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| Dear Parishioners - letter 3 |
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Dear Parishioners, Continuing our reflections on the distinctive nature of a Parish Pastoral Council, we must always acknowledge and respect the tremendous work of many existing groups, committees, bodies and organisations that come under the Parish umbrella. Many of these are long established, others are more recent; all of them make a unique contribution to the pastoral, social and spiritual welfare of the parish. We thank God for the generosity of all such people who give of their time and their talents and we pray that the Lord will honour their fidelity and commitment. While a Parish Pastoral Council can compliment their work and liaise with them, it must never be seen to replace or undermine their specific purpose. I find the following quotation interesting: The Parish Pastoral Council is a representative body, not a body of representatives. Council members should not be chosen because they belong to this or that ministry or parish organisation. They should be there because they have the gifts necessary for the pastoral wellbeing of the whole parish. Before we get too technical, a story might help illustrate the relevance of a Parish Pastoral Council at this time – One Sunday morning when the people gathered for Mass they noticed a coffin with an open lid at the front of the church. The priest made a solemn announcement, "My dear people, I regret to inform you that our Parish is dead; in fact it has been dying slowly for some time. This morning we gather to celebrate its funeral liturgy. However, before we proceed, I invite each of you to come forward and pay your last respects to our beloved Parish". Totally bewildered, the congregation filed past the coffin eager to look inside. To their amazement, there was nothing inside except a long mirror which covered the bottom of the coffin. As people gazed inside they saw only their own reflections staring back at them. A parish is not a piece of territory; a parish is not the priests and religious; a parish is the community of all God's people and every person is part of that community. Within such a community each person has rights and each person has responsibilities. A long time ago St Paul made the observation that within any community there are all kinds of jobs to be done and there are all kinds of gifts within the community. Discerning the pastoral needs within the parish and releasing people's gifts is a primary task of the Parish Pastoral Council. We will explore more next week. With every blessing Colum Curry PP |
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