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I. "Parish Community Life: Where
the Call to Holiness is Lived and Strengthened."
For Christ, the Son of god, who with the Father and the
Holy Spirit is praise as being 'alone holy,' love the Church as His
Bride, delivering Himself up for her. This He did that He might sanctify
her (cf. Eph 5:25-26). He united her to Himself as His own body and
crowned her with the gift of the Holy Spirit, for God's glory. Therefore
in the Church everyone...is called to holiness. (Lumen Gentium, 39)
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1. The parish is ultimately a community called together around the
altar, the table of the Lord, in the Eucharist, the "source and
summit of the Christian life." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10)
"The community of believers was of one heart and mind..."
(Acts 4:32a)
From the liturgy, therefore, and especially from the Eucharist,
as from a font, grace is poured forth upon us; and the sanctification
of men in Christ and the glorification of God, to which all other
activities of the Church are directed as toward their end, is achieved
in the most efficacious possible way. (SC, 10)
a. How can our parishes involve their members in the fullest,
most conscious and active participation possible in the celebration
of the Eucharist at Sunday Mass?
b. What should your parish do to help increase attendance and
bring about full participation in all aspects of the Mass?
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2. We respond to this call by gathering as a parish, as this community
of the altar, to be strengthened and sent forth on our common mission
as followers of Christ.
"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, 'Take and eat; this
is my body.' then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,saying,
'Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.'"
(Mt 26: 26-28)
[It is] the Eucharist...from which the Church ever derives its
life and on which it thrives. This Church of Christ is really present
in all legitimately organized local groups of the faithful, which,
insofar as they are united to their pastors, are also quite appropriately
called Churches in the New Testament. For these are in fact, in
their own localities, the new people called by God, in the power
of the Holy Spirit and as the result of full conviction...In them
the faithful are gathered together through in the preaching of the
Gospel of Christ, and the mystery of the Lord's supper is celebrated
"so that, by means of the flesh and blood of the Lord, the
whole brotherhood of the Body may be welded together." In each
community of the altar, under the sacred ministry of the bishop
a manifest symbol is to be seen of that charity and 'unity of the
Mystical Body without which there can be no salvation." In
these communities... Christ is present through whose power and influence
the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is constituted. (LG,
26)
a. How can our parish communities renew and deepen our sense
of being called to holiness through baptism and the Eucharist so
that we might be sent out to transform the world with Gospel values
in our workplaces, families and civic communities?
b. What can parish worship, religious education and small groups
do to deepen parishioners' response to their call as Christians baptized
unto Eucharist in their life as members of society?
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3. Parish communities are called to inspire vocations to priesthood
and religious life with their prayers and support.
"At the sight of the crowds, His hear was moved with pity
for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without
a shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest is
abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest
t send out laborers for his harvest." (Mt 9:36-38)
From the marriage of Christians, there comes the family in which
new citizens of human society are born. By the grace of the Holy
Spirit in Baptism, these are made children of God so that People
of God may be perpetuated throughout the centuries. The family is,
so to speak, the domestic Church. IN it parent should, by their
word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children.
They must foster the vocation which is proper to each child, and
this with special care if it be to religion. (LG, 11)
The duty of fostering vocations falls on the whole Christian
community, and they should discharge it principally by living full
Christian lives. The greatest contribution is made by families which
are animated by a spirit of faith, charity and piety and which provide,
as it were, a first seminary, and by parishes in whose abundant
life the young people themselves take an active part. (Optatam
Totius, 2)
a. How can parishes best focus on their call to nurture vocations
and help parishioners hear and respond to God's call in their lives?
b. What can your parish do to create vocation committees and other
groups that help parishioners take more and more responsibility for
hearing and responding to God's call in their lives?
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4. Our parish committees are called to be extraordinary places of
welcome and hospitality at a time when our Catholic community increasingly
comes from a wide diversity of backgrounds, experiences and talents.
"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same
Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there different workings but the same God who produces all of them
in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit." (1 Cor 12:4-7)
Offering an obvious example of the apostolate on the community
level is the parish, inasmuch as it brings together into a unity
the many human differences found within its boundaries and draws
them into the universality of the Church. (Apostilicam Actuositatem,
10)
By divine institution holy Church is ordered and governed with
a wonderful diversity. "For just as in one body we have many
members, yet all the members have not the same function, so we the
many, are one body in Christ, but severally members one of another."
