March 19, 2010
The Bishop's Forum
Strategic Planning Process — Re-energizing our diocese in the faith
by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger
Third of a series on Sacramental and Liturgical Life: The parish community
When one hears the words “parish community” the understanding may have several facets: parish as a territory, parish as a building in which the faithful gather or the assembly of the faithful who gather in worship.
Let’s explore the latter, the assembly of the faithful gathered for worship. Besides the clergy there are ushers and servers; others are lectors or extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist; still others are musicians. In short, every member of the faithful has a role and responsibility at Mass to actively participate. There is no place for passive presence at the celebration of the Eucharist just as it would be unbelievable that a member of the family would be passive at the Thanksgiving dinner.
This is a change from the days of the Latin Mass where the faithful gathered in the presence of the priest who celebrated Mass while the rest said their private prayers. Change brings challenge.
Change requires that each member assume the responsibility to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist, otherwise there is no community but rather a congregation of individuals each doing his or her own thing.
From my observations of nearly 48 years of priesthood there seems to be an erosion of commitment to the “community of a parish.” For example, consider that ease of travel has resulted in folks searching for “a Mass of convenience.” It results in anonymity and causes disintegration of the parish community. In a lesser way, eight o’clock Mass folks do not know the eleven o’clock Mass folks. How do we go about recapturing that sense of belonging to a parish community?
Then there is the intrusion of secular activities that minimizes the sacred nature of worship and attendance at Mass on weekends. There are multiple examples but sports are the most blatant. Children learn that sports take precedence over worship in the parish community. All too often some young people have skipped the Sacrament of Confirmation because of sports. How do we re-energize our parish communities in the face of such allurements?
Our Catholic Schools exist in order to assist parents in passing on the faith to their children. One does not have to take a count of Catholic school children to know that all are not participating in the Mass on weekends. Have their parents forgotten that there is a commandment of the Church that requires attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days? Or worse, have their parents absolved themselves from any responsibility to attend thereby teaching their children that its all right??!! Has a good secular education in a Catholic School become the driving force for enrolling children in our schools, not the religious and moral education? Has commitment to faith become a modern throw-away no more important than a plastic drink cup?
Lastly, children of today are the adults of tomorrow. How do we teach them the spirit of community when so many of them suffer from the disintegration of their own families?
Whatever expectations you may have about re-energizing our parish communities presents us all with an enormous challenge.
Next week: The fourth and last of this series: “The Diocese as Community”