| Frequently Asked Questions |
The following are questions often asked about pastoral planning in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. If you have a question about pastoral planning, you may well find the answer here. Click on any of the questions below to go to that answer. If you do not find the answer to your question here, please feel free to contact us to ask the question. You may also want to review the PPNM2 Policy Document and the PPNM2 Configuration Planning Process. New Questions Added December 1
1. What is Pastoral Planning?The goal of the PPNM2 process of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is to ensure that the vitality of parishes and faith communities is sustained and further enhanced in light of a number of changes within the environment in which they operate. It is a process that utilizes the immense talent and growing presence of lay leaders working in collaboration with priests, deacons, and women religious.
2. What are the issues and forces that drive the pastoral planning process?
There are many forces driving this process, including the continued decline in the number of active diocesan priests available to serve our nearly 200 parishes and faith communities. The Center for Applied Research for the Apostolate (CARA), based at Georgetown University, projects that the number of active diocesan priests available to serve the faithful will diminish from the current level of nearly 140 to 62 by the year 2025 – a decline of 60%. Other factors that drive the process are changing demographic and economic conditions, and a shift in population from rural and urban areas that have weakened the vitality and financial stability of area parishes.
3. What does it mean to be a vital parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester?In some ways, it is impossible to answer this question fully and completely. The diversity of our diocese and its faith communities makes a simple answer unrealistic and deceptive. Yet, there are some common elements that are indications of life. First, a vital parish in this diocese actively supports the ongoing mission and vision of the diocese. Second, a vital parish actively engages with its local community, seeking to bring God’s peace and justice to the life of its community and especially to those who are marginalized. Third, a vital faith community has the physical, human, and financial resources to support its liturgical, sacramental, and pastoral life. To the extent that a parish or faith community finds itself lacking sufficient life in any of these areas, it must ask itself challenging questions about its ability to sustain an appropriate level of vitality by itself, whether it can achieve that level through collaborative actions with other faith communities, or whether it should not continue as an individual faith community. Fourth, a universal sign of life is growth. Regardless of its material circumstances, a vital faith community is growing. Through its proclamation and its living of the gospel, it attracts men and women who are seeking meaning and wholeness in their lives. A community enlivened by the Spirit is a community marked by an active hospitality, a radical openness to all, and a concern for spiritual healing. For a fuller description of a vital parish, see A Vision of a Vital Parish in the Diocese of Rochester.
Configuration
4. What different models of configuration have emerged in planning groups as a result of PPNM I?
A great collaborative spirit has developed as a result of the planning process. Planning groups and member parishes have devised new and innovative strategies that enable them to share human and material resources to enhance their collective vitality and to meet the needs of parishioners. During the first five years of pastoral planning, clusters containing two to six parishes have emerged as well as merged or consolidated parishes with multiple worship sites. In some situations, stronger relationships have been forged between parishes and campus, migrant, and prison ministries.
5. How effective have these been? The models that have emerged have proven effective in increasing the vitality of the faith communities involved. For some the changes were difficult, as parochial ties are not easily dismissed. For the collective faithful, however, the changes have brought new life, increased vitality and a spirit of collaboration that has led to a sharing of gospel values with larger, more diverse communities. We have learned, though, that some structures placed undue burdens on our pastoral leaders. In response, Bishop Clark has asked that, in PPNM2, planning groups develop configuration models in which no pastor is responsible for more than three parishes and that clustered parishes move in the direction of becoming one parish under civil and church law.
6. Can we expect more of the same in PPNM2? Most likely, yes. The fact that the number of diocesan priests and priest pastors is diminishing fairly rapidly demands that we face the challenges posed and asks faith communities to plan for that future and to position themselves to meet the sacramental, spiritual and social needs of their members.
8. Is it possible and allowable for us to function as a parish without a priest pastor? Under Canon Law, the Bishop can entrust the pastoral care of a parish to a person other than a priest pastor. In fact, he can entrust that care to a lay person or permanent deacon (i.e. a Pastoral Administrator) according to the guidelines established for the Diocese. In most situations the assumption of the responsibility for the pastoral care of a community and the consequent accountability to the Bishop usually require the appointment of a full time professional minister even though he or she may be serving more than one faith community. While part time staff and volunteers are important elements of a vital parish, it would be difficult for such people to provide the leadership and accountability required of a parish.
9. Are there models of effective parishes without priests? There are. In our own diocese, we have 13 parishes with pastoral administrators rather than full time resident priests. These pastoral administrators function as pastors in all areas except the celebration of sacraments; however, Canon Law reserves the title of “pastor” to priests. By all accounts, these parishes are vital and alive. A priest is assigned as sacramental minister to celebrate the sacraments for such a community.
10. How do we accomplish the functions of a parish without a full-time priest? Apart from the sacramental functions of the parish reserved to priests--Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick--all functions of a parish can be accomplished without a priest if that becomes necessary. Baptism and Matrimony can be and often are celebrated by permanent deacons. Preaching, pastoral counseling, sacramental preparation, and parish leadership can be and often are provided by qualified, certified lay persons as well as permanent deacons. Currently there are approximately 95 permanent deacons and 500 lay people involved in pastoral care in the Diocese. Whether or not priests are available, parishes must assess their ability to afford the people to provide ministry as well as questions about the quality and life giving style of that ministry.
