended that the assignment of the pastor be no less than five years.
When he has reached the age of 75, the parish priest has the “moral duty” to present his resignation, though he does not cease from office until the bishop has accepted it and communicated his acceptance in writing. In any case, acceptance will always be for a “just and proportionate cause”, so as to avoid a “functionalistic” conception of the ministry.
A portion of the eighth chapter is dedicated to deacons. They are collaborators of the bishop and the priests in a singular mission of evangelisation.
Deacons are ordained ministers and participate to a degree of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, especially in the area of evangelisation and charity, including the administration of goods, the proclamation of the gospel and service at the Eucharistic table. They are not to be considered as “half-priests and half-laymen”, according to the Instruction which quotes Pope Francis, nor is their vocation to be considered from the perspective of clericalism or functionalism.
Emphasising the importance of the role of the laity, the instruction said that laypeople, in particular in the current context, are called to “make a generous commitment to the service of the mission of evangelisation. Lay faithful can also be instituted as lectors and acolytes (i.e. for service at the altar) on a stable basis, by means of the relevant rite. But they must be in full communion with the Catholic Church, have received adequate formation and lead exemplary personal lives.
In addition, in exceptional circumstances, they may receive other assignments from the bishop, “at his prudent judgement.” These include celebrating the Liturgy of the Word and funeral rites, administering Baptism, assisting at marriages. Under no circumstances, however, may lay people give the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist.
In terms of parish finances, it was emphasised that priests “cannot and must not remain only at this task,” but that a pastor be assisted by a parish finance council, which serves as a consultative body with no less than three people, in addition to the priest himself. A detailed annual report must also be compiled and presented to the bishop before being presented to the parish community, the Instruction said.
The new Instruction urges priests to offer a virtuous example in their use of money, through a sober lifestyle and transparent administration of parish goods. In this way, the faithful will be encouraged to contribute willingly to the needs of the parish, which are also their own.
