I just returned this evening from a short time to New York City.\u00a0 Yesterday I attended an all-day meeting of PCNY (the Priests’ Council of New York).\u00a0 We hold quarterly meetings with priests representing all the diocese of New York State.\u00a0 We come together to discuss the common challenges we face.\u00a0 This month one of the main challenges that came\u00a0up for discussion is “reconfiguration” and what it means to be church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We are very much used to thinking of our Catholic identity as determined solely by the church we attend.\u00a0 As parish boundaries are reconfigured, we are called to think about what it means to be “church” and how we can best do this.\u00a0 Often, the closing or combining of parishes is seen as based on two things.\u00a0 The first one is what everyone things of – the declining number of priests.\u00a0 The second is the declining number of people who come to church.\u00a0 If there aren’t enough people coming to church, doesn’t working with neighboring Catholic churches make sense?<\/p>\n
What we are really getting at here is being good stewards<\/em>.\u00a0 How do we make the best use of our resources?\u00a0 What are the resources we need to look at?\u00a0 People are our biggest resource through their gifts of time and talent.\u00a0 Sometimes the best way to be church involves sharing our people.\u00a0 One little church may not be able to hire a well-trained person as a director of religious education or to do pastoral visitations.\u00a0 However, several churches working together might be able to draw a better person who then can work with the volunteers in each church (who are essential to our being able to serve God’s people).<\/p>\n Evaluating our resources also includes finances and buildings.\u00a0 Buildings cost money so we must ask ourselves are we being good stewards if we keep open (and maintain) more buildings than we need.\u00a0 This isn’t just a question of church buildings.\u00a0 What do we do with our old school buildings or covenants.\u00a0 Do we use them at all or do we keep them but only use a tiny portion of the space?<\/p>\n The question is not what do we cut just make the budget balance?\u00a0 The proper question is how we make the best use of what God has given us to serve his people.\u00a0 If we become the best church that we can be, then more people will come and with more people comes more resources of time, talent, and treasure.<\/p>\n When you hear the word “church,” <\/em>what do you think of?\u00a0 A building, the priest, the people, a school, or a\u00a0Catholic hospital.\u00a0 How about a community <\/em>of believers?\u00a0 Buildings shape who we are but community <\/em>and ministry<\/em> is what we are about, leading all people to become part of God’s family (a community).<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I just returned this evening from a short time to New York City.\u00a0 Yesterday I attended an all-day meeting of PCNY (the Priests’ Council of New York).\u00a0 We hold quarterly meetings with priests representing all the diocese of New York State.\u00a0 We come together to discuss the common challenges we face.\u00a0 This month one of …<\/p>\n