I shall use my column this week to inform the people of the Archdiocese about the Guidelines for Pastoral/Spiritual Programmes in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.

The Guidelines are the result of substantial consultation by the Council of Vicars over the last few months with the Department heads of the Archdiocese.

Authorisation for ministry

Authorisation for ministry is traditional in the Catholic Church.  Proper authorisation for ministry is required on all levels of Church life. The norm even applies to bishops in relation to the Holy See.

The system of the Church and the Guidelines listed below are not intended to stifle pastoral initiative. Rather they are designed to assist the bishop in assuring that the teaching and the pastoral care being given to the people are authentically Catholic.

In addition, the Guidelines will help ensure that all those involved in the many ministries of the archdiocese are in sustained dialogue.   

Solidarity

It is my hope that my recently published Pastoral Letter on Deepening the Spirit of Solidarity in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain will be the context in which the Guidelines will be studied and implemented.

Solidarity is an attitude which helps people to care for each other and to choose explicitly to collaborate with each other as they serve others. The application of an attitude of solidarity to the Guidelines is helpful for the people being served because it keeps everyone on the same pastoral page.

It is also helpful for those who serve others because it supports communication and collaboration and reduces programme duplication and personal stress on and among pastoral leaders.

The Text of the Guidelines follows. 
GUIDELINES FOR PASTORAL/SPIRITUAL PROGRAMMES IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PORT OF SPAIN

These Guidelines do not apply to the Administration of the Archdiocese or those who have been explicitly authorised for ministry in the Archdiocese i.e.: Regional Episcopal Vicars for their Vicariates, to Parish Priests/Administrators for their Parishes, to the Departments of the Archdiocese for their competencies, to Religious Communities, to the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei, to Public Associations of Christ’s Faithful, to Associations governed by statutes approved by the Holy See and to the National Service Team of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
All other groups in the archdiocese are required to follow the Guidelines.

Prenote:

Since a number of programmes/liturgies are being offered in the archdiocese by groups of Catholics which operate in good faith, but are not part of the archdiocesan structures, the Council of Vicars has prepared a set of Guidelines for accountability to be followed to clarify similar situations for the future.

The Guidelines are intended to achieve five purposes:

1. They will help to facilitate good order in the archdiocese and to protect the common good;
2. They will explicitly identify the groups of Catholics and the content of the programmes they plan to offer; 
3. They will avoid conflicts with programmes of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, especially those being held in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain;
4. They will avoid conflicts with the programmes of the Vicariates, Parishes and Departments of the Archdiocese which by their nature have a higher priority;
5. They will provide written authorisation for those programmes so the people of the Archdiocese will be assured the programmes are in union with the Church.

Guidelines

1. Any and all pastoral/spiritual programmes to the general population of the Archdiocese or to a general group of people in the archdiocese by any group not included in the structures of the archdiocese must be approved by the Archbishop prior to its being advertised. The process of approval is listed below:
1. – The sponsoring group must name itself;
2. -  If the programme falls within the competence of any Archdiocesan Department, the specifics of the programme and the list of speakers must be submitted to the Department Chairperson for review. The Department Chairperson will then make a recommendation about the proposed programme to the Archbishop’s Office.

For example, an evangelization programme must be reviewed and recommended by the Vicar for Evangelization, a programme for Family Life must be reviewed and recommended by the Vicar for Family Life, a programme for Youth must be reviewed and recommended by the Delegate for Youth who chairs the Secretariat for Youth, etc.

The Archbishop will make the final decision whether the programme is approved.

2) If any speakers on the programme are from outside the archdiocese, they must be approved in advance by filling out the forms for persons coming to the archdiocese for ministry. These forms can be obtained from the Chancellor’s office.

1. No programme will be approved if:

3.1 – the proposed dates conflict with the dates of a programme of the Antilles Episcopal Conference that is being held in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain
3.2 – the proposed dates conflict with the dates of a programme by any of the Departments of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.

The Guidelines become effective on November 1, 2007. The Council of Vicars will reevaluate the effectiveness of the Guidelines in November of 2008.