Newspaper Page Text
May 14,1981
PAGE 5
Making Parish Councils Work
BY FATHER PHILIP J. MURNION
There is no single blueprint that parish
councils follow. Consider some examples:
1. The parish council at Christ on the
Mountain Parish, in Lakewood, Colo., takes
the form of an executive committee within a
parish elaborately organized into seven
districts, 28 neighborhoods, 170 smaller
communities and 550 registered families.
2. At St. Mary’s in Colts Neck, N.J., the
council is served by representatives of each
organized parish activity, as well as members
who are committed to pray two hours every
week in a conscious attempt to discover
God’s will for the parish.
3. In a Brooklyn parish where three
languages are spoken, there are three
councils, one for each language group, and a
coordinating committee to ensure
communication among the three councils.
4. In an Indianapolis parish, people are
recruited to run for election to specific
council committees -- the liturgy committee,
the education committee, etc. This method
was chosen as a way to ensure that council
members have interests and abilities related
to various parish concerns.
Some parish councils are composed of
members elected at large by all parishioners.
In some places, parishioners active in special
areas are elected to serve on the council by
other parishioners active in the same
activity. Other parishes use both methods.
Some have not only a council but also an
annual parish assembly to help establish
major directions for the parish in the year
ahead.
These forms of parish councils reflect the
different ways parishes with different needs
make sure that parishioners participate in
fostering parish life.
But why do parish councils exist? First,
they exist to increase among people the
sense of responsibility for parish life. But, in
the work of planning that goes into parish
life, councils provide a forum for the
expression of diverse viewpoints. And
councils are a way of bringing to light the
very helpful talents hidden among
parishioners.
But given all this, it is not surprising to
run into difficulties in making councils work
smoothly. Other kinds of councils also
experience difficulties. For instance,
university senates of faculty and students,
community planning boards and health
councils -- all of which involve many people
in setting policy -- are trying to balance the
varied views of their constituents with those
of the professionals or experts.
It will take time and commitment to the
value of this kind of sharing to achieve
satisfactory ways of conducting parish
councils.
A few insights are beginning to emerge
that could help to meet the challenge of
councils:
- The responsible ways parishioners can
serve need to be encouraged.
- Parish council members should generally
be involved in the activities of the parish. If
they are not, council sessions can become
discussions of what “they” (the staff) are
going to do. If council members are active,
for the most part the discussion is, “What
are we going to do?”
-- Time should be devoted to the
formation of council members. This
formation includes reflection on faith and
the church, as well as training in how to
serve as a member of the council. Training
will include such skills as listening, handling
conflict, running a meeting.
-- Constant effort is required to keep the
whole parish informed about council
activities.
-- Each council meeting should contain
thoughtful prayer and reflection.
-- Councils should try to encourage the
initiative of others, supporting parishioners
who are willing to exercise leadership in the
parish. It would be a shame if a council
attempted to dominate or control all
initiative in a parish.
-- Continuity is important. It may be
necessary to find ways to keep people
involved for longer than the usual two-year
term. This -is easier to accomplish with
representatives of the various parish
activities. An active parishioner who has
served on the council may remain involved
through the activity.
- The clearer the council is about the
mission of the parish and the clearer the
agenda, the more likely it is that the council
will avoid falling into constant discussion of
building maintenance and finances.
A statement on parish life by the U.S.
bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Parish
points out the value of councils in parish
life. For councils, in their various forms, are
able in many cases to contribute to making a
parish a vital community for its members.
KNOW
YO UR FAITH
(All Articles On This Page Copyrighted 1981 By N.C. News Service)
Scandalous Disunity
In Corinth
BY FATHER JOHN J. CASTELOT
St. Paul praises the community in Corinth
and then qualifies his praise in Chapter 11 of
First Corinthians. Paul indicates he has heard
of certain irregularities in their liturgical
worship -- the most serious of which is their
conduct during eucharistic gatherings.
He writes: “What I now have to say is not
said in praise, because your meetings are not
profitable but harmful. I hear that when you
gather for a meeting there are divisions
among you.” Paul’s sole concern is the
scandalous disunity among the Corinthians,
a disunity which, for all practical purposes,
negates the meaning of the Eucharist.
Paul says, “When you assemble it is not to
eat the Lord’s Supper.” This, at first reading,
sounds ambiguous. For in fact, the
Corinthians are coming together to celebrate
the Lord’s Supper. From the context,
however, Paul apparently means that the
Corinthians are going through all the proper
liturgical motions, but are off the track
nonetheless.
In Paul’s day, the Eucharist was
celebrated within the framework of a
communal meal, a “parish supper,” to which
all were supposed to contribute. This table
fellowship was a beautiful expression of the
meaning and effect of the Eucharist:
“Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many
though we are, are one body, for we all
partake of the one loaf.”
In Paul’s eyes, the Corinthians actually
were destroying this unity in the very act of
celebrating it. For example, the more
well-to-do members were gorging themselves
on all sorts of goodies, liquid as well as solid,
while the less fortunate were lucky if they
had anything at all to eat or drink. “Would
you show contempt for the church of God
and embarrass those who have nothing?”
Paul asks.
He reminds the Corinthians of the
institution of the Eucharist. Twice he
repeats the rubric, “Do this in remembrance
of me.”
In other words, the eucharistic celebration
was supposed to be an effective
remembrance, one which brought into being,
“the death of the Lord,” that is, the totally
unselfish love that brought Jesus to the
cross.
