Ars Celebrandi is the art of celebrating the liturgy with fidelity to the texts and rubrics of the Church, prayerful understanding of the liturgical texts, feasts, seasons, reverent sense of the ministers and assembly engaging in an exchange which is the dialogue of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit, proper preparation for celebrating the liturgy, attention to various symbolic language employed in ritual activity, deliberate consideration for art and environment, ritual objects, music, gestures, vesture, movement, postures, silence, etc. and full integration of all the dimensions of the liturgical celebration. Ars Celebrandi is essential in fostering the active participation of the People of God in divine worship.
Bishop Doherty’s role is to teach, sanctify and govern. “Helped by the priests, their co-workers, and by the deacons, the bishops have the duty of authentically teaching the faith, celebrating divine worship, above all the Eucharist, and guiding their Churches as true pastors. Their responsibility also includes concerns for all the Churches, with and under the pope” (Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 939). The bishop’s role as a servant leader is to do everything in his power to unite the people of the diocese in heart and mind in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, so they can continue in Christ’s footsteps to build the reign of God on earth (Uniting in Heart Pastoral Planning Guide, 2015).
The chancellor is to see that all acts of the curia are gathered, arranged and safe-guarded in the archives of the curia, as well as secretary of the curia (Canon 483, §§ 1 and 3).
A place set aside by permission of the bishop for divine worship for the benefit of one or more persons. Special permission over and above that given to establish the chapel is required for the celebration of Mass or other sacraments in a chapel (e.g., chapels in schools, nursing homes, hospitals). Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament must be approved by the Local Ordinary (Local Ordinary is canonical language for the Bishop or Vicar General of the diocese).
A sacred building set aside for public worship which the faithful have a right of access (the cathedral and parish churches).
Charitable actions by which we come to the physical needs of our neighbors and give a Christian witness to the world. They include: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, sheltering the homeless, and burying the dead. Of such works, giving alms to the poor is a special sign of charity and an act pleasing to God. (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2447)
Under canon law, the bishop has the ability to group parishes into regional areas within a diocese, according to their geographic location. These regions are called deaneries or vicariates. The term vicariates forane, now deaneries, originally meant the rural or outlying areas of a diocese where the bishop’s presence and pastoral concern could be made visible by a vicar, a priest representative of the bishop. Deaneries are ultimately established to promote open communication and collaboration between parishes and priests. Deaneries not only open more effective channels of communication and pastoral opportunities between parishes and the Bishop’s Office (Chancery), but foster a spirit of collaboration that is essential to the Church’s mission. Our new deanery structure is intended to help strengthen the mission of our diocesan pastoral plan but also to assist in building communion among our priests and pastorates (diocese).
Put simply, a diocese is a portion of the people of God entrusted to the care of a bishop as their shepherd with the aid of his priests. Within a diocese are contained all the constitutive elements of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. (This is based on the Code of Canon Law, c. 369.)
The concept of the diocese extends to the earliest days of the Church as it spread from Jerusalem across the ancient world. As the apostles traveled the known world preaching Christ, they established new communities and chose representatives to oversee the Christian faithful and minster to them. These local communities formed the first dioceses.
Today, a diocese is a geographic area overseen by a bishop. (Some non-geographic dioceses exist to serve specific groups, such as the Archdiocese for the Military Services which ministers to those in the United States Armed Forces.) The bishop is charged with providing for the spiritual needs of the people, celebrating the sacraments and liturgical life of the Church, forming the people in the faith, and providing administration/ governance. The bishop, in turn, establishes parishes and other pastoral units, in our case, pastorates within the diocese and ordains priests and deacons to assist him in this ministry. Furthermore, from among his priests the bishop appoints pastors who are an extension of his ministry. Pastors therefore provide a communion of faith and mission with the Bishop and the Holy Father.
It would be a mistake, however, to conceive of a diocese as a purely legal entity. Rather, within each diocese reside all the constituent elements of the Church Universal: a pastor (the bishop), the sacraments, and the mission of evangelization. In this sense each diocese is truly a local or “particular church” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 833-835) united with others through their communion with the pope.
It is this communion which characterizes dioceses more than their differences. The universal Church is not simply a loose affiliation of independent dioceses, for she is united in a common faith and mission. While across the world there may be a variety of liturgical, linguistic, and devotional variations, “this variety of local churches with one common aspiration is splendid evidence of the catholicity of the undivided Church.” (Lumen Gentium, no. 23)
From a Latin word meaning “to separate or to distinguish between,” it is the practice of listening for God’s call in our lives and distinguishing between good and bad choices.
Evangelization must always be directly connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. "There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed." n.22
http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi.html
Additional references for evangelization are:
Extinguish (or suppression) – A scenario in which the diocese decides to cease the existence of a particular parish community.