(Rom 12:4-5)
There is, therefore, one chosen People of God: "one Lord,
one faith, one baptism" (Eph 4:5); there is a common dignity
of members deriving from their rebirth in Christ, a common grace
as sons, a common vocation to perfection, one salvation, one hope
and undivided charity. In Christ and in the Church there is, then,
not inequality arising from race or nationality, social condition
or sex, for "there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither
slave nor freeman; there is neither male nor female. For you are
all 'one' in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28; cf. Col 3:11)
In the Church not everyone marches along the same path, yet all
are called to sanctity and have obtained an equal privilege of faith
through the justice of God (cf. 2 Pet 1:1) (LG, 32)
a. How do our parishes most successfully go beyond those differences
to become places where unity in Christ is experienced and prized
above all?
b. What can your parish do to help its parishioners come together
as one, integrated community across ethnic, cultural and social
divides?
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5. Our diocese includes many people and families who live in poverty.
"Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what
you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.'" (Mt. 19:21)
At the same time, however, there is a growing awareness of the
exalted dignity proper to the human person, since he stands above
all things, and his rights and duties are universal and inviolable.
Therefore, there must be made available to all men everything necessary
for leading a life truly human, such as food, clothing, and shelter;
the right to choose a state of life freely and to found a family,
the right to education, to employment, to a good reputation, to
respect to appropriate information, to activity in accord with the
upright norm of one's own conscience, to protection of privacy and
rightful freedom, even in matters religious. (Gaudium et Spes,
26)
a. How can our Catholic parishes and parishioners grow as true
disciples who recognize Jesus in the poor, needy, or marginalized?
b. What should your parish community do to engage its parishioners
and partner with other parishes in ways that respond to the needs
of our brothers and sisters in Christ across our diocesan community
and even beyond.?
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6. Our Catholic community includes many who feel excluded from Catholic
parish life because of divorce, marriage, or family related issues.
Many others feel excluded simply because they have not felt welcomed
or been invited. Some have even felt hurt in some way or another by
the Church or fellow Catholics.
"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,
'Give me drink.' His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to Him, 'How can you, a Jew, ask me, a
Samaritan woman, for a drink?' (For Jews use nothing in common with
Samaritans.") (Jn 4:7-9)
The Church, which was set up to lead to salvation all people
and especially the baptized, cannot abandon to their own devices
those who have been previously bound by sacramental marriage and
who have attempted a second marriage. The Church will therefore
make untiring efforts to put at their disposal her means of salvation.
(Familiaris Consortio, 84)
a. How can our parish communities reach out to assure all that
God's love and the Church's mission is all-embracing?
b. What does your parish need to do to identify and welcome
home Catholics who might feel excluded from the parish community?
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7. As Catholics, we see all parishes as interrelated and part of
our single diocesan community of faith.
"On that day, as evening drew on, He said to them, 'Let us
cross to the other side.' Leaving the crowd, the took Him with them
in the boat just as He was. And other boats were with Him."
(Mk 4:35-36)
With its universal and indispensable provisions, the program
of the Gospel must continue to take root, as it has always done,
in the life of the Church everywhere. It is in the local churches
that the specific features of a detailed pastoral plan can be identified
- goals and methods, formation and enrichment of the people involved,
the search for the necessary resource - which will enable the proclamation
of Christ to reach people, mold communities, and have a deep and
incisive influence in bringing Gospel values to bear in society
and culture.
I therefore earnestly exhort the Pastors of the particular Churches,
with the help of all sectors of God's People, confidently to plan
the stages of the journey ahead, harmonizing the choices of each
diocesan community with those of neighboring Churches and of the
universal Church. (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 29)
a. How can our parish communities support each other in their
ministry and life so that they can lovingly call each other to accountability
in responding to today's challenges, together with the support and
resources of the full diocesan Catholic community?
b. What do you, your fellow parishioners and parish leaders
need to do in order to help your parish and other parishes of the
diocese be accountable to the entire diocesan Catholic community
of which they are all a part?
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II. "Faith in Formation: Always Learners,
Always Disciples: (Handing on the Faith - Family, Children, Youth, Adults)"
"For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you..."
(1 Cor 11:23)
"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions
that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of
our." (2 Thess 2:15)
Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture from one sacred deposit of
the word of God, committed to the Church. Holding fast to this deposit
the entire holy people united with their shepherds remain always steadfast
in the teaching of the Apostles, in the common life, in the breaking
of the bread and in prayers (see Acts 2, 42, Greek text), so that
holding to, practicing and professing the heritage of the faith, it
becomes on the part of the bishops and faithful a single common effort.