For Paul, the scandalous selfishness of the
Corinthians was a negation of this love.
Paul says the Corinthians should reflect
seriously on the meaning of the Eucharist,
for “he who eats and drinks without
recognizing the body, eats and drinks a
judgement on himself,” In this context, “the
body” is the community which, for Paul, is
the body of Christ.
The Corinthians are failing to realize that
the community is the body of Christ and, if
they don’t acknowledge this in their sharing
of the eucharistic meal, their celebration
becomes instead a sacriligious travesty.
Paul then concludes: “Therefore, my
brothers, when you assemble for the meal
wait for one another. If anyone is hungry let
him eat at home, so that your assembly may
not deserve condemnation.”
Discussion Points And Questions
1. Name and discuss two reasons why parish councils are established.
2. What are some of Father Mumion’s suggestions for making
councils work?
3. Why does Father Murnion think it is important for council
members to be active in other parish activities, as well? Do you agree?
4. According to Katharine Bird, why does the Year of Matthew hold
a special significance for Catholics in the Diocese of Memphis, Tenn.?
5. What in Ms. Bird’s article tells you that a lot of people worked
well together in the diocese that year? Do you feel this was easy to pull
off?
6. How did the Year of Matthew help people to see how their lives
now relate to the life of Jesus?
7. What are the Corinthians doing which is so upsetting to St. Paul,
according to Father John Castelot?
8. In Paul’s time, how was the Eucharist customarily celebrated?
THE COMMON OBJECTIVE of all parish councils i$ to
ensure representative participation by parishioners in
determining how to foster parish life. It is not surprising
that many councils experience difficulties in making
themselves valuable and effective to their parishes. (NC
Sketch by Christopher McDonough)
An Exciting Venture
BY KATHARINE BIRD
When the Parable of the Unforgiving
Servant was read during Mass in 1978, it’s a
safe bet that numerous families throughout
the Diocese of Memphis, Tenn., gathered
later around their tables and became
engrossed in carrying out an activity like the
following:
“Recall some recent family experience.
Then role play that experience in two ways.
First, with an unforgiving ending; then, with
a happy ending in which the people forgive
one another.”
Again, in numerous diocesan adult
education seminars that same year, groups
could be found raptly sharing views on such
questions as:
“What words would you use to express
the basic orientation of your life today?
What philosophies in American culture
today compete for your attention?”
It was a special Year of Matthew in the
diocese. It was a time when parishioners
engaged in intensive study of the Gospel of
Matthew; when they saw Scripture from a
fresh perspective. In the process it was
shown that a carefully-planned diocesan
religious education program can work.
According to Robert E. Obach, diocesan
coordinator of adult education, Catholics
studied Matthew in connection with Sunday
liturgies, following a scenario devised by the
diocesan religious education office directed
by Father Albert Kirk. The ambitious
program was divided into two major parts,
one for adults, the other for families and
groups of friends at home. Launched on a
diocesan level, individual parishes “adapted
the program to fit their own needs,” Obach
explained.
The year was a “blessing,” Obach said,
“because all the pieces fell into place for the
first time.” People saw Jesus as a “person
challenged to live within his culture and do
the will of God.” This caused many to “turn
their lives around.”
For adults, the basic teaching tool was “A
Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew,”
written by Obach and Father Kirk, “to help
people reach into what Matthew was trying
to get across.” According to Obach, it
highlighted the historical background of
Matthew and included weekly discussion
questions to “relate the Gospel to the 20th
century lives of parishioners.”
Parishes used the adult program for at
least eight weeks in the spring of 1978,
sometimes in small discussion groups in
homes, other times following a lecture and
discussion format in parish centers. Obach
explained how the diocese trained 491
people to lead the adult education groups;
4,000 adults from senior-high to golden-age
citizens participated. Some groups were so
pleased with the experience that they are
still meeting today.
In the fall of 1978, parish families took
their turn with the Year of Matthew. They
used a booklet, “Where Two or Three Are
Gathered,” put together in consultation with
families who tested its activities at home. Its
focus was on helping the Christian home be
“an environment for learning to live our
faith in Jesus Christ.”
Used for seven Sundays, the
comprehensive family program included an
explanation of the biblical text, discussion
questions and a variety of activities as well as
a pamphlet, “Helps for Family Prayer,”
written by Father David Knight. Families
were encouraged to assess their own
situations, utilizing the booklet as a
preparation for Sunday Mass or as a
follow-up activity.
Though Obach admitted he had no firm
count of how many families participated,
the diocese distributed 3,000 booklets to
parishes. Also, 500 family members returned
highly positive questionnaries evaluating the
family program.
According to Obach, the Year of Matthew
started with an idea of Father Kirk, who saw
a year-long study of a single Gospel as a
great teaching technique. With a “green
light” from Memphis Bishop Carroll T.
Dozier, Father Kirk brought together a
diocesan cross section of 20 people,
including parish priests and lay people, to
plan the series.
Following a year of intensive planning,
the commitee explained the program to
pastors and parish representatives at two big
meetings. In each parish, a coordinator
served as a link with the diocese.
Obach thinks that in addition to other
positive results, the Year of Matthew gave
people a new respect for Christianity’s
Jewish background. This, in turn, led to
increased understanding of the “links
between Christians and Jews.”
A MOTHER HELPS her child understand the symbols of the cup and the bread in a family setting. (NC Photo by
Jack Hamilton)