Interviewing People Who Are Struggling
Significant numbers of people are leaving the Catholic Church.  Why is this happening? 

An article that appeared in a recent issue of Organization Dynamics (July, 2010, pp. 240-247) offered a new paradigm for business corporations.  It is called, “The CEO and CFO – A Partnership of Equals,” written by Philip Tulimieri and Moshe Banai.

Technical vs. Adaptive Change

“Every day, people have problems for which they do, in fact, have the necessary know-how and procedures to solve them.  We call these technical problems.

Parishioners’ Dismay
“I and fellow parishioners have watched in dismay the decline of our parish, from a once vibrant faith community to one just limping along with nothing more than pro forma liturgies, alienated parishioners and destructive use of resources. 

Keeping Up The Momentum
It takes renewed attention and imagination to maintain a thriving Leadership Night that involves some 45 people focusing on parish goals and action steps for the good of the parish.  The co-chairs and staff resource persons need to continually assess what will keep the process moving forward and the commission members energized.  Creating a positive image for commissions and setting up yearly traditions will help.

Hans Finzel has written a book called, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook Publishing, 2007).  It is applicable to all levels of parish leadership, whether it be the pastor, staff, council, commissions, committees or ministry groups.  The book is organized around what not to do as a leader and suggestions to do the opposite.

Bishop Ken Untener, past bishop of the Saginaw Diocese, wrote, “What is the ambience of our parish church?  For the most part, the people there tend to be clean-cut, well-behaved, decent-living, middle-class, socially acceptable. .  .  There are some other types of people, too, but not many are in most parishes.  Many less socially and/or less religiously acceptable people don’t figure a church is the kind of place where they ought to be.  Parishes don’t intentionally screen these people out.  It just works out that way.”  (Quoted in the “Little Blue Book” for January 3, 2010)  What can be done to help a parish become more accepting and inviting to a wider social/ethnic spectrum?  One option is group learning and dialogue using JustMatters.

A Commitment
The Church of St. Anne’s in Wausau, Wisconsin recently celebrated its 60th Anniversary.  At one point during those sixty years, a Covenant Statement was created for members of the parish.  This statement is given to every newcomer to the parish as an articulation of the commitment parishioners make to one another.  This is the Covenant they make:

A Miracle of Change
Three books caught our attention over recent months.  One is What Happened At Vatican II by John W. O’Malley, SJ (Belknap-Harvard Press, 2008).  Beginning with what O’Malley calls “the long nineteenth century,” the book reveals what a departure the Second Vatican Council was from all that went before – a shift in both tone and content.  Three issues emerged that are still present in the Catholic Church today.

One of the primary functions of the Pastoral Council is to articulate the mission and purpose of the parish. 

An excellent history of Catholic laity in the U.S. can be found in James O’Toole’s, The Faithful, (Harvard: Belknap, 2008).

This is a critical moment in the life of a parish.  A new parish priest means a new culture.  If it is managed well, it can be a graced and joyful experience.  If not, the effects of it can linger for many years.  What follows are key ingredients that need to be included in this transition process if it is to be successful.

One of the essential aspects of any parish is building relationships.  Peter Block emphasizes this in  Community, the Structure of Belonging (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008.)  It is centered around inviting people of all ages and backgrounds into conversations about possibilities, gifts and commitment.  It is best done in groups small enough that all can contribute to the conversation and experience a sense of ownership.  Gather people into small groups, ask them questions that spark their interest and relate to their concerns; then let the wisdom flow.  What follows are suggestions about how this could happen in a Catholic parish.

Something to Live By
The last Newsletter described a process by which the Pastoral Council might invite the leaders and people to discern core values and identify characteristics of the parish.  The result of the process are three words that sum up the purpose and mission of the parish, words that everyone can remember as defining aspects. 

Forming a Mission Statement can be a worthwhile exercise for the Pastoral Council as a way of  summarizing the unique purpose of a parish.  It can also have little impact beyond those involved in its formulation.

It’s All About Finding The Right People:
On February 28, 2008, a group of priests and their administrators, twenty-five in all, gathered in Anaheim, CA. This was no ordinary group of people. Each one belonged to a parish that had participated in the Parish Assessment and Renewal (PAR) process and were committed to working in partnership with one another. The purpose of the gathering was to share their experience and to raise common issues and concerns. One that surfaced was finding people to staff new committees proposed by the commissions.

First the Bad News:
    The Nov. 23, 2007 issue of Commonweal had an article by Fr. Paul Stanosz entitled, “The Other Health Crisis.”  It related how parish priests are experiencing high stress, poor health, and low morale.  “More and more priests,” Stanosz wrote “are battling burnout and depression, as well as suffering heart attacks and dying prematurely.” He also predicted a sharp decline in Mass attendance because the younger adults are at such a distance from the Church.  “It seems unlikely that young people who have only the foggiest understanding of the Catholic tradition will suddenly return to the Church as adults.  Furthermore, the rate at which Catholics marry outside the Church is skyrocketing.  As a result, Roman Catholicism in the next two decades will almost certainly face the sort of enormous decline that mainline Protestant denominations suffered in the 1960s.”

