And miles to go

Two Policies to Implement:

Plan for Parishes and Program for Safe Environment

With this issue of the Prairie Catholic, two significant projects, which have absorbed a great deal of time, study, discussion and consultation, now reach a new level of resolution and begin a further process of implementation. The first is the promulgation of our Plan for Parishes: Hope for Years to Come and the second is the promulgation of our Diocesan Policy on the Protection of Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse.

With regard to the former, our Diocese has been working for many years to identify adequate resources, in terms of personnel, finances and physical structures, to carry out effectively the mission of the Church, that is: 1) to proclaim the Word and educate in the faith; 2) to give fitting Worship to God in the assembly of the faithful; 3) to Serve the needs of the poor, the sick, the vulnerable and the disenfranchised; 4) to exercise proper Stewardship over Church personnel, finances, properties and activities.

Serious challenges have arisen in our local Church because of a decrease in the number of active priests, the shifting of residential population due to the farm crisis and urban sprawl and the aging of a large portion of those who make up our Sunday congregations. While we have tried to "cluster" parishes by leaving each parish community on its own and stretching the services of the clergy, we are now finding that this approach will simply no longer work. Instead, a new approach, outlined in today’s issue, seeks to maximize our strengths by not duplicating our efforts in a collaborative adventure called an Area Faith Community.

The theological foundation for this concept is rooted in the existence of the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the Godhead, each person has a unique identity and yet each person shares in the very existence and mission of the others, for they are one. It is a mystery as to how this can be, yet in faith we know it is so. The Church is meant to model herself on God’s life which is the very source and substance of her life. Our participation in that life is most perfectly expressed when we share in the Sunday Eucharist. Here the whole community of faith gathers not only to give God worship and praise, but to participate in God’s life by Word and Sacrament. This is why every parish must define itself by the celebration of a Sunday Mass. Being a Eucharistic Church is essential to who we are as a Catholic community of faith.

There are some smaller parishes (10 in all) where we will soon not be able to provide a Sunday liturgy. Parishioners will be asked to register and attend Sunday Mass in one of he parishes that make up an Area Faith Community. The remaining church building(s) will become an oratory and will be integrated into the life of the Area Faith Community for limited sacramental celebrations (such as weddings and funerals), for religious instruction or for spiritual devotion. That determination, together with decisions on maintenance and support, will be decided by the Area Pastoral Council in consultation with the Diocesan Committee on Parishes and myself.

At the same time, the other parishes and smaller parishes in the Area Faith Community will work together to organize programs, sponsor activities and share facilities.

The Plan is not radical, but it will require a new way of envisioning our Catholic way of life. It will require us to have what the Holy Father calls a "spirituality of communion" which is a greater identity with the Body of Christ, making room for more of our Catholic brothers and sisters and sharing in their burdens as well as their joys.

The Plan for Parishes is not an end in itself since its focus is primarily organizational. The other essential "bricks" in the building of a five year plan for the Diocese are: 1) an annual diocesan stewardship appeal; 2) more focused recruitment of priestly and religious vocations; and 3) establishing a program for the formation of lay ecclesial ministers. These four components will prepare us, I hope by 2005-2006, to begin a three year program for Evangelization wherein practicing Catholics can be re-energized in their faith and those who have fallen away or never known the faith might be invited to accept the message of Jesus Christ as their own.

Secondly, I am announcing in today’s issue our Diocesan Policy on the Protection of Children and Youth that brings us into conformity with the national policy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In September, we were audited by the Bishops’ national office and judged to be in compliance with the Dallas Charter and Norms. With the publication of this policy, I am also making public the historical incidences of clerical sexual abuse in this Diocese over the past forty-six years of our existence. While the cases are not proportionately numerous, what is not told here is the suffering of those who were victimized. I can never say often enough how sorry I am for even one act of sexual abuse on the part of a priest. Unfortunately we cannot change the past, but we can do everything possible to ensure the future and that is what we are attempting to do with the policies and programs that are being established. I pray that with our continuing focused attention, this evil will be removed from any Church context and even from the society at large.

As I indicated above, these two projects have been major undertakings for us. I am grateful to all those who worked so hard to accomplish them. I had better not begin naming persons, but they know who they are . . . and so does God. We in the Diocese are indebted to them for their generous and dedicated service.