Information
11. Will each Planning Group have information on the number of priests it can count on in its planning?
Prior to beginning PPNM2, the Office of Pastoral Planning will provide each group with the most specific information possible on the number of priests that should be available to the group over the next five- and ten-year periods. In addition, each group will have information on the policies that guide the assignment of priests to specific situations.
12. Will this process have an impact on parish life?The overriding goal of our planning process is to sustain and increase the vitality of parishes and faith communities. Some of the possible outcomes – consolidation of parishes, reduced Mass schedules and the sharing of human and material resources – may represent challenges but are designed solely to sustain and enhance the life of our local church. This process is not about reducing the scope of the Church but rather about increasing its scope by increasing its vitality.
13. Won’t this whole thing be driven by numbers, rather than the spirit? If numbers alone would provide the answer, there would no need for this planning process and the involvement of members of parishes and faith communities. Numbers that measure the human and other resources available to our Church are important as diagnostic indicators in the process of reading and facing the signs of our times. What we do about the challenges and opportunities, however, cannot be determined by these or any other numbers. This process relies on both qualitative and quantitative information and on the faith-based creativity of clergy and lay people. Our response to the signs of our times must come from our full humanity enlivened by the Spirit.
Process
14. Is this short term or long term planning? Each Planning Group will plan for a five-year period but the diocese also requires groups to look at a future in which available priests will be even fewer in number. Providing planning groups 5- and 10-year projections enables them to build their immediate 5-year plans in accord with realistic future projections.
It is not a given that parish configurations will change in every group. However any changes in a parish are typically accompanied by pain and discomfort for many parishioners. In some ways, we need to become more Church and less parish yet not diminish our personal engagement with the members of our parish or faith community. It will not be easy. Each Planning Group undergoing significant changes should create rituals, communications, and other means of helping people honor yet move beyond the past and celebrate the new.
Decision Making
16. To what extent will parishioners’ input make a difference? The planning process requires broad, two-way communication with parishioners-at-large, parish pastoral councils, and staff so that there is agreement on the pastoral plan to be presented to Bishop Clark for his approval. According to church law, certain aspects of a Planning Group plan require approval by the Bishop after specified processes have been followed: e.g., sale or purchase of property, investment of Diocesan funds, reconfiguration of parishes, assignment of priests and pastoral administrators. Pastoral plans will be affirmed if they effectively address the short and long term issues identified by the Bishop in a letter to the particular planning group at the beginning of the pastoral planning process and if they are consistent with the constraints previously established by him. The Bishop also has appointed a Diocesan Pastoral Planning Council (DPPC), comprising more than 65 lay and ordained representatives from throughout the diocese to provide “grassroots” feedback and direction to the planning process.
17. Will the Planning Group be the decision making body?
The Planning Group is the group responsible for leading the pastoral planning process and developing the pastoral plan. The proposed plan needs to affirmed by parish/faith community pastoral councils before being presented to the Bishop.
18. How much input will the total parish have in the plans?
While most of the work of analysis, assessment, and planning will be done by a planning team, the results of the analysis and planning must have standing with the entire faith community. Thus the pastoral planning process includes review and feedback from parishioners and staff and agreement by the pastoral councils of the parishes and faith communities.
19. In the end, won’t the Bishop and the Pastoral Center staff do what they want regardless of what we plan?
This question comes up in a number of different forms. At its base is a perception or a concern that a plan already exists and that no matter how well a Planning Group follows the process, if it deviates from that plan, the Bishop will not accept the Planning Group recommendations. There is no plan. Pastoral Planning for the New Millennium describes a set of policies used to guide the planning process but it does not make final decisions about planning issues. It is the local planning group leadership who coordinates the effort to devise the particular configurations, Mass schedules, staffing patterns, etc. that will best suit the needs of the particular planning group given the circumstances that they face.
20. How can a small group do the planning for all the parishes and faith communities of a planning group?
A small group cannot do the planning for an entire planning group. It can do the assessment and analytical work, create possible models for the future, and then involve the parishes and faith communities in a review and affirmation of its conclusions. The small group also benefits from ongoing input from the larger community.
Shortage of Priests
21. If we didn’t have a shortage of priests, would we be doing this pastoral or strategic planning?
Strategic planning usually addresses challenges or issues that “business as usual” cannot handle. If we were not facing a shortage of priests, we probably would not be involved in a comprehensive and systematic process of planning. While this planning initiative may be driven by this shortage, it seeks to address a broad range of issues all bearing on the vitality of parishes and faith communities. Ultimately, there exist other issues that, in addition to the decline in the number of priests, are driving the planning process. Those include a shift in population from urban and rural areas and its impact on those faith communities, a growing but aging population of faithful, and other socio-economic factors.
