In my column last week, I began to offer reflections on the three themes that received consensus support during the retreat/workshop for the Presbyterate and Parish Administrators in Mayaro in May.

As noted last week, the themes will soon be presented to the Religious Communities and the Department Heads and then to the Synod delegates as part of the pre-synod process.

The process since 2005

A brief review of the substantive process that resulted from the approved recommendations from the 2005 Synod may be helpful. (Confer Synod Resolutions, 43-44) The Archdiocese began an unhurried process of consultations which included the following phases:
1) The Parish Assemblies which began in 2006. They dealt with the implementation of the Synod and the identification of pastoral challenges;  
2) The Vicariate Assemblies which considered the same issues as the Parish Assemblies but from the broader viewpoint of the Vicariate;
3) The Parish and Vicariate Assemblies of 2007 which focused on: Social Justice, Catholic Communications, Youth, Evangelisation and Stewardship;
4) The Consultations at the Retreat/Workshop in Mayaro which focused on the Mission of the Church, the Mission of the Archdiocese and the proposed Pastoral Priorities for the Archdiocese;
5) Synod 2008. While the Synod agenda is not yet complete, we know it will consider the drafts of the Mission Statements, the proposed Pastoral Priorities for the Archdiocese, Vicariates, Parishes and finally the “Ministry Templates” for the Parish.

As usual, each department of the archdiocese will have the opportunity to present reports/proposals to the Synod and the Synod delegates will have the opportunity to present questions to each department head about the functioning of their departments.

The second theme

Last week’s column considered the first theme, namely, Regenerating the Moral Life. The second proposed theme is Discipleship and Evangelisation.

For the purposes of clarity, I want to provide the reader with some definitions to help sharpen the reflection:
Discipleship: A Disciple is one who learns from Christ. Discipleship is a lifestyle and life-witness through which all baptized and confirmed persons are called by the Church to live in imitation of Jesus.

Evangelisation: An evangeliser is a messenger or one who announces. In the strict sense, evangelisation is the process of making Christ and the Gospel known to those who have never heard of the gospel of Jesus and/or who live in situations which lack communities sufficiently mature to incarnate the faith.

New Evangelisation: making the gospel known in places with ancient Christian roots where entire groups of the baptised have lost a living sense of the faith or even no longer consider themselves to be members of the Church. They live far from Christ and his gospel.

Determining a pastoral method

It is easy to assume in good faith that we know how to be disciples and evangelizers. However, as the process professionals always say, “assumptions will kill you”. Frequently, assumptions do not stand up to the facts.

Consequently, it is important through prayer, study, personal/group reflection and honest self/group analysis to come to the point when we write down what we think we know about discipleship and evangelisation.

Specifically we have to articulate for ourselves a plan of how to be disciples, how to make disciples and how to evangelize and how to be evangelised. Only when that spiritual process is substantially completed can we truly participate in reflection, sharing, listening and deciding on the pastoral agenda and the pastoral method to face the agenda.  

The process is unending which makes life interesting. When the pastoral agenda and method is finalised and implemented for a reasonable period of time, the agenda must be evaluated for its accuracy and the method for its effectiveness. It may be necessary to nuance the agenda and method to meet changing circumstances.

Synod responsibility

To develop pastoral priorities and the policies to implement them is the responsibility of all members of an archdiocese. In practice, of course, the majority must elect/appoint representatives (delegates) to do the demanding work of preparing documents for study and analysis. It is the delegates who, before God, must make the decisions which will shape, as far as possible, the future of the archdiocese.

We must name the pastoral challenges we are challenged to face e.g. indifferentism. We must address the challenges in dialogue and be open to listening to experts in various fields who can help us respond. We must be as specific as possible because life is not lived in generalities, it is lived in specifics.

The Synod will be asked to approve a specific archdiocesan pastoral plan so the Departments, Vicariates, Parishes, Religious and Ecclesial Communities of the Archdiocese can continue to respond together to the challenges the Church must confront.    

As this process takes place, it forms a pastoral community. As that pastoral community becomes an implementing body on the archdiocesan, vicariate and parish level, the pastoral community grows in numbers and in experience. Soon significant skills develop. Eventually, you have what the Synod prayer asks for – “A Church Alive”.

Conclusion

The Pauline Year (Confer my column on The Pauline Year in the May 4, 2008 edition of the Catholic News) is in my opinion a very helpful context for the Synod process.

Paul brought pastoral presence, zeal and systemic catechesis to his evangelizing, missionary ministry. Whenever possible, he returned to the Churches he established to motivate them to grow in relationship with the Lord and in fidelity to the new covenant.

Paul understood that life, personal and corporate, never stands still. The Church in 2008 must use the same understanding to fulfill its pastoral responsibilities.

It must continually read the signs of the times in prayerful dialogue and adapt its pastoral methods to meet new challenges and to strengthen pastoral motivation which may have grown tired.

Many developments in the archdiocese which did not exist when the Synod process began in 2003 are now part of everyday life in the archdiocese. The implementation of the Synod sessions has touched the lives of many people.

The synod process must not only continue, it must intensify and broaden. We must shape the future of the Church as Paul did as disciples who are willing to evangelise.
Please pray the Synod prayer each day!

Synod Prayer

Almighty God,
You have called us to be your Church here in
Trinidad and Tobago.

Be with us in the power of
Your Spirit as we move forward
together, striving to continue the
work begun at our Synod.

Send forth your light and your
truth – let these be our guide.

Protect us from all that may lead us astray.
Keep us united in constant prayer with Mary,
our mother, so that together we may make
Your Church alive and present
in our land.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen