On Mission for the Church Alive: the timetable

On Mission for the Church Alive is on the move.  This planning and evangelical outreach initiative was begun by Bishop Zubik more than three years ago, as a followup to the very successful capital campaign, Our Campaign for the Church Alive.  Much of its work has been behind the scenes.  I served on the preparatory commission for the last three years, during which we reviewed the current statistics of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, future projections for priests, lay ecclesial ministers and people, models of parish ministry from around the country, and what outcomes we wanted to make happen.

On of the decisions the commission recommended, and the bishop accepted, was that the current diocesan staff is stretched to the max with ordinary ministry, and that the diocese should engage a planning consultant for this special project.  In January the Catholic Leadership Institute of Philadelphia was hired to accompany the bishop, the leadership commission, and the people and clergy of the diocese for On Mission for the Church Alive.  CLI [ www.catholicleaders.org ] is well known to our diocese, as it has organized the "Good Leaders, Good Shepherds" and "Tending the Talents" projects.  I completed the second GLGS cohort three years ago, and my associate, Father Larry Adams, and our neighbor, Deacon John Carran, began the fourth GLGS cohort just two weeks ago.  (GLGS uses sound and excellent business practices to teach priests and deacons how to pastor more effectively.)

For the past year, and continuing into 2016, Bishop Zubik exhorts the faithful to pray for On Mission [ www.onmissionchurchalive.org ].  We do that using the prayer at the conclusion of the Prayers of the Faithful at all Masses, when adorers pray in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, and in our personal intentions.  Prayer is an essential part of this planning initiative.  In prayer we collectively and individually open ourselves to the will of the Father and the creativity of the Holy Spirit.

The next step in On Mission is forming and training a parish team.  Each pastor is being asked to suggest six active parishioners who will form a parish team to lead consultations with their parishioners.  Deadline for submission of names of team members is the end of February.  In April 2016 each team member will be required to attend a training session led by CLI and diocesan staff.  Then in the second half of 2016, each parish team will conduct listening sessions within its parish, and within its cluster.  The teams will share the results with the priests, pastoral and finance council members, lay ecclesial ministers, and other teams in their cluster and district.  Also over the winter, CLI will conduct one-on-one listening sessions with active priests, deacons and lay ecclesial minsters.

The goal of all these listening sessions is to have the parish teams in each district make recommendations for the future leadership of parishes.  This will happen early in 2017.  This consultation will proceed "from the ground up" through the parish teams, to district meetings, to the regional vicar and ultimately to the bishop.  If necessary more consultations will be held.  Finally about two years from now the bishop will confirm or adjust recommendations for parish leadership for the future.

This is the timetable as the leadership commission and the bishop now see it.  It may be adjusted in light of new concerns and creative ideas as it is implemented.

What does this mean in my specific situation?  Our district (the eight parishes in Lawrence County) is already a pilot program for On Mission.  We are using two newer models of parish leadership:  the deacon administrator model and the one-pastor-for-multiple-parishes model.  Deacon John Carran since August 1 leads Christ the King Parish, Hillsville-Bessemer, and St. James the Apostle Parish, Pulaski, along with Father Phil Farrell as priest director and us four nearby priests as sacramental ministers.  I am pastor of four parishes, supported by two parochial vicars and parish staff.  Two other priests are pastors of four parishes, and one of three parishes, in our diocese.  

There are other models of ministry available.  Each of the 21 districts in the diocese will have its parish teams look at all available models, in light of four key criteria--being missionaries to the unchurched and fallen away; caring for our active faithful; being financially viable; and sharing the clergy equitably throughout the diocese.

For right now, parishioners need to pray for the bishop, diocesan staff, CLI consultants, and all 200 parishes and 650,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.  Pray for the success of On Mission for the Church Alive.  Pray that we be willing to think "outside the box," open ourselves to change, act courageously, and position our parish communities and institutions for growth.  Parishioners need to work to grow their church.  Parishioners also need to keep themselves informed by reading the weekly On Mission column on page 5 of the Pittsburgh Catholic, and their parish bulletin.  Parishioners need to continue to love their Catholic faith and their church by sharing time, talent and treasure with their parish.