Diocese seen in lead on parish future

Delegates from the Albany Diocese who attended a recent conference on the future of parish leadership were pleased to learn that the Diocese is ahead of the curve.

"We've done work that, for many [dioceses], is in the future," reported Betsy Rowe Manning, director of the Albany diocesan Office of Ministry Formation. "That's heartwarming."

She attended the conference, "Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership," along with John Manning, associate pastoral planning director for the Diocese; Rev. Joseph O'Brien, pastor of Holy Spirit parish in East Greenbush; Nancy Volks, pastoral associate at St. Clare's parish in Colonie; and Carol Pickel, parish life director for the newly formed Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Watervliet/Green Island (created from the merger of six parishes into one, using three churches as worship sites).

Wisdom of all

Ms. Volks said that there was "a kind of collective wisdom" present among the conference's participants, all of whom had roles as leaders of parishes in the northeastern U.S.

Dioceses sent pastors, parish life directors, deacons, parish council members and diocesan representatives to the gathering.

"Interacting with people and hearing their experience is always helpful," Mrs. Rowe Manning stated. She learned that, in the northeast, only the Rochester Diocese has more parish life directors than the Albany Diocese, and that Rochester's PLDs go to the annual priests' convening there -- something that has not yet happened in Albany.

New model

The Albany Diocese's delegates were impressed to hear about a new model of parish leadership in use in a New Hampshire diocese: One central "Catholic faith formation center" was created; several priests live together there and serve a large group of parishes. All services for all the parishes come out of that center.

The Albany Diocese has other models of parish leadership in place:

* pastors heading parishes,

* sacramental ministers (priests who come to parishes to offer the sacraments) and

* pastoral associates for administration (laity or others who handle day-to-day parish operations).

"We all grew up with the model of pastor and associate [pastor], and that model worked for every parish, but no one model is going to fit every parish in every diocese" any more, Mrs. Volks remarked. "This is a challenging but very hopeful time."

Challenge

Conference participants spent much of their time addressing a particular challenge: how Catholics will have access to the Eucharist in 2025, given the decreasing number of priests.

In meeting that challenge, Mrs. Rowe Manning said the Albany Diocese is far ahead of many others in pastoral planning; representatives from a diocese in another state told her that since priests still outnumber parishes there, they have not yet begun a pastoral planning process.

The Albany delegates came away with two major insights: that continued dialogue among lay and ordained parish leaders is crucial, and that dioceses must create some way to evaluate how parish leaders are doing.

Mrs. Volks is currently working on her thesis for a doctorate in ministry. She hopes to participate in training parish leaders in the future and was pleased that attending the conference confirmed that the Diocese is being proactive in creating such training.

She called the conference "a great experience" that allowed her "to find out we're moving in the right direction."

(The conference, held in Storrs, Connecticut, was the fourth of a series of such gatherings held in different areas of the country. They are funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., and co-sponsored by six national organizations that are working on enhancing parish leadership in the U.S.)

Purpose of conference

Conference participants were asked to reflect on "ethical, pastoral, prophetic, collaborative, inclusive and welcoming behaviors" of "vibrant faith communities."

Included, said Betsy Rowe Manning, are religious education for entire parishes, not just children ("whole-community catechesis"), and the kind of small Christian communities that exist in many parishes.

Such communities, many formed in the Diocese during the Renew 2000 faith development program, gather for faith-sharing and Scripture study.

Among the goals of the weekend conference were:

* promoting vibrant parishes and leadership;

* stimulating national conversation on "pastoral imagination";

* providing research about models of leadership; and

* exploring how national associations can work together to serve the Church at the local level. (KB)

(7/14/05) [[In-content Ad]]