BISHOP GALANTE TO HOST PARISH “SPEAK UP” SESSIONS TO IDENTIFY DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLANNING PRIORITIES
Sessions with parishioners will take Bishop to every parish in the diocese during the next twelve months
Saying he wants to hear from the people of the diocese, Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D., Bishop of Camden, will hold a “Speak Up” session in every parish of the diocese beginning March 15 and continuing through Lent 2006.
The bishop is seeking input from parishioners, clergy, and religious of every parish—124 in the six southern counties of South Jersey—in order to identify areas of focus for diocesan pastoral planning and to set a future direction for the Church of Camden. He will also use the sessions as an opportunity to present his vision of the Church, a vision set forth in Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium, the “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.”
In a video presentation to be shown in parishes this month laity, religious and clergy will be invited to attend the sessions (full text of video presentation).
“You will speak, I will listen. You will have the opportunity to share with me your concerns about the future of the Church; those areas of the Church that you feel may need improvement, development or change; and the priorities that you believe require our resources and energy,” Bishop Galante explains in the video.
“I want to hear from you. I need your help, your input, your wisdom, and your insight as we work together to revitalize our local Church and as we strive to be more faithful to our mission at a time when—more than ever—our world urgently needs to hear the saving message of Christ,” he adds.
Feedback from the sessions will be used to help identify pastoral planning priorities for parishes and the diocese now and in the future. Bishop Galante will report back to parishioners on the results of the Speak Up sessions and the concrete, practical actions that will arise from the feedback provided.
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Text of Video announcing Speak Up sessions:
Hello, I’m Bishop Joseph Galante, Bishop of Camden.
Since I was installed as your Bishop last Spring, I have had the pleasure of traveling through the six southern counties of New Jersey. I have been struck by the diversity of the diocese and its people and the rich history of the Church in south Jersey. It has been a joy meeting so many of you and learning about the wonderful work going on every day to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in today’s time and place. I have seen first-hand how vibrant the faith is in our parish communities. I have been encouraged to find that so many of you are utilizing your God-given gifts to help build God’s kingdom. It has been gratifying to know that you have taken advantage of the opportunities for collaboration that exist to further the mission of your parish faith community and the Church of Camden.
That is why I am pleased to speak with you today about the future of our Church and how we can work together to chart a future that I am convinced is full of opportunity and hope.
Forty years ago the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI, promulgated a document formally known as the “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.” It is commonly known by its Latin name, Lumen Gentium, which refers to Jesus, the “Light of Nations.” The title of this wonderful document reminds us that it is Jesus’ light that must shine forth from His Church—from His people, who are the Church.
But this is more than simply a document. It is a beautifully-inspired vision of a Church that is forever young, constantly renewed, and ready to face the challenges of every age—chief among them, for all of us to know Jesus more intimately, to love Jesus more ardently and to live Jesus more totally.
Jesus himself established His Church to continue His mission here on earth. Two thousand years later, the bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people of every land, guided by the Holy Spirit and nourished with God’s grace through Word and Sacrament, do the work of spreading the Gospel and of leading people to Jesus, all the while serving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our connection with this great mission of the Church occurs through baptism. We have all been taught that baptism frees us from original sin. This is true. But there is more. Through baptism, we are reborn as children of God. We receive by adoption what Jesus has by nature, a share in God’s own divine life. We are grafted onto Jesus, becoming members of His Body, joined to our brothers and sisters in a sacramental bond of unity. We become Church, sharing in Jesus’ priestly, prophetic and royal mission. We take on rights and responsibilities. Simply put, we are consecrated for mission.
While all the members of the Body of Christ do not have the same function, and may have different gifts, all the baptized, regardless of one’s vocation in life, share a common mission, share a common dignity and a radical equality in Christ. Even in our diversity, we are one: one body, one sprit in Christ.
Lay people are especially called to give witness to the faith, to advance the mission of the Church, to sanctify, evangelize and transform the world, to lead people to Jesus, even in—and most especially in—the ordinary circumstances of life.
Lumen Gentium urges me and all bishops to recognize and promote the dignity and responsibility of the laity in the Church. I am asked to employ your prudent advice. I am asked to confidently assign duties to you in the service of the Church, allowing you freedom and room for action. I am asked to encourage you so you may undertake tasks on your own initiative. I am asked to consider the projects, suggestions and desires you propose.
Lumen Gentium says, “A great many wonderful things are to be hoped for from this familiar dialogue between the laity and their spiritual leaders.” Indeed, it is my hope that you will have a strengthened sense of personal responsibility; a renewed enthusiasm; a willingness to apply your talents and experience to the work of the Church. Only by doing this can we together fulfill the mission of the Church in the world.
In order for this essential dialogue to occur, in order for us to take better advantage of the talents and gifts of all the faithful, in order to plan more effectively and to set a future direction that will ready us to better fulfill the mission of the Church of Camden, I am pleased to announce a series of “Speak Up” sessions that will take place in the months ahead in every parish of the diocese. You will speak. I will listen.
I am asking priests, deacons, religious, and laity to provide input concerning matters of importance to the life and future of the Diocese of Camden. At these parish listening sessions, you will have the opportunity to share with me your concerns about the future of the Church; those areas of the Church that you feel may need improvement, development or change; the priorities which you believe require our resources and energy. In turn, feedback from these sessions will be used to help identify pastoral planning priorities for your parish and the diocese now and in the future. You have my commitment that I will report back to you on the results of these listening sessions and the concrete, practical actions that will arise from the feedback you will provide.
I want to hear from you. I need your help, your input, your wisdom, and your insight as we work together to revitalize our local Church and as we strive to be more faithful to our mission at a time when—more than ever—our world urgently needs to hear the saving message of Christ.
So, I personally inv
ite you, whether young or old, whatever your state in life, to join me for the listening session when it is held in your parish during the next twelve months. I ask you to share with me your honest feedback as well as your hopes and dreams for a Church that is renewed and ready for the challenges of this new millennium.
Thank you and may God bless you.