Regional Mission Statement
We, the Catholic faith community comprised of
the parishes of Immaculate Conception, St. Agnes, and St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton, make up Region 7 of the Diocese of Greensburg. We are a growing,
vibrant community and a natural geographic region rooted in the history
and tradition of the mother parish Immaculate Conception, which began its
ministry in 1863.
Unified by our common baptism and strengthened
by the Holy Spirit, we gather as a region to share the responsibility of
proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. We value the quality of
the liturgy celebrated in our parishes; formation in the faith; service
to the local community and beyond; and the tradition of cooperation and
collaboration among the people of our region.
We pledge to continue to build our future on this
strong foundation by using our collective resources to their fullest for
the benefit of all God's people and our community. We are committed
to support one another in the practice of our faith by encouraging all
Catholics of our region and the diocese to live out their baptismal call
to share Christ's love with all people.
Members
Our whole world is undergoing phenomenal changes at a phenomenal
rate. In politics, economics and technology as sell as in education,
family, communications and entertainment, new ways of conceiving and conducting
ourselves are unfolding constantly. The Church is not immune to these
changes. We live in this world, and we are sent to evangelize this
world as followers of Christ baptized into His mission.
This outlook is the primary impetus behind the Diocese of Greenburg's
plan for regionalization. We need to address the changing conditions
of our day to carry on the timeless task of building God's Kingdom in our
midst. What are some of the specific issues we need to address?
More is called for from far less. The secular nature of our changing
world demands a more self-conscious and diverse strategy for having the
Gospel have impact on people's lives. New Wine, New Wineskins spoke
of the seven essential elements of a fully engaged parish community.
When we analyze these elements, we see that the goal is to acknowledge
the various dimensions of people's lives at all the stages of living and
address them through Church ministries that are theologically, spiritually
and pastorally competent. This approach calls for significant staff
and financial resources. With limitation on both counts, we need
to devise a way to maximize the use of the talents of the lay and clerical
ministries of our local Church and provide them with the tools they need
and with just compensation. Regionalization aims at this objective.
We are Catholic, not congregational. While the local parish is
the place people are touched personally and regularly by the grace that
moves any authentic Church ministry, our Catholic tradition understands
the workings of this grace in a fuller context with broader implications
and meaning. The reality of Church as Christ established it has porous
boundaries between faith communities. We are truly one only if we
are tied to the apostolic office of the bishop in more than a formal way.
The way we conduct ourselves as parishes must reflect a unity of vision
and purpose, and a mutual regard for each other's needs beyond our parishes,
if we are to remain faithful to the Catholic heritage. The office
of bishop is charged by apostolic succession with setting this vision and
direction for the local Church and assuring a shared responsibility for
each other's welfare among the various faith communities. Regionalization
aims at bringing this office closer to where the faith is lived, celebrated
and developed so that a mutuality in Gospel understanding and care might
grow throughout our local Church.
We must respect the particular circumstances of people's faith lives.
While the office of our diocesan bishop is charged with setting the Gospel
vision and direction for our local Church, how this viewpoint is concretely
realized will differ from area to area throughout the four counties of
the diocese. The particular history of a community, its current demographics,
local economic factors, customs and life-style are just a few examples
of how regional character will color the diocesan vision and direction.
A local church is not a monolith where every person walks in lock step
order, clonishly mimicking each other. It is the Body of Christ made
up of different parts each with unique contributions to make towards the
flourishing of the whole. Regionalization provides a way to recognize
legitimate and necessary subsidiary within the local Church without providing
a license for virtual separation from the local church through maverick
pastoral practices.
A new, collaborative style of leadership is required. To engage
all the resources needed to carry out the Gospel vision of our local Church
according to the particular circumstances of each region, both clergy and
lay leadership will have to work to build a consensus among those involved.
This consensus must be based on a shared commitment to the common good.
There is no room for personal agendas to rule here. Leaders help
leaders to perform at their best. Consultation and communication
within and between regions, as well as with the diocese, must be built
into any significant pastoral plan. Patience and perseverance to
assure substantial results must prevail over the "quick fix." The
big picture is held up as the measure for every particular project, and
leadership must hold firm to helping people see and work for the vision,
rather than simply pleasing them by giving in to what they want.
Regions will grow in their identity and effectiveness to the extent that
collaborative leadership is exercised in this sense, for people will
come together to work out what is best for the Church's mission in their
area when they are led by clergy and laity who want the same objective.
Regionalization marks the end of the "Lone Ranger" in ministry and the
beginning of the "team captain" to rally and guide God's people under the
coaching of our local bishop.
There is no magic in the concept of regionalization as a tool to revitalize
our Church. Each of the issues it calls forth demands hard work,
learning new ideas and skills, and ongoing personal growth and maturity
in virtue for everyone involved. It will take time, and it won't
develop overnight or with complete success. It will catch in some
parishes in a region before others, in some people before others, in some
ministries before others. Like the faith in the Risen Lord first
spread from Mary Magdalene to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple, to
all the Twelve, to the 500 brethren, and finally to Paul, who would take
it to the ends of the known world, we trust in the Spirit to nurture and
guide the constancy and consistency of our efforts. The rest is in
God's hands, so let us begin a new the Lord's work.