In addition to the responsibilities outlined in the Code of Canon Law, the finance council is to help the pastor direct the temporal resources of the parish in order to accomplish the missionary vision set out by the pastor and the pastoral council. This group must meet regularly and is responsible for creating the parish budget, approving the financial statements, overseeing the revenue and expenses related to operating the parish, communication to parishioner with transparency and encouraging them to support the mission by their giving. According to Canon Law, every parish will have a finance council.
Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States speaks to the implications of evangelization, that it has both an inward and outward direction. Inwardly, evangelization calls for our ongoing conversion both individually and as Church. The call of evangelization echoed in the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan, particularly for our individual conversion so that the growth of faith and holiness in our diocese will spring forth from our personal conversion.
Simple definition from the Modern Catholic Dictionary by John Hardon, S.J.: Preaching or proclaiming, as distinct from teaching of instruction in the Gospel of Christ. In-depth definition from the Theological Dictionary by Karl Rahner and Herbert Vorgrimiler: A New Testament term which means the word that is preached to the Christian community or individual in the name of God, by lawful commission of God and the Church, as the very word of God and Christ and which efficaciously makes present its utterance in the situation of the hearer whom it summons.
A part of the second pillar “Community” of the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan is to build leadership vitality and vibrancy across the diocese. The pastoral plan is committed to providing lifelong training and development for priests, as well as providing ongoing professional development for staff and lay leaders so that everyone is equipped with the skills, resources and knowledge needed to shepherd their flocks. Priests and pastorate leadership teams participate in some form of training or professional development opportunity 6-10 times a year with other individual growth/educational experiences at their disposal as well. This allows our clergy and lay leaders to be the best missionary disciples they can be while building the Kingdom of God in our diocese.
This phrase was used by Patrick Lencioni and describes the ability of a pastor to recognize he needs the gifts and talents of others to administer the pastorate. He cannot do the job alone but must rely on, and collaborate with, his Pastorate Leadership Team and the Pastoral Council. Leading from a team means that the pastor knows or learns how to identify quality leaders who he would place on this Leadership Team. He collaborates with the team and is able to build a trusting relationship with them; he helps the team to function in concert with each other so they can execute a shared vision; he entrusts and empowers the Leadership Team to execute their responsibilities effectively.
Literally divine reading, it is a method of prayerful reflection of Holy Scripture. Lectio can be prayed as an individual or in groups.
Missionary discipleship is following Jesus Christ in and through His Church to share the gospel message with our family and our neighbors, to the ends of the earth. Missionary discipleship involves getting all the baptized to understand that we are called to mission, not maintenance.
The Pastor shares in the Bishop’s three-fold ministry/ office of teaching, sanctifying and governing. Because he understands his priesthood and life to be configured to Christ, the chief and good shepherd and servant, he has a zeal for souls and serves primarily in a spiritual manner as the Pastor of Souls in his parish. Canons 528 & 529. Because his ministry is configured to the bishop, he must be willing to implement the Bishop’s 2030 Pastoral Plan for the salvation of the souls in his parish/ pastorate boundaries, while accepting the bishop’s encouragement and support. He himself must be willing to engage the New Evangelization as a model of missionary (sent) discipleship (called). As pastor, he should be and see himself as the principal missionary, who equips the lay faithful to become Missionary Disciples (Encounter, Accompany, Community, Mission). He leads the people to encounter Christ by exercising his proclamation of the Gospel, teaching ministry, accompanies them by administering the sacraments and sends them on mission at the end of the Eucharistic celebration. Finally, the Pastor must continue to grow in his own relationship with Jesus through prayer and charity, and give witness to the importance of living into his own Missionary Discipleship through monthly on-going formation as provided by the bishop in support of his ministry.
Can. 517 §1. When circumstances require it, the pastoral care of a parish or of different parishes together can be entrusted to several priests in solidum, with the requirement, however, that in exercising pastoral care one of them must be the moderator, namely, the one who is to direct the joint action and to answer for it to the bishop.
A liturgical catechesis which aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ. In a more specific sense, the catechetical period following immediately after the reception of baptism by adults. It also includes week to week reflections on the Mass and how it calls us to respond (CCC 1075).
The New Evangelization calls each of us to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message and go forth to proclaim the Gospel. The focus of the New Evangelization calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize. In a special way, the New Evangelization is focused on 're-proposing' the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith. Pope Benedict XVI called for the re-proposing of the Gospel "to those regions awaiting the first evangelization and to those regions where the roots of Christianity are deep but who have experienced a serious crisis of faith due to secularization." The New Evangelization invites each Catholic to renew their relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church. (Taken from the USCCB website.)
A place set aside by permission of the bishop for divine worship for the benefit of some community or assembly of the faithful who gather there. All sacred celebrations may take place in an oratory unless otherwise excluded by the law, by particular provision of the bishop or by liturgical norms.
Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are bishops, priests and deacons ordained to distribute Holy Communion. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are instituted acolytes or commissioned lay ministers who assist ordinary ministers in the distribution of Holy Communion.
A defined community of the faithful within a diocese. It is established on a stable basis by the bishop and entrusted to a pastor. In general, parishes are territorial in nature. Only a priest may be appointed pastor to a parish. Usually parishes are entrusted to diocesan priests. The bishop may, however, entrust a parish to a religious community.
A concept for ecclesiastical reflection, reorganization, and renewal to better position the Church to evangelize and to be responsive to the pastoral needs of society. The impetus for this concept stems from Vatican II and has grown with subsequent ecclesial documents and the Church’s lived experience. It seeks to continue the Church’s mandate to proclaim the Gospel by directing the Christian community to make a determined missionary decision, “transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.” Mission is its guiding principle and it favors the rediscovery of the vocation of the baptized as a missionary of the Gospel. It may also include conversion of the parish community in a gradual process of a renewal of structures, to include parish groupings, in order to refocus on mission.
Is the grateful response of every Christian disciple to share our God given gifts of time, talent and treasure, in a way that passionately sets our hearts on fire and touches the lives of others, as we live the corporal and spiritual works of mercy through Hospitality, Prayer, Formation and Service.
A pastorate is an organization of parishes, but it may also be a single parish, which has a single pastor, one Pastorate Leadership Team and one Pastoral Council. The pastorate is where the parishioners, within the boundaries of a given pastorate, form as one community in faith; it is where we gather to celebrate the Mass as one faith community. It is where we seek God’s grace in the sacraments. It is where we, as missionary disciples, carry out the mission of the Church spreading the Good News of the Gospel and bringing people to an encounter with Christ our Savior. The pastorate is where a faith community, led by one pastor and supported by a Pastorate Leadership Team and Pastoral Council, builds a 3-Year Rolling Pastoral Plan rooted in the 3 Pillars of the 2030 Pastoral Plan: Mission, Community and Witness.
The Pastorate Guide is a principal Uniting in Heart planning resource issued to the pastorate leadership teams, pastoral councils, and finance councils of each pastorate to facilitate the development of the 3-year Rolling Pastoral Vision Plans (PVPs). Containing a wealth of resources and recommendations, the guide will help influence subsequent plan updates and opportunities for further staff and pastorate development. The Uniting in Heart Pastorate Guide provides greater clarity and articulates specific pastoral objectives and explanations to grow ministries aligned to the Uniting in Heart pillars of Mission, Community and Witness.
A team of three to five key people (lay and ordained) who will assist the Pastor in making important decisions and provide a structure of accountability. This group meets frequently to make the day-to-day decisions that are needed to bring about missionary renewal in the parish and they perform the various administrative and ministerial functions of the parish office(s). The Pastorate Leadership Team is, in effect, the leaders who execute upon the vision that comes from the pastoral planning performed by the Pastoral Council.
In the context of the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan, there is one common Pastoral Council with representation from all parishes that are grouped into a pastorate. The Pastoral Council is a body of appointed members with diverse strengths and talents, who are accountable to the pastor of the pastorate and serve as the pastor’s advisory group to craft and monitor the vision for the parish.
This group meets regularly to discuss and review progress toward the parish’s missionary vision. Their meetings should be forward-looking and focused on the pastoral and missionary activity of the parish.
The Pastoral Council is the body responsible for the visioning and planning of the future of the pastorate developing a 3-Year Rolling Pastoral Plan that is renewed every year.
From the Greek paideia meaning teaching, instruction, discipline, or correction especially of children (Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms). Refers to the methodology of catechesis.
Permanent Deacons are called forth from the community to serve a diaconal ministry in the Church, whether pastoral, charitable, social or liturgical. They are appointed by the bishop to be a part of the clergy team of a parish. In addition to assisting in the liturgical function of the parish, deacons should also be assigned to serve according to his gifts and charisms.
A phrase used in the context of the Uniting In Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan to denote that a parish of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana is at risk of closure due to one or more observations of issues threatening the vitality and stability of the parish. The intention is to call attention to the concern and allow the pastorate to pursue an appropriate path to resolution.
“Prayer is the voluntary response to the awareness of God’s existence.” Prayer takes different forms: adoration, gratitude or thanksgiving, sorrow for ones sins, petition for God’s graces and love for God who is all good. There are two types of prayer. The first type is liturgical and thus public. The second is private prayer. Both types of prayer are necessary to our lives. Our prayer takes on its ecclesial form in public prayer, as we pray in union with our brothers and sisters of Christ’s one church, and also as we pray privately for ourselves and our salvation. (References: “Modern Catholic Dictionary”, by John A Hardon, S.J., 1999, Eternal Life, Bardstown, KY and “Theological Dictionary”, by Karl Rahner and Herbert Vorgrimler, 1968, Herder and Herder, New York, NY.)
