A Post-Clerical Synodal, Contemplative Parish
Thanks to David Jackson
Role of Priests in a Synodal Church
Thanks to David Jackson
FROM THE VATICAN OFFICE OF THE SYNOD
How to be a synodal church in mission
INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS extracts
Thanks to David Jackson for creating this worksheet
20th Sunday of the Year. Proverbs 9:1-6; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58
Part of the reflection for the 20th Sunday of the Year, taken from ‘DIALOGUE OF THE HEART ‘Reflections on the Sunday readings of the lectionary’ by David Jackson. Years A and B ( the current year) are available from Amazon, the volume for Year C will be available from this autumn.’ Cost – about £5
Dialogue
Dialogue is a process of formation. It is not new.
At best Bishops, priests and people have been in “dialogue” since the foundation of the Church. But as Pope Francis acknowledges in Evangelii Gaudium it now takes place to meet a specific need –to enable the laity to play their rightful part in dialogue:
“A clear awareness of this responsibility of the laity, grounded in their baptism, does not appear in the same way in all places. In some cases, it is because lay persons have not been given the formation needed to take on important responsibilities. In others, it is because in their particular Churches room has not been made for them to speak and to act, due to an excessive clericalism which keeps them away from decision-making….. The formation of the laity and the evangelization of professional and intellectual life represent a significant pastoral challenge.” (Para 102)
Included here are papers given by speakers at our Open Meetings between 2013 and 2015 which make contributions to what we mean by “dialogue” and how it has emerged from the recent story of Church teaching, from the Second Vatican Council onwards.
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| The Process of Dialogue. David Jackson (2016) | |
| Reflections on Dialogue by Mgr William Steele A paper given to the ACTA meeting at LTU in 2014 | |
| The Spirituality of Dialogue Try using "Dialogue" as a lens to bring old truths of the faith into sharper focus: the Trinity is dialogue; all creation is a word (dialogue) from God; the bible is the record of the divine-human dialogue... | |
| Sat-Nav for Dialogue How do we translate theories about dialogue into practice in our own circumstances. Try this - a Sat-Nav map as guide. Some suggestions from John Sullivan of Hope University. | |
| Why Pope John called the Council Mgr Anthony Boylan, at the ACTA Open Meeting in 2013 | |
| "Evangelii Gaudium" The Joy of the Gospel. A presentation given by Canon Joe Smith and Margaret Siberry at the ACTA Open Meeting of 2015 | |
| The Vision of "Evangelii Gaudium". A talk given by Andrew Thomson at a local ACTA meeting in Harrogate in 2015 | |
| The Principles of Collaborative Ministry. A talk given by Dr.Christine Dodds at the ACTA Open Meeting in 2015 |
Worship, Scripture and Prayer
As well as example liturgies that could be adopted for your own parish use there is advice about leading services – such as Eucharistic services or a funeral service – where no priest is available to serve the community.
Liturgy and worship are core to faith life of each parish. So several examples and ideas are presented here. Along with these are some ideas about exploring our faith more deeply and some ideas for parish information leaflets.
Liturgy resources
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| Example of a Funeral Service Booklet (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Renewal of marriage vows for a couple in the absence of a resident priest (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Example of a Christian Unity gathering (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Leading worship - some thoughts (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Music in Liturgy (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Sample checklists for liturgies (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Reflecting on liturgy in your parish (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Writing and reading the Bidding Prayers (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Proclaiming the Word: being a Reader. (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Celebration of the Word and Eucharist without a priest (Parishes of Hope) |
Celebrating Sacraments
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| Exploring Baptism (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Exploring Sacramental Preparation for Children (Parishes of Hope) | |
| RCIA for Adults (Parishes of Hope) |
Exploring Faith
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| Exploring Scripture (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Model policy for parish, home, school (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Pilgrimage to a neighbouring parish (Parishes of Hope) | |
| RCIA for Adults (Parishes of Hope) |
Parish Information Leaflets
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| Children and Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Children in church (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Not a catholic? - Notes to adapt (Parishes of Hope) |
Community
Just because people come to mass on a Sunday does not mean that there is a vibrant and growing parish community. In this section are resources about how to do things like set up a parish social committee or Liturgy group, about the ways of working that will bring people in and make them feel valued and included.
Practice
How do we make our parishes living communities? Things do not happen by themselves. People have to be prepared to volunteer to help build up a parish community. Many probably hang back because they do not think they have the right sorts of skills. Below you will find some practical ideas around how to go about developing your parish. You won’t find all the answers you want – but we all have to start somewhere. Some of these may seem a bit basic – but only if you are already familiar with these sorts of processes. Many people are not and yet they may have a lot to offer in a parish if we can encourage them in the right way.
Parish Pastoral and Social Practice
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| Youth Activities (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Visiting the sick and housebound (Parishes of Hope) | |
| The Parish Social Committee (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Bereavement Support (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Groups for Single People (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Parish Pastoral Councils - ACTA's 2015 survey of Pastoral Councils in the Leeds Diocese summarised | |
Community
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| Action Planning (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Communicating with new parishioners and visitors (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Emergency Parish Details (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Leaflet for Praishioners (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Parishes of Hope deanery Parish Quiz (Parishes of Hope) | |
| The Parish Bulletin (Parishes of Hope) | |
| The Parish Magazine (Parishes of Hope) |
Finance and Management
| Resource Detail | |
|---|---|
| The Parish Finance and Maintenance Committee (Parishes of Hope) | |
| Example of a Parish Finance Statement (Parishes of Hope) |
At a practical level the development of the parish community requires the skills and leadership of many people. So, here you will find resources to help you in the practical task of being part of the development your own parish community.
Mission / Outreach
Our parish is not a way of avoiding the world outside, though it seems that way when you talk to some people. How do we find out what contribution we can make to the wider community in order to bring the Good News to them? Then, how do we go about doing it?
Dialogue is one way of describing the process whereby the whole people of God – laity and clergy – develop the life of worship and the community of the parish. But these are not simply “ends” in themselves. Saint Pope John Paul 2 says in “On the Threshold of the new millennium (“Novo Millennio Ineunte”) that worship (“contemplating the face of Christ”) and “building a loving communion or communion” are ways of preparing and equipping us to go out to fulfil and follow the way of Christ – in “the loving service of all that exists”. We can call this the mission of the Church, or using our baptismal gifts to be “missionary disciples” of Christ. It can take as many forms as there are needs in the world beyond our church doors. Dialogue makes us missionaries!
| Resource detail | |
|---|---|
| The Justice and Peace Commission website provides much useful information about becoming involved in the wider community | J&P Commission |
| The CAFOD website has many suggestions for getting involved in our global community | National CAFOD |
| A good source of information about what is happening ecumenically in Yorkshire is the West Yorkshire Churches Together website | WYCT |