Whether a priest in the parish, pastoral council or commission member, these are five ways of acting that will bring success and joy to ministry. These provide balance amid the stress and pressures of parish life.

1. Listening Is an Active Love:
A book with this title came out of the StoryCorps Project of ordinary people telling extraordinary stories about their lives. This attitude is essential for all parish leaders and ministers. It includes not only asking for insight and feedback, it also requires giving full attention to what people are saying. This will keep the leaders grounded in reality and not just the perception of what they think is going on. Listening to one another is also a key component of good leading, hearing with new ears the reactions, concerns and insights of those with whom they interact, plan and minister.

The first-year goal for the Community Life Commission was to provide occasions for the parishioners to come together and enjoy each other's company. The commission envisioned a string of parish socials that would attract a variety of people, both old and young, as well as those from various ethnic backgrounds. Only a few functions now existed and these were fund-raisers that targeted specific audiences, such as school parents, senior citizens or an ethnic group. The one exception was the annual parish festival that drew the entire parish together. But it was very labor-intensive and demanded many months of organizing and preparation. Could other simpler activities be planned that did not require such an outlay of energy but could still pull the whole parish community together?

"Bless Me, Father – Can Confession Make A Comeback?" an article by James Martin, SJ, appeared in the May 21, 2007 issue of America magazine. It describes a number of reasons why the practice of frequent confession (Rite of Reconciliation) has fallen into disuse. A new approach to confession was introduced at the Vatican Council, calling it by a new name and providing other options besides telling sins to a priest in "the box." The Council also stressed an understanding of sin that included a wider scope than just the individual, one that covered the social side of sin as well. It also emphasized a concept of God that was more merciful and less judgmental, as well as an understanding of Church that was inclusive and ecumenical.

“If you ask more, you get more.” So says Jack Jezreel, founder of JustFaith, as quoted in “The JustFaith Phenomenon,” (Jeffry Odell Korgen, Church Magazine, Summer, 2007, pp 15-19.) JustFaith is a parish based programme originally promoted by Catholic Charities but now sponsored by Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Campaign for Human Development as well.

As a way of connecting parents with the school and parish from the first day of class, consider this scenario: When people enroll their child in nursery school, they are contacted by the parish priest and invited in for a chat. He welcomes them to the school community and assures them that their child will receive a safe, well-rounded, academically sound, spiritually enhanced education over the coming years. He answers any questions they may have about the parish and school. Then he asks something from them. During the time their child attends the parish school, he requests three hours from them every week of the year. “I won’t be checking up on you,” he says, “but I ask that you commit three hours of every week for the good of your child, yourselves and the life of the parish.”

Being a parish priest is no picnic. Tangible rewards are few, the hours are long and the tensions numerous. In a book by Katarina Schuth called, Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006) there is a list of best practices and biggest mistakes for pastoring multiple parishes (p. 162-3). Using these as a springboard, we offer the following helps for anyone pastoring one or more parishes.

In October of 2006, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Washington, DC went through the PAR (Parish Assessment and Renewal) process. The pastor, Msgr. John Enzler wrote a letter to the parishioners that appeared in the January 21, 2007 issue of the parish bulletin. We offer it here as an example of how to translate some of the insights and discoveries of PAR into action.

This month marks the fifth anniversary of this Newsletter. In commemoration of this event we offer a few resources that provide help and support to parish ministry and personal growth.

Meetings are the stuff of parish life. Some are to be relished and others to be avoided. What follows is a menu for changing the latter into the former.

Don't Go It Alone: Consider finding a co-chair or partner to help lead the meeting. This not only takes the load off of your shoulders, it also offers a variety of skills and styles from which to draw. Sharing the running of the meeting with another provides checks and balances to the leadership.

A new approach to religious formation is gaining popularity in Catholic parishes across the United States. The emphasis is on gatherings that include old and young alike. It has many variations but the most common sources are Whole Community Catechesis (www.twentythirdpublications.com) and the Generations of Faith Project (www.cmdnet.org). Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Milwaukee adapted these materials and initiated the Generations In Faith Together (G.I.F.T.) programme. The emphasis is on gathering together parents and children, as well as other parishioners who do not have children at home, to experience some aspect of their faith in an interactive way that will have a lasting effect. This is an attempt to change the parish into a lifelong learning center.

Raising The Roof:
When working with a parish we often suggest the formation of a Music Committee. This is a group made up of the music and choir directors, along with a cantor, choir member or accompanist from each of the weekend Masses. The task of this committee is to raise the level of congregational singing at the weekend Masses.

In June of this year the American bishops met to decide what will be the new translation for the responses at the liturgy. In a few years Catholics attending Mass will be saying, "And with your spirit," instead of "And also with you." Or will they?