CALLED TO BE CHURCH
On
Approximately 40 people came together in prayer to reflect on ministry.
During the evening
those gathered reflected on and discussed a number of questions. Those questions, and a summary of the group’s
thoughts, follow:
How have you been called in the past to use your gifts
and talents to be of service to the
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Music Ministry: using vocal talents; enhancing the Liturgy
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Senior Outreach: sharing our time and compassion with the elderly
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Food pantry: preparing food baskets for the needy
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RCIA: Sharing faith with others new to the faith
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Financial support
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Parish social events; dinners; community building
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Catechists: sharing faith with youth
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Garage sale workers: generate funds to spread the Gospel
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Ladies of Saint Anne: promote parish social programs; provide hospitality
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Helping the elderly do household chores; nurturing the elderly
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Funeral preparation: planning funeral liturgies
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Literacy Volunteer: tutoring people who don’t speak English
How has
your ministry with others in the Church helped your faith community to grow?
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Helping seniors – positive experience for seniors and helpers
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RCIA
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Financial accounting assistance
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Catechesis – a growing experience
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Ushering: welcoming people to the parish and making them feel at home
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Inviting new neighbors to Mass
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Personal faith growth through prayer group
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People continuing to carry on their faith after Confirmation
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Welcoming people – meeting strangers you see in church
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Working to get people involved in Mass and elsewhere
What do
you see as the most essential ministries of the Church today?
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Religious Education/RCIA
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Sacraments
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Outreach to needy, seniors, non-Catholics
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Tending/caring for homebound
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Youth Group
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Helping families in need
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Family catechesis
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Adult Faith Formation/Scripture study
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Adult Support: e.g. anger management; grief counseling; 12 step programs
for any addiction
(if not offering these programs,
referring people to them)
How do you
see ministry or service in the Church changing in the future?
●
More lay leadership will be needed to keep the church going
(unless the church considers making
big changes: e.g., ordination of married men, women, etc.)
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All members of the church will be responsible for ministering to each
other (the sick, the poor, shut-ins)
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More emphasis on community; less on buildings
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Each person will be called on to do more because of lack of ordained
ministers
How do
ordained and lay ministry complement each other?
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Allows more people to be reached and more lay people to take ownership
in the changing church
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Ordained ministers give the focus and lay ministers give the manpower
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Both need to work together for the common good
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Both need to be supportive of each other
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Both must work together to meet the needs of the community
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Ordained trained to carry on the orthodoxy of the church
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Everyone has a part – all must be willing to work together
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Ordained must relinquish some authority so the lay minister feels more
empowered to step up
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Interplay between lay and ordained allow free exchange of ideas
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Seamless response to liturgical and service needs of the community
In summary, those present were asked to
reflect on these words: “We become the Body of Christ through Baptism. Through ministry we live with
Christ in
service to each other; that is our Call to BE Church.” In this light they considered three
questions:
How will
our ministry fulfill the mission of Jesus in this place and time?
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By becoming part of our ministries we become disciples
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Everything we do promotes the gospel message
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Everyone uses his/her talents in their own way
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The mission of Jesus meets people where they are – not so much to
reshape them but to accept them for who and what they are
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We fulfill the mission of Jesus by forming relationships
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Consider how Jesus interacted with people, not just to heal but to
proclaim the kingdom
How does
the diversity of the ordained and lay ministries complement each other?
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There should be no gap between the two – all should accept and share
responsibility
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There are different (diverse) ways of being church
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Lay leadership should be encouraged and supported (e.g., through
Formation for Ministry)
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All are called to put faith into practice
To what
might the Holy Spirit be calling the
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Spirit is showing us we have much in common
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“End” may not be what the Spirit is calling us to – it may be the
process
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We are becoming Church
What’s
next?
On November
30th, some of those who attended this meeting will gather with
people from the other parishes in our Planning Group
to share their insights into these questions. In late November, a small representative
group will be selected from the parish to represent
us in the 18-month process of planning for the
future. Through all this, your insights
and your prayers are vital as we work together to
respond to the Lord’s call to be His Church.