May the good work that we have only begun here be carried out, with God’s grace, to a successful conclusion!

May God bless you!

November 2003

Falta Mucho por Recorrer

Nuestra Iglesia local enfrenta serios desafíos tales como el bajo número de sacerdotes activos, la población de la zona rural que se muda a la ciudad por la crisis en la agricultura y el crecimiento urbano descrontrolado y el envejecimiento de un gran número de los que forman nuestra congregación dominical. A pesar de haber intentado "agrupar" iglesias dejando a un lado a cada comunidad parroquial por su cuenta y extendiendo los servicios del clero, ahora es que nos estamos dando cuenta que este planteamineto de acción no dará resultado. En vez, un nuevo planteamiento, en esta edición encontrará el bosquejo, la cual busca extender nuestras fuerzas al máximo al no duplicar nuestros esfuerzos en una aventura colaborativa que se llama Comunidad de Fe del Area.

Hay 10 parroquias pequeñas donde pronto no se les podrá proporcionar una liturgia dominical. Los feligreses tendrán que registrarse y asistir a la misa dominical en una de las parroquias que conformarán la Comunidad del Area. Esas iglesias que ya no se utilizen pasarán hacer un oratorio y serán integrados a la vida de la Comunidad de Fe del Area para celebraciones sacramentales limitadas (tales como bodas y funerales), para la enseñanza religiosa o la devoción espíritual. Esta determinación, junto con las decisiones de mantenimiento y de apoyo serán decididos por el Consejo Pastoral de Fe del Area en consulta con el Comité Diocesano de Parroquias y un servidor.

Al mismo tiempo, las demas parroquias y las parroquias más pequeñas que forman la Comunidad de Fe del Area trabajarán juntos para organizar programas, patrocinar actividades y compartir las facilidades.

El Plan para Parroquias no es un fin en sí ya que su enfoque primordial es la organización. Los otros "cimientos" escenciales en la edificación de un plan de cinco años para la Diócesis son: 1) una Petición Diocesana Anual; 2) mayor enfoque en el reclutamiento de sacerdotes y vocaciones a la vida religiosa; y 3) establecer un programa para la formación de ministros laicos eclesiásticos. Estos cuatro componentes nos preparán, yo espero para el 2005-2006, para empezar un programa de tres años de evangelización, para que los católicos practicantes puedan ser revigorizados en su fe y también para los que se han alejado o nunca hallan conocido la fe puedan ser invitados a aceptar el mensaje de Jesucristo como el suyo.

En Segundo lugar, en la edición de hoy también estoy anunciando la Política Diocesana en la Protección de Niños y Jóvenes que nos trae en conformidad con la política nacional de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos. En septiembre, fuimos auditoreados por el Consejo Nacional de Obispos y deliberó que nuestra diócesis esta en conformidad con el Charter y las Normas de Dallas. Con la publicación de esta política estoy también anunciando publicamente de los incidentes históricos de abuso sexual que por cuarenta y seis años de nuestra existencia ocurrió por parte del clero en esta diócesis. Mientras que los casos no son proporcionalmente numerosos, lo que no se ha mencionado aquí es el sufrimiento de los que fueron víctimas. Nunca me cansare de decir cuanto pesar me causa, el hecho que un solo acto de abuso sexual por parte de un sacerdote ocurra. Desafortunadamente no podemos cambiar el pasado, pero ahora podemos hacer todo lo posible para proteger el futuro y eso es lo que estamos procurando hacer con las políticas y programas que se están estableciendo. Rezo para que con nuestro enfoque continuo esta maldad pueda ser removido de toda la iglesia y a la larga hasta de la sociedad.

Como les indiqué al principio, estos dos proyectos han sido una tarea muy importante para nosotros. Estoy agradecido a todos los que han trabajado arduamente para que todo esto se lleve a cabo. Prefiero no nombrar a nadie, pero ellos saben quienes son…y Dios también lo sabe. Nosotros en la diócesis estamos endeudados con todos por su servicio generoso y dedicación.

Que el buen trabajo que recien hemos empezado, continue, con la gracia de Dios, y llegue a tener un final exitoso.

íQue Dios los bendiga!