Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community

Question 1

Ang dokumentong ito ay isang Instruction. Anong pagkakaiba ng Instruction sa Exhortation?

Answer 1

This particular Instruction on the parish community provides the norms and the theology behind the norms regarding the parish of the present reality. It does not issue new legislations.

Meanwhile, an Exhortation is a reflection of the Pope on a certain topic addressed to clergy and laity after a General Synod.

Encyclicals are papal letters of a pastoral nature. These letters offer counsel and shed light on existing doctrine as part of the Holy Father’s ordinary teaching authority. Example: Humanae vitae, concerning the Church’s teaching on birth control issued in 1968 by Pope Paul VI.

Question 2

Full Title of the Document

Answer 2

PASTORAL CONVERSION OF THE PARISH COMMUNITY IN THE SERVICE OF THE EVANGELIZING MISSION OF THE CHURCH. Issued by the Congregation for the Clergy. 20 July 2020 (Monday).

Question 3

Focus and Divisions of the Document

Answer 3

Ang focus ng instructiong ito ay renewal in a missionary sense.

Binubuo ang Instruction ito ng 11 chapters at nahahati sa 2 bahagi:

a. (chapters 1-6) a broad reflection on pastoral conversion, missionary outreach, and the
value of the parish in the contemporary context.

b. (chapters 7-11) dwells on the subdivisions of parish communities, various pastoral roles that make them up, and the ways in which the governing norms are applied.

Question 4

Anong principal problem ng mga parishes kung bakit ipinalabas ang Instructiong ito?

Answer 4

a. Priest shortages

b. Financial difficulties

Question 5

Ano ang ibig sabihin ng “pastoral conversion” ng parish community sa pagtupad sa kanyang evangelizing mission? Ano ang inii-emphasize ng Instructiong ito?

Answer 5

Ang emphasis ng reform ay ma-preserve ang kanyang evangelizing mission at hindi primarily ang survival ng parish, that is, kung papaano makakapag-evangelize kahit pa baguhin ang mga structure ng parokya into groupings, aggregation, division.

Question 6

Noong una, ang tingin sa parokya ay isang territorial jurisdiction lamang para makapag-evangelize o makagawa ng pastoral action. Sa pagtakbo ng panahon, ano ngayon ang pagtingin ni Pope Francis sa parokya?

Answer 6

Noon ang parish ay geographical space; ngayon naman, ang parish ay “existential space” where there is the encounter with Christ. Sa panahon ngayon, any pastoral action that is only territorial is already outdated.

• Hindi na basta “territorial” ang pagtingin dapat sa parokya kundi “missionary” parish, lalo na ang mga dukha at iba pang marginalized population, bunga specifically ng mobility ng population.
• Ang evangelization ngayon ay hindi para mai-preserve ang existing community kundi upang ma-reach out ang lahat.
• Ngayon, ang ecclesial membership ay hindi na tungkol sa kung saan ka inianak o kung saan ka lumaki kundi kung saan ka member ng community by adoption.

Question 7

Papaano maso-solusyunan ang problema ng priest shortages at financial difficulties ng mga parokya?

Answer 7

Huwag isara kundi i-restructure lang ang mga parokya. At kung ang mga Obispo ay magsasara ng parokya, dapat ilista nya ang mga matitinding dahilan. Hindi karaka-raka basta na lang sasarhan at ipagbibili ang mga building sapagkat maraming mga parishioners ang baka ma-traumatize sa nostalgic feelings na idudulot ng mga ito.

Question 8

Kung sakaling gawing isang grupo ang ilang mga parokya, anong panuntunan ang dapat sundin?

Answer 8

on the part of the people: homogeneity (common traits) at customs ng inhabitants.

on the part of pastors: pamumunuan ang grupong ito ng isang kinatawan ng Obispo. This “moderator” priest may work and live in community with other priests who serve as parochial vicars, either for each individual parish or for one area of ministry (e.g., youth ministry, ministry to the homebound) across all the parishes in the group.

Question 9

Ano ang dapat ingatan tungkol sa pagpoporma ng grupo ng mga parokya lalo na with reference to the role of the laity?

Answer 9

Clericalization of laity

a. bagama’t ang mga laiko ang protagonist ng evangelization, pari pa rin dapat ang maging lider ng grupo. Iwasan ang clericalization ng laiko sa kanilang pastoral activity. Hindi dapat kamkamin ng mga laiko ang mga duties na traditionally reserved sa mga pari, e.g., ang mga laiko ay hindi dapat mag-administer ng mga sakramento.

b. Ibig sabihin, iwasan ang title na “team leader” sa isang laiko kung ang grupo ay binubuo ng mga pari at laiko. Ang team leader ay nagiimply na silang lahat ay magkakapantay hierarchically.