A “roadshow” is a form of accompaniment in which the bishop’s staff present workshops to the pastorate leadership teams to facilitate development of 3-Year Rolling Pastoral Vision Plans. The roadshows elaborate on ministry strategies, methodology and resources to realize the objectives articulated in the Pastorate Guide. Roadshow topics include but are not limited to, evangelization, family life, liturgy, catechesis and Hispanic ministry and are intended to enable and equip pastorates to achieve the 3 Pillars of Uniting in Heart (Mission, Community, Witness).
Canon 1230 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law defines a shrine as a church or other sacred place approved by the local Ordinary to which the faithful go to make pilgrimages. Two points stand out: 1) shrines must be approved by ecclesiastical authority, and 2) they are intended primarily for pilgrimages.
Charitable actions by which we come to the spiritual needs of our neighbors. They include: instructing, advising, consoling, comforting, forgiving, patiently forbearing, and praying for the dead.
An image of the Christian faithful, the Church, who are called and chosen by God through baptism. This phrase originates in the Old Testament where the Israelites are referred to as God’s chosen people.
An image of the Church from the Second Vatican Council; it recognizes in the Church both its visible and hierarchical nature as well as its invisible and spiritual nature. It also stresses that the Church should be a vehicle for God’s mercy, grace, and redemption in the world.
The Church is the Sacrament of Communion because She is God's instrument to bring human beings into Communion with God and with each other through the grace of the sacraments.
Uniting in Heart is the 10-year pastoral plan for the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana thus the full name Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan. Two core principles of the Uniting in Heart 10-year plan are evangelization and the spiritual vitality of the diocese. The foundation of the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan are the 3 Pillars of 1) Mission, 2) Community and 3) Witness. This 10-year pastoral plan is a long term strategy for taking the Gospel message to all people and for building up the Body of Christ across our diocese.
Each pastorate of the diocese is charged with formulating a rolling 3-year pastoral plan that is particular to the faith community of their pastorate. These 3-year pastoral plans are to be centered on the core principles and the 3 pillars of the Uniting in Heart 2030 pastoral plan. The pastorates’ 3-year pastoral plans begin with a formal survey facilitated by the Our Sunday Visitor consulting team. These surveys give a voice to the parishioners of the pastorate so that the leadership team of the pastorate can better understand where they as a faith community most need to focus their ministerial efforts. From the parishioner surveys and in conjunction with use of the Uniting in Heart Pastorate Guide the leadership team will discern five to seven focus areas. The goal is to make the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan a true realization of living the call to evangelize and to build up the spiritual vitality of the pastorate’s faith communities and the communities around them. It is necessary for the 3-year pastoral plans of the pastorates to be renewed annually so the pastorate may evaluate both their progress toward their plan goals and to re-evaluate their goals based on changes in demographics, implications of current events both worldly and locally and the vision imparted to us by the Bishop.
Thus the 3-year pastoral plans of each pastorate are living documents that keep the faith communities focused on living our call to be disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread the Good News of the Gospel to all people.
A phrase stressed in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), it recognizes that all the People of God are “called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (no. 40). This call is directed not only to priests, deacons, and consecrated religious, but to the laity as well, and should be pursued within an individual’s specific vocation and state in life. The example of a holy life is one way the faithful evangelize the world.
The vicar general/moderator of the curia as overall administrative coordinator is required, “...under the authority of the bishop to coordinate the exercise of administrative responsibilities and to see to it that other members of the curia duly fulfill the office entrusted to them” (Canon 473).
The vision planning process throughout all pastorates in the diocese employ a coach from Our Sunday Visitor along with their pastorate consultant to guide and direct planning teams through the process, and in the months following the presentation of a plan. This 3-Year rolling pastoral plan will include goals that are specific, measurable, aligned with the Uniting in Heart 3 pillars, realistic for the pastorate, and within the three-year time frame. It is an actionable plan with feedback from parishioners via online and paper surveys. Five to seven focus areas from the survey results, are discerned from the pastor, pastorate pastoral council, leadership team, and may include a finance council member.
The Office of Evangelization, Family Life and Pastoral Ministries equips Vision Planning Teams with a wealth of information and possibilities for their strategies via “Roadshows” and the use of the Pastorate Guide resource. The completed vision plan will go through a design process, will be reviewed by the Uniting in Heart planning team at the diocese and Bishop Doherty, and is then mailed to all registered parishioners in the pastorate for their continued journey in discipleship. Each household will receive a copy the week of “Vision Plan Sunday”. This plan answers the question, “What does Uniting in Heart look like at our pastorate?” The plan will be reviewed, updated, and communicated on an annual basis to the pastorate and the diocese.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”- Matthew 28:19-20.