Organising
for Communion and Mission
Most
of us experience the Church in our parishes, day to day, week to
week. It is there that we come to know our fellow Christians, there
that we celebrate joyous moments as well as sad moments in our own lives
and the lives of others. The church building in which we gather is familiar
and holds within it memories as well as signs of hope for the future.
It is there that we celebrate the Eucharist and from there that we go
out again into our world.
Hardly
surprising then, that for many people the idea of belonging to a
diocese comes second. This is not to say that we do not appreciate our
membership of the Diocese of Portsmouth but our regular experience is
of our parish community. A visit by the Bishop, the arrival of the latest
issue of Portsmouth People, a pilgrimage to Aylesford, they all help
- but the strongest bond is with the parish.
This
is often the case because we have certain ideas of what the diocese
is all about. I have heard it described as simply an 'administrative
area', a 'grouping of parishes', 'just a geographical area'. In fact,
the diocese is where the local church is to be found. The 'local church'
is not the parish but the diocese. Key to this is the role of the Bishop:
praying for "John Paul our Pope and Crispian our Bishop" in
the eucharistic prayer is a summary of the way in which our communion
is expressed. In this diocese our communion with the Bishop is an expression
of our unity in Christ. Because our Bishop is in communion with the
Bishop of Rome our unity as part of the universal and Catholic Church
is clear.
This
issue of Portsmouth People contains a summary of a proposal by Bishop
Crispian for the restructuring of the 'Diocesan Curia' - the Commissions
and Agencies through which the Bishop exercises many aspects of his
ministry in the Diocese. This document, Organising for Communion and
Mission, follows on from a document published in November 1997 called
A Church for the
21st Century.
At the
very beginning the Bishop states that "the diocese is the Bishop
and the communities that make up parishes working in collaboration for
communion and mission". This definition underpins all that those
working in the Diocesan Curia will be doing. It is not their role to
make demands of those living and working in parishes: rather their task
is to address the needs and priorities that people and clergy have identified
and then to provide support, training and resources to enable those
needs to be addressed.
All
this depends on a proper understanding of the nature of the local
church, present in the Diocese of Portsmouth. It is not a collection
of loosely connected but separate cells. It is a communion of communities
which the Bishop seeks to serve and nurture in order to strengthen communion
for mission.
At first
glance people may wonder what a review of diocesan structures has
to do with them. On further reflection it may be seen that, properly
organised, these have much to offer those engaged in the work of building
up parish communities so that their members can be more effective in
sharing the gospel with world in which we live.
The
Diocesan Curia is an instrument, a tool. It has grown piecemeal
over the years and is doing a lot of good work. But as with any tool
there comes a time when it needs to be honed and sharpened in order
to be more effective. Tools can also find themselves being used for
something for which they were never intended. It does no harm to refocus
on what the original purpose was.
The new Curia will be one integrated structure with eight Departments
all active under the heading "Formation for Communion and Mission".
This is its reason for being in existence and it can only work towards
that goal with the parishes As the church located in the Diocese of
Portsmouth "our mission is so to live out our communion m the power
of the Spirit that we proclaim the Good News by our words and become
Good News for those among whom we live"
A Structural
Review for The Diocese of Portsmouth 1999
Introduction
Bishop
Crispian begins with a quotation from his previous document, "A
Church for the 21st Century":
"There are two vital words which have been current in all that
I have been saying over the last few years and they define precisely
for me what I understand the Church to be. It has to be a Communion
and it has to have a Mission. We need to be a community with a sense
of purpose. Everything else depends on that." (p.2)
Before
reflecting on what commissions or diocesan structures we need to
help in the implementation of this vision for our diocese, we need to
be clear about what exactly 'the diocese' is. It is the Bishop and the
communities that make up parishes working in collaboration for communion
and for mission in the world. It is not something remote and located
in the city of Portsmouth. All those working within the structures of
the diocese are there to help parishes develop communion and focus their
mission.
1. Development and Foundations
After
10 years in our diocese, Bishop Crispian is able to look back and
see that there has been a progression to this point - even though that
may not have always been quite so clear as those years unfolded. He
highlights his meetings with clergy at Park Place in 1990; the Diocesan
Summer Conference at LSU in 1991; the document Under the Guidance of
the Gospel of 1992; the establishment of a Joint Council of Clergy and
Laity in October 1995; the vision outlined in A Church for the 21st
Century published in 1997; the Called by Christ conference held in Bournemouth
in October 1998.
The
establishment of a new framework for the working structures of the
diocese flows directly from this process of discernment and stems from
three underlying principles. The Bishop has a three-fold ministry: to
teach, to sanctify, to govern. The church is called to communion and
mission. We are to live and work in collaboration with one another.
These principles form the bedrock for a review and restructuring of
the commissions and agencies that form the Diocesan Curia.
But
what exactly is 'The Diocesan Curia'? The Code of Canon Law provides
a concise definition: it is "composed of those institutes and persons
who assist the Bishop in governing the entire diocese, especially in
directing pastoral action, in providing for the administration of the
diocese and in exercising judicial power." (Canon 469) The Bishop
of a diocese uses the Curia to help him exercise his ministry. It is
not to be a beurocratic structure telling the parishes what to do.