Question 10

Ano naman ang dapat ingatan sa pagbibigay ng titulong “parish administrator”?

Answer 10

a. A layman assigned as a parish administrator should not be called “pastor,” “co-pastor,” “chaplain,” “moderator,” “coordinator” or “parish manager,” “inasmuch as they have a direct correlation to the ministerial profile of priests.” Neither are expressions like “entrust the pastoral care of a parish” permitted because they pertain to priests’ ministry and are “not in conformity with [non-priests’] vocational identity.”

b. The terms “Deacon Cooperator” or “Coordinator of (a particular sector of pastoral care)”, “Pastoral Cooperator” or “Pastoral Associate or Assistant” seem to be more appropriate.

c. Tungkol sa pagiging parish administrator, a role becoming more common in areas facing priest shortages, ang papel niya ay “essentially transitory” until a new parish priest arrives. “It is illegitimate for the diocesan Bishop to appoint a Parish Administrator and to leave him in that position for an extended period of time, more than a year, or even permanently, in order to avoid the appointment of a Parish Priest,” the document says.

Question 11

Kapag malapit nang mag-retire ang parish priest ano and dapat niyang gawin?

Answer 11

• Dapat syang sumulat sa Obispo para sabihing papalapit na ang kanyang retirement.
• Hindi sya considered retired hanggang hindi pa nya narating natatanggap ang sagot ng Obispo in writing.

Question 12

Ang vicar forane ba ay dapat laging parish priest?

Answer 12

Hindi po (Canon 554 s1). in fact, pwede ring maging vicario foraneo ang isang parochial vicar o retired priest. Pwede rin ang religious, that is, kung papayag ang kanyang superior.

Question 13

Kung magkaroon ng grouping of parishes, dapat ba iisa ang pastoral council?

Answer 13

Hindi lagi. Isa lang itong possibility. May pagkakataon nga na bawat ex-parish ay may kanyang pastoral council.

Question 14

Para sa good of souls ang kailangan ay stability ng Parish Priest. Kaya, ilang taon sya dapat sa kanyang assignment?

Answer 14

not less than five o depende sa tingin ng cbcp.

Question 15

Anong mabigat na dahil para pwedeng ilipat ang isang parish priest na hindi masusunod ang 5 years sa parokya?

Answer 15

para sa good of souls

para sa necessity o advantage ng parokya.

Question 16

Ano yung priests in solidum?

Answer 16

the pastoral care of a parish, or of a number of parishes together, can be entrusted to several priests jointly. Such a solution can be adopted when, at the Bishop’s discretion, concrete circumstances require it so, particularly for the good of the communities concerned, through shared and more effective pastoral action, and to promote a spirituality of communion among priests.

Question 17

Pwedeng mangyari na ang head ng grupo ay moderator of pastoral works. Ang sinusunod ay “primus inter pares”. Ano ang ibig sabihin ng “primus inter pares”?

Answer 17

Lahat sila ay autonomous pero duty ng moderator of pastoral works ay manguna sa initiative at pagkilos kung may problemang dapat solusyunan.

Question 18

Ano ang contribution dapat ng religious sa isang parish community?

Answer 18

Firstly, from their “being”, that is, from the witness of a radical following of Christ through the profession of the evangelical counsels; samakatuwid, ang kanilang source ng kabanalan ay ang kanilang charism, evangelical counsels at community;

and only secondly from their “doing”, that is, from the works carried out in accordance with the charism of each Institute (for example, catechesis, charity, formation, youth ministry, care of the sick).

Question 19

in the absence of priests and deacons, pwede raw mag-isip ang obispo na magkasal ang layman. Di ba kontra ito sa sinabi na dapat iwasan ang clericalization of the laity?

Answer 19

Hindi ito clericalization ng layman sapagkat ang nagkakasal naman sa pareha ay hindi ang pari kundi silang dalawa. Primary witness lang ang pari.

“where there is a lack of priests and deacons, the diocesan Bishop can delegate lay persons to assist at marriages, with the previous favourable vote of the episcopal conference and after obtaining the permission of the Holy See.”

Question 20

Bukod sa Obispo, ang finance council daw ay dapat may kasama pang 3 para maging collegial. Ang Obispo ba ay masasabing member ng finance council?

Answer 20

Hindi. Dahil nagpi-preside lang siya dito.

Question 21

Ang ibinibigay daw ng mga tao sa arancel ay hindi buwis o bayad kundi malayang alay. ano ang contribution ng mga pari para hindi maging mukhang pari ang pari?

Answer 21

a. sober lifestyle ng pari

b. transparency.