The Role of a Lay Pastoral Associate
Good News for OLPH
As pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish I am very pleased to announce that beginning January 9th of 2006 a new Lay Pastoral Associate will begin ministry in this parish. To the best of my knowledge this will be the first time a Pastoral Associate has been hired to work with the pastor of this parish. Because the role of a Pastoral Associate is new for this community I wish to offer the following reflection in order to provide both a context for this new ministry and some understanding of the role of a Pastoral Associate.
The Church's Mission
One of the central beliefs of our faith as Christians is that as baptized and confirmed members of the church we have become members of the body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. And as such, we all share in the one priesthood of Christ and in Christ's mission to bring about the reign of God in our world.
Ministers of the Gospel
To realize this mission, the church itself is built up through various ministries that have their source in the gift of the Spirit given to us in baptism and confirmation. The primary ministry is that which is exercised by all the members of the church and in particular by the laity. That ministry is to bring the good news of the gospel to all the people of the world. The laity are called by their baptism to spread the good news through their relationships with family and neighbours and with those with whom they work, study and play. It is their responsibility to inform all aspects of society with the values of the gospel so that the reign of God might become the foundation of our society and our culture.
Among the ministries within the church, those of bishop, priest and deacon have a particular place. Their role is to serve the common priesthood of all the faithful helping them to live out and fulfill their baptismal call to carry on the work of Christ's mission to the world in which they live. Bishops, priests and deacons are to ensure pastoral leadership through teaching, celebration and pastoral care, thus enabling the People of God to be a sacrament or vehicle of salvation for the world.
But the church recognizes that it is not the responsibility of the clergy alone to nurture the faithful and to call forth their gifts to bring Christ's mission to the world. Since the Second Vatican Council, a more specific and specialized role has emerged for the laity. This is the role of the Lay Pastoral Associate. Men and women, specially trained in theology and pastoral care are being hired by parish communities to work with the priests to build up the community of faith so that all the laity may carry out their responsibilities of spreading the good news of God's love.
The Pastoral Team
When a Lay Pastoral Associate is hired to work in a parish that person becomes a member of the parish Pastoral Team which is made up of the pastor and any other priest providing ministry in the parish.
Within the Pastoral Team the pastor retains the responsibility for providing both vision and leadership for the community. It is his primary responsibility to ensure that the sacramental life of the parish is celebrated in a vibrant and meaningful manner and that the spiritual and pastoral care needs of the parishioners are met. But while he has the primary responsibility to ensure that these things are done, he is not responsible for doing them by himself. He is rather called to become more and more a "coordinator" of the gifts of both those on the Pastoral Team and in the parish community, calling forth, nurturing and supporting their ministry to the larger community.
The Lay Pastoral Associate assists the pastor by working with the various ministries, organizations and committees of the parish. He or she assists in formation, accompaniment and support of the ministry of the parishioners whether in their service to the parish community or to society at large. The Pastoral Associate may be involved in such activities as sacramental preparation, youth ministry, care of shut-ins, catechesis and adult faith formation, social justice, etc, etc. His or her role is determined both by the needs of the parish community and by his or her own interests and gifts.
It must by understood very clearly that it is not the role of the Lay Pastoral Associate to replace any volunteer involved in the life of the parish. Rather, it is the Pastoral Associates role to assist the parishioners in exercising their ministry in a more effective, richer and more vibrant manner. The ministry of all the laity in the parish should be strengthened, not weakened, by the presence of a Pastoral Associate.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish
Over the past four years our parish has begun once again to grow and become a more vibrant community. But with this new growth come both new responsibilities and new opportunities for providing service to the people of this community. To this end, in conversation with our Finance Council, I decided it was time to expand the pastoral resources of the parish by hiring a Pastoral Associate. With the assistance of a couple of members of both our Finance Council and our Pastoral Council I formed a hiring committee and solicited resumes for the position. Several people applied and were interviewed and one of the candidates was offered the position.
Karen Corcoran, a young woman, originally from New Brunswick will be joining the Pastoral Team of the parish on January 9th. Karen has just recently graduated with her Master of Divinity Degree from Regis College, the Jesuit theological college here in Toronto. She comes to us with a strong personal faith, rich theological formation as well as good communication, organizational and leadership skills. She has a strong commitment to working with others in developing their life of faith and enabling them to exercise their God given mission.
It is my pleasure to welcome Karen to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and I ask you, once you meet her, to make her feel welcome and at home here in our community. From the several meetings I have had with her I am sure that she will be a rich blessing for our community and I have no doubt that this community will also be a source of life for her. To Karen, I say welcome!!!
Fr. Jim