Parish meetings underway

Over the past two weeks, dozens of parishes in the Albany Diocese have held town meetings on the topic of "mission" as part of their preparatory work for "Called to be Church," the diocesan-wide planning process that formally begins in January.

During the meetings, Catholics were asked to reflect on the meaning of "mission" as well as break down the concept into practical ways they and their parishes embody the mission of Jesus.

In November, a second round of town meetings will be held in all parishes on the topic of "ministry."

'Back to basics'

Frank Ridzi, facilitator for the town meeting at St. Mary's Church in Nassau, was at first concerned because the topic of pastoral planning is "sensitive for many people."

It was important, he said, for him to understand that "people of faith see pastoral planning with the same trepidation as they see a loss of someone close to them. We dealt with it by going back to basics."

He thought the town meeting was "fantastic. It was not a forced thing; it was very natural, and the people all shared. There were different views, but everyone accepted the other views, and it was a great opportunity for the parish to grow as a faith community."

Serving others

Mission, he said, was understood by the participants on a concrete level: that "we go out to other people, that we serve others, that we support each other, that we help each other learn our faith, that we give example -- it all starts from the practical."

During the small-group discussions, parishioners shared many different ways in which they were involved with parish activities and pieced together a picture of parish life that pleased them.

"They were very surprised at how active they are," said Mr. Ridzi. "One important thing that came out was the very strong appreciation of our faith community as a support community. That came out in each of the small groups we had -- how people feel comfortable in our community and know the support is there. It's something you take for granted, but this really brought it out."

Three in one

The Northern Points Cluster -- Blessed Sacrament in Hague, St. James in North Creek, and St. John the Baptist in Chestertown -- had three individual town meetings, with the sacramental minister, Rev. Steven Moore, attending all three.

While the parishes share an administrative staff, youth ministry and other activities, each has its "own flavor and character," Father Moore said, an aspect that came out at the meetings.

The parishes believe that being a warm, welcoming community is a primary way to communicate Jesus' message in their midst. Members of St. James, in particular, felt that one of their strongest points was religious education for youth and adults, while Blessed Sacrament's Catholics felt that Sunday worship was a "real strong point," said Father Moore.

The latter also felt that outreach to the community and the rural poor that are "harder to find" was something they would like to devote extra effort to.

Good and bad

One of the struggles of the evenings, Father Moore said, evolved from parishes in rural areas that "tend to be a little more hesitant [in discussing planning] because they're afraid they'll lose Sunday Mass, and they'll have to drive an extra half-hour to another church."

Sister Francesca Husselbeck, RSM, St. James' parish life director, was pleased that "people felt comfortable enough to discuss what they were really thinking about. Though they said it in different words, what they saw as the gifts of their community were very similar: openness and friendliness, not only to their community, but ecumenically in the town."

She was also thrilled that, for many of the questions, St. James parishioners automatically "judged themselves on their cluster community" before their particular parish.

Hours of talk

At Our Lady of Grace parish in Ballston Spa, the town meeting discussions went on for more than two hours, and the 40 people attending "weren't in a great hurry to leave" after that, said Deacon Neil Hook, parish life director.

"Across the board," he added, parishioners were "talking about how we model Jesus, compassion and reaching out."

Good liturgy, he said, was also mentioned, as was an emphasis on a strong faith formation program. Parishioners also came to a consensus on things they'd like to work on: expanding Bible study in the parish, for example, and developing an increased variety of prayer and liturgical experiences for a future with fewer priests.

Looking ahead

Parishioners also talked about "times when we're not going to be able to have Mass and what other things we can do" to support parish life throughout those times, such as "additional adult faith formation opportunities," said Deacon Hook.

At the end of the meeting, he encouraged parishioners to bring one new person to the November meeting on ministry; a faith formation minister raised the ante to five.

Either way, said Deacon Hook, he hoped attendees would "reach out, make this a larger group and bring some of the younger people."

(To browse an archive of articles that have been in The Evangelist, visit www.evangelist.org. The Albany Diocese's "Called to be Church" website is now on-line at www.rcda.org. Click on the program's logo.)

(10/19/06)