The Catholic Moment Article

If you were to ask any of the men in our diocese who are ordained as permanent deacons how they experienced the call to their vocation, you would hear a number of different accounts as to how the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit stirred their hearts.  Ask these same men about how they experience their ministry, and you would hear about the passion they have for proclaiming the Word of God, preaching the Good News and  their ministry of service to the people of God, particularly those in need of spiritual and personal healing.  Said more simply—it is following the example of our Savior’s ministry on earth of teaching and serving.

The ministry of the deacon is one that all Catholics share in by virtue of the graces that flowed over each of us at our Baptism.  Our calling is to share in the ministry of our Savior by building up his church on earth.  Jesus tells us that we are, “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. Mt 5:13-14

I contemplate all of this with you now because I have been on this planning journey for several months. The reflections that have washed over me, led me to the realization that Uniting in Heart is beyond the facts and data I have shared with you.  Instead, the facts and data are an awakening that the post-Christian era we live in is trying to pull us away from living our faith lives.  This is why the focus of Uniting in Heart is much, much more than facts and numbers.  It is about who we are as Catholics living our faith and focusing on Mission, Community, and Witness—the  Three Pillars of the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan.

In preparation of the Deanery meetings taking place this coming week, I would like to share some more information about these three pillars with you. As you contemplate these three pillars, please know that each are rooted in Sacred Scripture and that praying over these passages can help us understand how God is calling us to respond.

The first pillar, Mission, is based on the idea of missionary discipleship. We are each called by Christ to have a personal encounter with Him. However, it is not only our own encounter, but also Christ’s desire that we should invite others in our parish and in the community around our parish to have an encounter with him. Mission is about fostering opportunities for prayer and worship for all. Additionally, each of us should actively help each other recognize and respond to the calling, or vocation, that God is giving us. This pillar rests on the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel sometimes referred to as The Commissioning of the Disciples. (Mt. 28:16-20)  Verse 19 is of particular importance to the mission pillar.

The second pillar, Community, is all about the vibrancy and vitality of our parishes and schools; this vibrancy should extend to the communities around us.  We must focus on new ways to create vibrant parish life, and engage with our youth through our schools and communities. Better pastoral planning will allow parishes to achieve strong mission vitality through allocation of proper resources, pastoral initiatives and sustainable operations. And, if we pro-vide good leadership and development programs for our priests, staff and lay leaders, they will be better stewards of our resources. The community pillar rests on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  1 Cor. 12:27-31 speaks of the many gifts that each of us contributes as members of the Body of Christ.  May we “strive for the greater gifts.”

The third pillar, Witness, is just what it sounds like. The Holy Spirit is urging all of us to be witnesses to the mercy of God and our redemption in Jesus Christ. Referencing what I spoke of earlier, which might be the most challenging for all of us, is the need to put our faith in action. To follow the example of our Savior in his mission to teach and serve those around us. We should engage our faith communi-ties and society in order to foster justice and peace and bring Jesus Christ to the world. This final pillar rests on another passage from the Gospel of Matthew.  Mt. 25: 31-46 is a reminder that Christ calls us to recognize him in all people that we encounter, and that we are to reach out to those who are in need, spiritually and physically.

The Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan will be presented to you over the course of a two-hour meeting with the help of Power Point slides and the team from Partners Edge. There will also be time for you to share what you see as strengths, concerns and opportunities to improve the plan.

If you cannot attend one of the five deanery meetings on June 25, 26 or 27, the Office of Communications will be making information about the plan available on the diocesan web site: www.dol-in.org/uih and in a special digital edition of The Catholic Moment on June 28.

For the moment, the opportunity that we have is to consider how each of us might experience the in dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and to envision where the call of the Holy Spirit will lead us in our ministry of Mission, Community and Witness.