There are clear pathways to parish vitality...
The Good News is that people are just as receptive to their Creator and open to the urging of the Spirit as ever. In the apostolic letter Porta Fidei, the Holy Father states, "The people of today can still experience the need to go to the well, like the Samaritan woman, in order to hear Jesus, who invites us to believe in him and to draw upon the source of living water welling up within him... Indeed, the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day with the same
power.”
The bad news is that we can no longer presume that people will approach us to know the abundance of life that is offered by Jesus Christ. We must also reach out to them. To thrive and not merely survive in the years ahead, vital parishes are learning to be strategic in purpose, entrepreneurial in methods, Eucharistic in spirit, missionary in outlook and active online. They are finding ways to be true to their Catholic identity and responsive to emerging pastoral needs. Use the resources available through the menu above to move your parish forward on the path to parish vitality.
The things we care about, we plan for. Pastoral Councils can be instrumental in planning for a vital future. View the powerpoint that lists driving forces - national and local, and consider possible responses and your important role as strategic thinkers. "There is no power equal to a community, when it discovers what it cares about."
For more information contact: Dennis Mahaney, Office of Parish Life, 716-847-8393 and Mary Beth Coates, Department of Lifelong Faith Formation, 716-847-5501.
The bad news is that we can no longer presume that people will approach us to know the abundance of life that is offered by Jesus Christ. We must also reach out to them. To thrive and not merely survive in the years ahead, vital parishes are learning to be strategic in purpose, entrepreneurial in methods, Eucharistic in spirit, missionary in outlook and active online. They are finding ways to be true to their Catholic identity and responsive to emerging pastoral needs. Use the resources available through the menu above to move your parish forward on the path to parish vitality.
The things we care about, we plan for. Pastoral Councils can be instrumental in planning for a vital future. View the powerpoint that lists driving forces - national and local, and consider possible responses and your important role as strategic thinkers. "There is no power equal to a community, when it discovers what it cares about."
For more information contact: Dennis Mahaney, Office of Parish Life, 716-847-8393 and Mary Beth Coates, Department of Lifelong Faith Formation, 716-847-5501.
New Evangelization invites New Methods
The promotion of a New Evangelization invites parishes to conduct a self-examination regarding its practices - ministries, groups and organizations. As the Pope announced to a group of new bishops, this provides an opportunity to consider new methods and new approaches to support faith in the community, at home, and through new technologies that make the richness of the Gospel and Catholic spirituality available to all who hunger for life in abundance.
The questions that our leaders will ponder in preparation for the upcoming world synod of bishops will look familiar to Pathways project participants:
The questions that our leaders will ponder in preparation for the upcoming world synod of bishops will look familiar to Pathways project participants:
- What are the specific changes taking place in the religious experience of people today - culture, society, mass media, technology, economy, science and civic life? What challenges do these pose to the parish?
- How can the local church respond to the emerging spiritual needs of people? Are there new religious traditions emerging?
- How do we recruit, form and support people to give clear witness through their lives?
- How can parishes be more bold in sharing faith throughout the week?
- How do we insure that the preaching and the assembly are sensitive and welcoming to those who are infrequent in their church attendance?
- Do we support faith formation at home 24/7/365? What tools and activities are needed to allow parents, grandparents and godparents to pass on the faith with confidence?
- To what extent do our faith programs lead not just to intellectual adherence but to a personal and living encounter with Christ?
- In what ways has the church been listening to its younger members?
- Does the parish have an evangelization team that advocates and trains parishioners in their role as witnesses and welcomers?
- What regular opportunities to listen and discuss God's Word does the parish provide?
- What is the state of the catechumenate in the parish?
- Does the parish encourage and equip its parishioners to evangelize in the workplace, marketplace, and centers of community?
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The Pathways to Parish Vitality Project is made possible through the generosity of:
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