Rather its role is to support the work which is being done in parishes
-where people and clergy are best placed to identify the needs that
they have.
2. The
Priority of Formation
"I
am concerned that continuing formation of clergy and lay people must
become a priority in the life and structures of the diocese." This
statement by the Bishop is completely in tune with documents issued
by the Church in recent years. The importance of adult formation in
today's Church is emphasised, for example, in the General Directory
for Catechesis (n70); Christafideles Laici (n57); Pastores Dabo Vobis
(n70). All formation must be rooted in the Scriptures, in prayer and
in spirituality.
Formation
is given such a high priority because one of the greatest challenges
we all face, laity and clergy, is in relating the gospel to our actual
lives, personal and social. The world in which we live is changing so
rapidly, our personal circumstances alter so quickly, that we need to
discover new ways of relating the gospel to our lives. if we do not
do this for ourselves, then how can we help others to see what the gospel
has to say to them?
3. At the Service of Communion and Mission
Remembering
the underlying principles of the Bishop's three-fold ministry of teaching,
sanctifying and governing, the call to communion and mission, and the
need to work collaboratively, the new Curia will be:
At the
service of communion by
supporting
the Diocesan vision
enhancing
and enabling the work of the parishes
affirming
and supporting the work of the laity and clergy by supplying resources
and training
facilitating
the ministry of priests and deacons having clear priorities
offering
better communication
encouraging
mutual trust
respecting
canon and civil law
A stimulus
to mission by
being
more visionary
distinguishing
between evangelisation and administration - the latter being at the
service of the former
being
geared to serving and supporting the parishes in their "front-line"
ministry
being
dynamic and developing to meet the changing needs of the local Church
A model of collaboration by
encouraging
a collaborative way of working and being fully collaborative at all
levels
displaying
a sense of unity and shared purpose through effective communication
and co-operation
existing
in a simplified and streamlined form
sharing
buildings and offices
working
in harmony
being
subject to appraisal and evaluation
ensuring
security of employment for those at present employed by the diocese.
4. The
Diocesan Structure
The
diocese is the communion of the parishes with their lay people,
priests, deacons and religious gathered under the leadership of the
Bishop. The role of the Bishop is crucial as a focus of unity. He must
ensure that God's people are nurtured and formed. It is his task, together
with the clergy, to keep God's people in communion and bring them God's
life through the Gospel and the sacraments.
The
Diocesan Curia, which at present consists largely of the Commissions
and Agencies, is a tool used by the Bishop to help him carry out his
task. It is this structure that needs to be renewed. The distinct Commissions
and Agencies will be replaced by one Curial structure which will have
eight Departments. These cannot operate as separate units, they must
work collaboratively to support parishes in implementing the vision
of communion and mission for our diocese.
There
are other groups and individuals, such as the Council of Priests,
College of Consultors, Deans and Council of Laity, working with and
advising the Bishop. These structures and the relationship between them
also need to be reviewed and this process is underway.
5. The Shape of the Curia
There
will be eight Departments.
Five Departments
will enable the Bishop's ministry of Teaching and Sanctifying:
Mission
Catechesis
Liturgical
Ministry
Collaborative
Ministry
Schools
- Ethos and Personnel
Three Departments will assist the Bishop in his ministry of
Governing:
Schools
- Governance
Finance
Liturgical
and Historical Buildings
The Curia will be managed by the Moderator of the Curia (cf Canon
473~2) who will be a Vicar General and a member of the Bishop's Council.
He will work with the Heads of the new Departments and together with
them be accountable to the Bishop and the parishes. The work of the
Departments and all members of the Curia is essentially interconnected
and always directed towards formation for Mission and Communion. There
cannot be "hard" dividing lines between them for they are
to work collaboratively. This integrity and flexibility will be a hallmark
of the new Curia.
The Bishop also has a judicial ministry that he exercises through
the Judicial Vicar and the Diocesan Tribunal.
6. Formation
and Collaboration
The
whole of this new structure aims to be a model of collaborative
ministry and partnership in decision-making, diocesan administration
and pastoral activity. There needs to be closer contact and co-operation
within all these areas and advisory bodies within the diocese need to
be reviewed and renewed. The Council of Priests and the Diocesan Pastoral
Council are two key bodies which need to be examined and developed.
In future, any priest who is a Head of Department will be a member of
the Council of Priests which in turn forms part of the Diocesan Pastoral
Council. Any lay Head of Department will be a member of the Diocesan
Pastoral Council.
Within
the Curia the Moderator and Heads of Department will be committed
to: the vision of the Diocese; collaborative methods of working; the
formation of teams and team working; goals and objectives compatible
with the Diocesan vision.
7. A Community
with a Sense of Purpose
The sole
purpose of this proposed renewal of our structures is to enable us to
implement and own the vision of the Church that we hold so dear. Christ
calls us to be the sort of community that is irresistibly attractive
in a world in which community has lost its meaning. We are to be truly
that gathered community of Christ's disciples, renowned for our holiness,
for our love and for our constant eagerness to share with others the
riches of beauty and truth that we treasure.
Our
mission is so to live out our communion in the power of the Spirit that
we proclaim the Good News by our words and become Good News for those
among whom we live.
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