(Dei Verbum, 10)
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1. Parents have the primary responsibility t pass on their faith
to their children, but it is the responsibility of the parish community
to create an environment that enriches and challenges the faith of both
children and parents.
"He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient
to them; and His mother kept all these thing in her heart. And Jesus
advance [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man."
(Lk 2:51-52)
From the marriage of Christians, there comes the family in which
new citizens of human society are born. By the grace of the Holy
Spirit in Baptism, these are made children of God so that the People
of God may be perpetuated throughout the centuries. The family is,
so to speak, the domestic Church. In it parents should, by their
word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children.
They must foster the vocation which is proper to each child, and
this with special car it ti be to religion. (LG, 11)
a. Lumen Gentium calls the family "the domestic church";
as such, it is the fundamental element of the constitution of the
parish, "a living stone" in the whole edifice. How can
our parishes create a supportive environment to unbind the spiritual
and ecclesial energy of this living stone?
b. What should you and your parish do to recognize the challenges
parents face today and to help give them the tools they need to
raise the generation that will follow us in faith?
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2. The ways we hand on the faith - through schools and parish programs,
priests and sisters and lay volunteers - have changed dramatically over
recent decades, as has the economic, ethnic and language diversity of
our Catholic community.
"To this end He has [also] called you through our gospel to
possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers,
stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." (2 Thess
2:14-15)
A means of evangelization that must not be neglected is that
of catechetical instruction...The methods must be adapted to the
age, culture and aptitude of the persons concerned, they must seek
always to fix in the memory, intelligence and heart the essential
truths that must impregnate all of life. It is necessary above all
to prepare good instructors - parochial catechists, teachers, parents
- who are desirous of perfecting themselves in this superior art,
which is indispensable and requires religious instruction. (Ebangelii
Nuntiandi, 44)
a. How can parish faith formation efforts be tailored to the
best available means of passing on the faith and diversity unique
to each parish community?
b. How can we best hand on our faith within parish communities
of increasing social and cultural diversity? What must be part of
parish religious education today if our children are to be most
effectively formed in the faith?
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3. As a Church, we sometimes find it easier to form children and
prepare them for the sacraments than to help adults continue to grow
in their faith and discipleship.
"Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted
to them what referred to Him in all the Scriptures." (LK 24:27)
"Once again [Jesus} went out along the sea. All the crowd came
to Him and He taught them." (Mk 2:13)
Shepherds of souls...should remember that catechesis for adults,
since it deals with persons who are capable of an adherence that
is fully responsible, must be considered the chief form of catechesis.
All the other forms, which are indeed necessary, are in some way
oriented to it. (General Catechetical Directory[1971], 20)
a. How can our diocesan Catholic community and all our parishes
become places where adults are engaged in learning and sharing their
faith on a lifelong basis?
b. What kinds of prayer groups, Scripture reflection, book clubs,
talks, retreats, or other efforts might most successfully engage
the adult faith formation needs of your parish community?
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4. Faith needs to be shared from one person to another, but different
groups of people need different ways to help them grow in their faith,
such as printed materials, videos, CDs, radio, or the Internet.
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations...teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19-20)
"To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become
all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the
sake of the gospel,so that I too may have a share in it." (Cor
9:22-23)
The Catholic Church has been commissioned by the Lord Christ
t bring salvation to every man, and is consequently bound to proclaim
the gospel. Hence she judges it part of her duty to preach the news
of redemption with the aid of the instruments of social communication,
and to instruct mankind as to their worthy use. (Inte Mirifica,
3)
a. How can our diocese and its parishes help adapt these tools
to best meet the needs of different age groups and generations and
the networks of which they are a part?
b. What new tools or approaches should your parish try in order
to creatively develop or adapt to meet faith formation needs, especially
for groups least served by your parish's existing programs or efforts?
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5. As followers of Christ, we need to constantly rethink what we
do and how we do it for the sake of the Gospel.
"Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a
slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the Jews
I became like a Jew to win over Jews; to those under the law I became
like one under the law - though I myself am not under the law -
to win over those under the law. To those outside the law I became
like one outside the law - though I am not outside God's law but
within the law of Christ - to win over those outside the law. To
the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all
things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake
of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it." (1 Cor
9:19-23)
The Church learned early in its history to express the Christian
message in concepts and language of different peoples and tried
to clarify it in the light of the wisdom of their philosophers:
it was an attempt to adapt the Gospel to the understanding of all
men and the requirements of the learned, insofar as this could be
done. Indeed, this kind of adaptation and preaching of the revealed
Word must ever be the law of all evangelization. In this way it
is possible to create in every country the possibility of expressing
the message of Christ in suitable terms and to foster vital contact
and exchange between the Church and different cultures. Nowadays
when things change so rapidly and thought patterns differ so widely,
the Church needs to step up this exchange by calling upon the help
of people who are living in the world, who are expert in its organizations
and its forms of training, and who understand its mentality, in
the case of believers and nonbelievers alike. With the help of the
Holy Spirit, it is the task of the whole people of God, particularly
of its pastors and theologians, to listen to and distinguish the
many voices of our times and to interpret them in the light of the
divine Word, in order that the revealed truth may be more deeply
penetrated, better understood, and more suitably presented.
(GS, 44)
a. How can parishes best model this constant openness to improving
faith formation?
b. What new skills, new ministries, new focus and new leadership
styles does your parish need if it is to pass on the Catholic faith
to the next generation as effectively as possible?
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6. The Catholic vision of church life is similar to that of a large,
supportive family, and our parishes are called to support each other
as brothers and sisters within our diocesan Catholic community.
"Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every
way into him who is the head, Christ, from the whole body, joined
and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper
functioning of each part, brings about the body's growth and builds
itself in love." (Eph 4:15-16)
The laity will continuously cultivate the "feeling for the
diocese," of which the parish is a kind of cell; they will
be always ready on the invitation of the bishop to make their own
contribution to diocesan undertakings. Indeed, they will not confine
their cooperation within the limits of the parish or the diocese,
but will endeavor, in response to the needs of the towns and rural
districts, to extend it to interparochial, interdiocesan, national
and international spheres. This widening of horizons is all the
more necessary in the present situation, in which the increasing
frequency of population shifts, the development of active solidarity
and the ease of communications no longer allow any one part of society
to live in isolation. The laity will therefore have concern for
the needs of the People of God scattered throughout the world. Especially
will they make missionary works their own by providing them with
material means and even with personal service. It is for Christians
a duty and an honor to give God back a portion of the goods they
have received from him. (AA, 10)
In exercising the care of souls parish priests and their assistants
should carry out their work of teaching, sanctifying and governing
in such a way that the faithful and the parish communities may feel
that they are truly members of both the diocese and of the universal
Church. They should therefore collaborate both with other parish
priests and with those priests who are exercising a pastoral function
in the diocese (such as vicars forane and deans) or who are engaged
in works of an extraparochial nature, so that the pastoral work
of the diocese may be rendered more effectively by a spirit of unity.
Furthermore,the care of souls should always be inspired by a missionary
spirit, so that it extends with due prudence to all those who live
in the parish. And if the parish priest cannot make contact with
certain groups of people he should call to his aid others, including
laymen, to assist him in matters relating to the apostolate. (Christus
Dominus, 30)
a. How can parish communities identify and share their strengths
both in adult and children's faith formation with each other, thereby
strengthening the vitality of the Catholic community of the Diocese
of Sacramento in all its diversity?
b. What should your parish do to help ensure that the diocesan
Catholic community is enriched, and all parish communities challenged
and nurtured, as we respond to the call to pass on the faith in
ways that respond to the opportunities of our place and time?
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7. We know it can sometimes be a lot of work to grow in the faith
and that we need to count on help and encouragement from each other.
"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one
another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the god of love
and peace will be with you." (2 Cor 13:11)
"Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfill the law
of Christ." (Gal 6:2)
To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that
is the great challenge facing us in the millennium which is now
beginning, if we wish to be faithful to God's plan and respond to
the world's deepest yearnings... Before making practical plans,
we need to promote a spirituality of communion, making it the guiding
principle of education wherever individuals and Christians are formed,
wherever ministers of the altar, consecrated persons, and pastoral
workers are trained, wherever families and communities are being
built up. A sprirituality of commnion indicates above all the heart's
contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us, and
whose light we must also b able to se shining on the face of the
brothers and sisters around us...A spirituality of communion means,
finally, to know how to "make room" for brothers and sisters,
bearing "each other's burdens" (Gal 6:2) and resisting
the selfish temptations which constantly beset us and provoke competition,
careerism, distrust and jealousy. (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 43)
a. How do we as Catholics best support each other to grow in
forming ourselves in the faith, practicing our faith and acting
on our faith?
b. What can parishes and parish leaders do to help form and
nourish parishioners who live their vocation to holiness deeply
in all aspects of everyday life?
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