During this forthcoming anniversary, I wish to share an Experience in light to having worked in different parishes. I have tried to compare and contrast a few things which I wish to share with you as I look forward to celebrating this very important (Three years) as a priest.
Different parish structures:-
1- Traditional structure
2- Retired structure
3- Model structure
In traditional parishes you find:
A. Sacramental structure
a) Only the administration of sacraments is what matter. No time of preparation.
b) Preaching on certain sacraments only.
c) Bury any dead, anoint any sick
d) Opt for saying masses as many as possible
e) Take pride in statistics
f) No room for none Catholics
B. The Man structure
- You find that they are parishes with a patriarch around whom everything is centred. A know-it-all.
- Very sensitive with their priesthood and insistent on titles (Fr). They have people of their own taste to stay around them, and often the “yes” ones.
- They always control the diocese either financially or through certain work they do.
- Always has lots of exaggerated respect for authority and also demands as twice that exaggerated respect for himself.
o Talents of others are abused
o The whole trend seems all right yet deep within is dead.
o Sacraments will be seen as personal property instead of God’s gift to the whole church community. A sacrament calls for community participation with honour and respect
Retired parishes
- Hardly do you find anything going on but complaints and providence.
- Pastoral activities are based on reward mentality- no petrol no safari etc. In the end people think that sacraments are bought. Everybody is on the waiting end. A society of consumers and not producers.
- Such parishes will be identified BAD
- Identified with obesity of clergy
- Identified with lack of availabilities within the parish because there are a lot of holidays and feasts going on.
- Identified with Sundays and feast days and defensive apostolate.
- Identified by the public disgust of people expressed in dirty talks or sometimes empty and exaggerated accusations. By such talks as “no work in this parish”
- By amount of alcohol consumed
- By the way things are e.g. buildings are falling in pieces.
Shaping and preserving society necessarily involves personal dedication, costly risks and constant struggle. In both traditional and retired parishes the dangers are:
• Christians become cargo Christians. It is like a refrigerator where things are okay but dead.
• Priesthood would be understood as a privilege not as a call to be bruised by public service.
• Religion becomes a foreign element.
• It always leads to terrible selfishness.
Model parishes
1. Constant struggle to maintain, find out the experience of the early Christian community.
2. The experience of the mission of Christ himself. Every opportunity is used not to repeat what already happened. Tries to see the trend and signs of the times.
3. Parish where people are working, they realize their limitations and thus foster the concern and aspirations of others.
4. It is the parish of the people and by the people for everybody who becomes involved in its growth.
5. The plans are based on pastoral methods the parish has opted for.
Such parishes are identified by:
a) On-going formation for all the groups of people and all institutions. This is probably based on adult education. There should be a sort of dialogue form but not monolog, a conscientization. A course which makes people come of age.
b) Categorized catechesis or involving catechesis because it is based on adult education
c) Attempts to form Small Christian community (Jumuiya), starting humbly as we descend towards God but not starting from God highly.
d) Apostolate based on research and constant survey and the needs of the community, i.e. relative apostolate.
e) Will be identified with an apostolate which trains for the future.
f) The priest in such parishes is seen as facilitator, coordinator, and adviser but not a dictator, neither relaxed nor retired.
What type of parish do you belong?
Remember me in your daily prayers to be a holy priest and to love my
ministry and to be obedient to the Word of God.
God bless you abundantly and thanks All for your support.
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