22. How will this impact the availability of Mass? The availability of Mass is directly affected by the number of priests and their location. As that number declines, there will be fewer Masses in any given location. This planning process, though, looks at more than the availability of Mass. It seeks to assess the vitality of parish life and to increase that vitality through collaborative action. Part of that collaborative action might well be increased cooperation on the timing and location of Masses so that availability for a specific Planning Group might not be affected substantially.
23. If there is a shortage of priests, what is the Diocese doing to recruit men into the priesthood?
The Diocese has an active vocations program, which includes the involvement of several diocesan priests as well as a full time Director of Vocations Awareness. Priests and staff visit schools and parishes, hold annual retreats and engage in a variety of additional activities to invite interested men to the process of discernment. There is a concerted effort to promote priestly vocations, to inform people of this opportunity to serve God’s people, to support men in their discernment process, and to assist them throughout the formation and education process.
24. Why is there no consideration given to seeking priests from the universal church?
Currently we have many priests who are from outside the Diocese, including some from outside the United States who serve in a part time capacity while pursuing their education at universities and colleges within the Diocese. We have welcomed priests from the universal Church whose own pastoral call has led them to live either permanently or temporarily in the United States. We have not diverted time and resources from our domestic vocation efforts to the recruitment of foreign priests. Differences in language and pastoral leadership styles make the recruitment of foreign priests a difficult and time consuming task. The United States and Canada have more priests per Catholics and fewer Catholics per parish than all other major geographic areas of the Church. For example, Africa has 46 percent more Catholics than the United States and Canada but 64 percent fewer priests and 64 percent fewer parishes. The Bishop has chosen to devote our limited resources to the development of our own vocations rather than further exacerbate the more serious priest shortage in other countries.
25. 
What
is the justification for appointing pastoral administrators (non-priest
pastoral leaders) when there are non-retired priests that are serving
in roles other than pastor?Bishop Clark has made clear that
he desires to appoint a pastor for each of the diocese’s parishes. Given
the number of parishes and the number of priests, this is not possible. Therefore,
in accord with canon 517.2, he has appointed non-priests to provide
pastoral leadership when it is not possible to appoint a priest as
pastor. While only a priest can be appointed as pastor, not every
priest will necessarily have the experience, health, desire, and/or
aptitudes to serve as pastor. The judgment of the suitability
of a priest to serve as a pastor and to serve in a specific setting
is made by the Bishop in consultation with the Priest Personnel Board. While
ordination is a necessary requirement to be appointed pastor, it does
not necessarily confer the abilities, skills, and qualities required
for effective pastoral leadership.
26. Why doesn’t the Bishop recruit and/or accept priests from countries that have a surplus of priests in order to maintain our current parishes and Mass schedules?Various countries are mentioned as having more priests that they need. Without trying to determine what it means to have a surplus of priests, it is clear that the United States in general and the Diocese of Rochester in particular are far from having the greatest number of Catholics per priest. The Diocesan average of approximately 1400 Catholics per priest is at the U. S. average and well below the averages in Africa (5,000), Central America including Mexico (7,000) and South American (7,000.) (These averages are based on all priests both retired and active.) Arguably, then, if there were national or regional churches that have “too many priests” for their pastoral needs, these priests should more logically move to these areas of greatest need. However, both the Bishops of the United States and the Holy See have issued recent documents about the use of priests from other countries, especially mission countries. In early 2003, the U.S.C.C.B. Committee on Migration revised its Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the United States. While there may be many reasons for priests from other countries coming to the United States, the Committee is especially interested in those coming to minister to “immigrant communities whose language and culture require specialized interventions during their period of transition.” The document also references the Instruction on the Sending Abroad and Sojourn of Diocesan Priests from Mission Territories issued by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, April 2001. This document recognizes three reasons for diocesan priests to be absent from their home dioceses: academic study in fields not available in home diocese, ministry to emigrates from the home country, and, in unusual circumstances, escape from persecution, war, or other serious matters. The first two are typically time-limited arrangements with ongoing approval by both bishops. We currently have such arrangements to minister to our migrant, Vietnamese, Polish, and Lithuanian communities. Neither the USCCB nor the Congregation envisions the importation of priests from other countries for purposes other than those mentioned. If such importation were envisioned, it would be more logical in dioceses that are dealing with overwhelming population growth rather than dioceses with stable populations whose churches are on average half empty for Masses of Sunday obligation.
Other Questions
27. How will this planning affect our parish school? In areas outside Monroe County, Catholic schools are parish based and generally supported by the parishes from which students come. In a parish where a Catholic school is an important ministry, it will naturally be included in a review of the life of the parish. How such a review might affect a specific school would depend upon the insights and plans developed by the parish and the Planning Group. In some cases the Bishop might ask a particular planning group to assess the vitality of a school and propose changes. Within Monroe County, PPNM2 is not involved in an assessment of the county-wide Catholic school system.
28. How will this stimulate creativity rather than simply working from old models?
This process does not have a specific set of solutions or collaborative actions in mind. Planning Groups will be given a set of diverse models and examples to stimulate their thinking about possible solutions to challenges and key issues.
