Parish convening tells stories of faith and hope

The theme was "Sharing Our Stories." Having done just that, the participants came away secure in the knowledge that their own experiences are familiar to many other Catholics in the Albany Diocese.

"Sharing Our Stories" was the focus of this year's Parish Convening, held last weekend at the College of St. Rose in Albany.

Sponsored by the Diocesan Pastoral Council and Office of Pastoral Planning, the event gathered approximately 450 parish leaders from throughout the Albany Diocese to attend workshops, pray together and learn about the future of the Church.

Hope for future

For Laura Weber of Our Lady of Grace parish in Ballston Lake, that future is a hopeful one. Mrs. Weber, who directs the faith formation program at her parish, felt that Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's keynote address struck a chord with her own work.

In line with the "stories" theme, the Bishop gave an update of the Pastoral Planning process by discussing six major aspects of the Church in the Albany Diocese and using a story to illustrate each aspect.

"He told a story about a woman who had fallen out of touch with the Church and had a really distorted view of the Church," Mrs. Weber explained.

Working with adult faith formation, she said, "I could certainly connect with that. I agree that you have to really connect the adults [to religious education and parish life]. If the adults don't have the proper information, it doesn't go down to the kids."

Worth the time

Jo Kaczmarek of St. Mary's parish in Glens Falls called both the Bishop's keynote and the workshops she attended "very worthwhile."

Ms. Kaczmarek, also a parish religious education director, chose workshops on "Finding God in the Family Story" and "The Church of the Future: What Will it Look Like?"

Since her parish work focuses on family religious education, she found several helpful ideas in the former workshop.

"We were asked to share a family ritual. One girl shared that when she was 12, her mother died, and every night since then, her family lights a `mother candle' so her light is always with them," she said.

Ms. Kaczmarek said that she usually holds a coffee hour at her parish on Sunday mornings for parents waiting for their children to be dismissed from religious education classes and hopes to share the idea of the candle there.

Future Church

A workshop on the "Church of the Future" proved thought-provoking for her as well. Workshop presenter John Dwyer of St. Bernard's Institute in Albany offered many predictions regarding the Church's future -- including the idea that a Vatican Council III is on the horizon.

"I don't know whether I'm going to make it to 2030 [the predicted year for the Council]," said Ms. Kaczmarek, "but he talked about the polarization our Church is experiencing right now, and said, `we will be one.'"

The entire day, she said, "gave me a lot to think about" and "reinspired me."

'Charged up'

Helen Morone of Corpus Christi parish in Ushers also called herself "all charged up" after the convening. As a parish faith formation director, she often attends meetings geared specifically toward religious education, but said she appreciated the "broader perspective" of the convening.

"Both workshops I attended started with a story," she told The Evangelist. In "The Martha/Mary Dilemma," led by Sister Kathleen Turley, RSM, diocesan chancellor for planning and pastoral services, the focus was on each person's call to holiness and service.

Often, Ms. Morone learned, parishioners attend parish meetings grudgingly, rather than willingly. The workshop taught her that "we have to be willing to take risks," and "we need to come with respect for each other."

Open to ideas

On a related topic, a workshop on "The Town Meeting: A Gathering of Parishioners" helped Ms. Morone to remember that Catholics must be open to sharing ideas in order to make the Church succeed in the future.

During Pastoral Planning, she said, many parishes of the Albany Diocese with different makeups and ideas have been clustered together. It is important that they learn to collaborate on ministries, as well.

During the workshop, presenter Laetitia Rhatigan of St. John the Evangelist parish in Schenectady handed out her cluster's plan for the future to attendees.

"That was interesting, because our cluster is large suburban parishes, whereas they come from an urban setting," said Ms. Morone. "It was interesting to see some of the problems they faced and how they overcame them."

Being together

The attendee also recognized the importance of cluster parishes socializing together to make it easier to work together.

"Once you hear a person's story, it opens up the doors of communication," she stated. "Your fears will be allayed."

The convening as a whole, she added, made participants "think of possibilities. I would definitely recommend [next year's] for anyone."

(10-31-96) [[In-content Ad]]