January 3, 2006 — The 125 parishes in the six southern counties of the Diocese of Camden will formally proclaim a statement at Masses during the weekend of January 7-8 which sets out a long-range vision for the Diocese of Camden.
The 135-word “Vision for the Future of Our Church” will set the framework for the diocese’s long-term pastoral plan which will be developed in conjunction with the “Speak Up” sessions that Bishop Galante has been hosting with parishioners throughout the diocese since last spring.
The statement also gives special emphasis to the responsibility of all the baptized—including the laity—to further the church’s mission. “The theology of the Vision is not new, since it is deeply rooted in the Gospel and Catholic teaching, particularly Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium (“The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church”). The articulation of the Vision, however, is new, fresh and hopeful,” said Bishop Joseph Galante, who gathered together a diverse group of laity, clergy and religious early last summer to develop the statement.
Each parish is being provided with a scroll proclaiming the Vision, a large framed copy for display in parish buildings, as well as letter-sized and card-size copies for parishioners. Schools, diocesan offices and other institutions in the diocese will also receive copies of the Vision.
Plans are also underway to develop opportunities for diocesan offices, parishes and schools to implement activities that will help promote the Vision in all aspects of church life and to integrate the Vision into diocesan pastoral planning. The Vision statement does not pre-empt “Speak Up” sessions which are being held in every parish of the diocese with Bishop Galante and which will continue through May 2006.
This process of consultation with the laity will help identify pastoral priorities and strategies which will provide the basis for a long-term pastoral plan for the diocese. The resulting pastoral plan will be set in the context of the diocesan Vision. Bishop Galante will proclaim the Vision at the 11:00 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral in Camden (2907 Federal Street) on Sunday, January 8, where he will be the principal celebrant and homilist.