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| Forming a Parish Pastoral Council in Swords, Dublin |
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After his appointment as Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Martin requested that a Parish Pastoral Council be established in every parish in the diocese. Here, one parish priest, Cyril Eagan, writes about how the parish of Swords has gone about responding to that request. The following are the steps taken by the parish in Colmcilles, Swords, Co. Dublin, to establishing a Parish Pastoral Council. Archbishop Dermot Martin issued a Decree that every parish was to have such a Council in place by the First Sunday in Lent. When I came to the parish there was little in terms of structures, while there was great good will and generosity. The order was most intimidating. There was a sense of urgency due to pressure of time, not a bad thing! In late November 2004, we were invited by the Diocesan Co-ordinator to attend a Deanery meeting in Malahide Parish, to hear about the initiatives taken by some parishes in our Fingal Deanery. Three parishes have set up a pastoral council and the outlined their success to date. Here the Diocesan plan was spelt out for the attending parishes. This was the first step in the process. I approached Fr. John Ferris who has responsibility for the Drynam end of the parish to bring along some interested parishioners to this open meeting. Here we heard about the steps taken by other parishes in this regard. Our group of seven parishioners, representing a cross section of parish came along with no preconceived ideas as to what this way about. It took a little gentle persuasion to get them there in the first place. We were collectively struck by the level of organisation in some parishes and felt very inadequate alongside our neighbours. We wondered in our small group where we would begin. The large assembly was very rushed and it left us with many unanswered questions. There was panic in our group, and confidence was fast fading. I huddled this core group together before we dispersed and succeeded in persuading the Area co-ordinator to speak with us privately outside this meeting back in the parish. We agreed a date and venue in the local school. I prepared a folder with all the relevant information in advance of this meeting. This meeting was most satisfactory and we had a more relaxed conversation where the overall plan or vision was spelt out. This gave us all a better grasp as to what is was about. We felt a little more confident that we could with help and guidance rise to the challenge. The two hours in the small group back in the parish was invaluable and less intimidating than the large assembly in Malahide. The small local group back at base is the best forum to launch such Diocesan initiatives. Before the meeting closed we appointed three sub groups one to look at the guidelines, another to look at communication, and a third to look at our parish and its resources. As parish priest I was somewhat directive and delegated the tasks based on my own assessment of the individuals. They were to report within a week and so keep the momentum going. Giving people a task even though we did not know what to expect gave everyone a sense of ownership. It also forced every one of the seven to do some reading and be part of the initiative. Their loyalty was quickly secured. Within a week we met again and the three appointed sub groups made a preliminary report. The core group were now beginning to grasp the vision, and the penny was dropping about the manageable plan of action for the future. It was decided by the group to ask the priests to speak at the Sunday Masses in early December, and tell the people what was happening. We also used the parish newsletter on that Sunday to highlight the message. We asked people to pray for its success. We told the people on that occasion we would say more about it early in the New Year. When it came to sending out the Christmas programme to all households in the parish, we used a mail drop advertising the forth-coming pastoral council. In early January the core group met again and we devised a nomination form and selected the following Sunday as an occasion to speak about the parish pastoral council. On this occasion there was less need to overplay lest people got fed up listening to the one tape. All the relevant information came from the diocese. We invited parishioners to nominate themselves or another with their prior permission. Members from the Core group distributed nomination forms to everyone. The invitation was to anyone who worships in the church regardless of strict parish boundaries. The mother parish still attracts folk form the new outlining parishes. We threw the net wide so as not to exclude anyone. The following Sunday the Core group offered the forms again, and invited them to be returned to the sacristy within two weeks. On the following Monday the Core group met to review the work and decided against having an election believing it would divisive and liable to cause confusion. Thirty-five nominations were received to have an open meeting with our Area Co-ordinator for 29th January 2005 in the local hall. The core group personally invited each nominee by a phone call to the gathering. We appointed Sr. Margaret and one of the folk groups to devise a prayer service, and Miss Ellie McKeown. P.D.F. addressed the meeting and it generated considerable discussion and optimism. In advance of this gathering Fr. John and I met Ellie privately and devised a training programme, and selected speakers and the Emmaus Centre. The process has been slow and participative, and in the light of the invaluable education-taking place our people are learning to work together and clarify their thinking about Church. We hope at the end of this process to have a council in place by the end of Easter. Very Rev Cyril Egan PP |
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