A PowerPoint-based retreat I led in November, 2002 for a parish Pastoral Council. It utilizes a current excplanation of the rights and responsibilities of laypeople in the Catholic Church as well as the basic material of "Who Moved My Cheese?"

1. The Parish Pastoral Council: Agents of Grace in a Church Full of Change

3. It’s All About Change Haw now realized that the change probably would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and if he had anticipated change. He stopped for a rest and wrote on the wall of the Maze: Smell the Cheese often so you know when it is getting old. Ecclesia semper reformandum: The Church is always changing. We have all reaped the benefits of change in the Church. As Parish Pastoral Council Members and as Clergy, we must also accept, initiate and manage change for the good of the church, within our Parish community.

8. Communion Parish Pastoral Councils give us a structure and a means to exercise our communion by seeking ways to be Christ in this world and to further the reign of God. Communion or fellowship speaks of unity within parish life, which is based on the equality of all believers . The foundation of this communion is Baptism , which can be understood as our common vocation to the ministry of the church. Through Baptism we are joined by Jesus in the life of the Trinity and in our being called to share in Jesus’ mission. All of us have received this call, no matter what our position in the church (or the world) may be. All of us are called to be disciples of Christ and to proclaim and enable the coming of God’s reign. But the very heart of the concept of communion is participation . We as baptized members of the church, share in the ministry of Christ, “in accord with the condition proper to each one.” ( LG )

9. Collegiality Parish Councils offer the parishioners the opportunity to exercise collegiality to further the mission of Christ, in union with those in Holy Orders. The idea of communion leads to the notion of collegiality. If there is to be true communion among the baptized, there has to be collegiality between ordained clergy and lay men and women. Lumen Gentium 33-37 teaches that the laity’s mission comes through Baptism and Confirmation and consequently the layperson has the right and often the duty to give his or her judgment on the church’s internal affairs. This is even reflected in the 1983 Code of Canon Law ( CIC 212:2).

12. What? Pray?? The Pastoral Council needs to spend time together in prayer and retreat experiences for the growth of Christ’s community of faith and love. Significant time for prayer should be a scheduled part of each meeting. Formation opportunities should be provided on a regular basis. What are the basics of Parish Council prayer? A warm and inviting atmosphere that helps the group be attentive to the presence of God’s Spirit in their midst. Prayers that reflect the liturgical seasons, work of council, or address needs of the community. Use scripture, portions of the Liturgy of the Hours , or Church Documents to shape the prayer and establish the theme. Silence and/or time for quiet reflection is an important part of prayer. Include time for quieting down at the beginning to help everyone settle and be open to the wisdom of the Spirit. Prayer may be done at anytime during the meeting, but prayer at the beginning is preferred.

14. The Finance Council The Parish Finance Council and the Parish Pastoral Council are distinct and separate. They are related, however, since both are concerned with the life and mission of the parish. Each community is to foster a cooperative relationship between the two. CIC 537 In each parish there is to be a finance committee to help the parish priest in the administration of the goods of the parish, without prejudice to can. 532. It is ruled by the universal law and by the norms laid down by the diocesan Bishop, and it is comprised of members of the faithful selected according to these norms. CIC 532 In all juridic affairs the pastor represents the parish according to the norm of law. He is to take care that the goods of the parish are administered according to the norm of cann. 1281-1288.

15. The Code prescribes that the Finance Council be distinct from the Pastoral Council because each has responsibility for distinct aspects of parish life and the membership of each is different. Both Councils are consultative to the Pastor; the Pastoral Council in formulating the pastoral plan and the Finance Council in financing. The Finance Council looks to the Pastoral Council for a statement of the mission of the parish , a pastoral plan and parish priorities . The Pastoral Council looks to the Finance Council for sound financial guidance and planning regarding the resources needed to develop and implement parish plans, programs and policies. The Finance Council’s recommendations deal with financial plans and policies and not with ordinary matters of day-to-day administration. Cooperation may be realized in some of the ways that follow. Regular reports can be exchanged between the two Councils. The Parish Finance Council may choose one of its members to be a liaison to the Pastoral Council Taken from the Diocese of Cleveland’s Parish Finance Council Policy

21. Church Structure (prior to Vatican II)

22. Church Structure (since Vatican II) There are five divisions of the Church, known as orders , based on the Sacraments. Within each order, and among them, is to be communication, cooperation and a sharing in the responsibilities of the work of the Church. The lay faithful participate in the life of the Church not only exercising their tasks and charisms, but in many other ways. Such participation finds its first and necessary expression in the life and mission of the particular (parish) Church ( Christifideles Laici, 25).

24. Describe a situation at Saint Francis of Assis where you or others are having a difficulty with change. Before we continue… How do you personally feel about the situation? How do you think the situation will turn out? Your observations are for your own use only, though we may be referring to these situations as we move along.

28. So…Who are we? There are parts of Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry in us. Sniff is aptly named. For whatever reason, he sniffs out change at its earliest point and communicates the need to change to others. He acts out of instinct, never out of boredom. Scurry is the initiator of change, picking up where Sniff leaves off. Not acting out of sheer impulse, he takes action quickly while managing new (or changing!) situations. Hem is more complex than the mice, and therefore more difficult. He resists and resents change which impacts that which he feels he is entitled to, and reacts forcefully at first, then turns to sullenness and despair, never moving at all. Haw is only different than his counterpart in one respect – he moves from the shock of change to an understanding of why change must happen. He then moves forward and anticipates real achievement – which only happen by changing.

30. Managing a Major Parish-Wide Change Change is something we have to deal with in one way or another. How we anticipate, implement, manage and accept change is critical to the success of whatever it is we’re changing, and to our ownership and value of it. As lay people called by our Baptism to aid in the support of the Parish and to take a share of the labors of its Pastor, we often work with change more than we realize. Now is time to take our “cheese” to work!

31. THE SCENARIO: An increase in Parish population has caused severe overflows to occur in the new Church at any given weekend Mass. At the same time, the demographics of the population reveal a need for more formation-related activity, to be scheduled in a manner accessible to them. After much discussion and anticipation, the decision has been made to increase the number of Weekend Masses, with their times moved to accommodate more Parish-related and formation-related activities : Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass Sunday 8:00 a.m. Mass 9:30 a.m. Mass 11:00 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. P.R.E.P. 12:30 p.m. Mass 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Optional Activity 5:30 p.m. Mass 7:00 – 9:00 Youth / Young Adult Groups

32. YOUR TASK: Using the topics learned and discussed in the Who Moved My Cheese? text, and the ongoing call of the larger Church to increase the participation and formation of the laity, convince the Parish population that this change is the most appropriate one to make. You should be able to perform this task by means of one-on-one conversations with parishioners who may (or may not) understand or accept the motives or the goals behind the change. Good Luck!