Email to Parishes

The following is a copy of an email message recently sent to all parishes in England and Wales for which we could easily get an email address, approximately 1500 parishes in total. It is an attempt to get people talking about the Council and letting them know we exist. If it has been received in your parish you could arrange hold a discussion about it, if not you could now bring it to the attention of your parish priest and your parish council.

It may not be evident how the individual Catholic Christian might be able to 'stand up for Vatican II' but, in fact, there are many things they could do personally, in their parish, deanery and diocese. We have tried to identify some of these actions and invite others to contact us with their suggestions via email at – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at our website – www.standup4vatican2.org.uk

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 'Lumen gentium' A key document of the Second Vatican Council, in the chapter on the Laity, tells us at paragraph .37 'The laity should disclose their needs and desires to the pastors with that liberty and confidence which befits the children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. To the extent of their knowledge, competence or authority the laity are entitled and, indeed, sometimes duty bound, to express their opinion on matters which concern the good of the Church.' It goes on to say that 'The sacred pastors, however, should recognise and promote the dignity and responsibility of the laity in the Church' and further again 'The pastors, helped by the experience of the laity, are enabled to judge more clearly and more appropriately in spiritual and temporal matters.' In section 28 priests are exhorted 'under the authority of the bishop, (to) sanctify and govern that portion of the Lord's flock assigned to them (so as to) render the universal church visible in their locality and contribute effectively towards building up the whole body of Christ'.

Here are some questions you might like to consider when thinking about life in your parish in relation to the Second Vatican Council.

1. Is there sufficient effort by the priest and those who 'run' the parish to create a real community among its members so that the universal church is rendered visible in our locality by our mutual love and by our concern for the world around us? Or is it just a question of getting the people to Mass and the sacraments etc?
2. Is there a Pastoral Council which deals with both 'spiritual and temporal matters? Is it elected by the community and if not, why not? Does it have real power to make decisions or are these always subject to the priest's approval?
3. Is there any real formation of  people at Sunday Mass, recognising that, in spite of meetings and groups, the vast majority of  people will not do more than come to Sunday Mass and that, not every Sunday? How often is the Second Vatican Council, mentioned and is the Sunday homily real instruction or just pious reflections which don't relate to peoples' everyday lives?
4. How is the liturgy celebrated in the parish? Does it involve and engage all of the people? Are we doing sufficient to involve people creating an atmosphere in which everyone feels that their needs are being met? Is there a liturgy group in the parish?
5. Is there a properly constituted Finance Committee or is it just a few people chosen by the priest to approve his decisions? Canon Law says that there must be a Finance Committee to provide the priest with advice on financial matters, in most parishes there will be lay people better qualified than the priest in financial matters.
6. What are relations with the other churches in the area like? Are these encouraged? Does our church take the lead and, if not, why not? Is there an ecumenical group or committee and are the people spoken to about this at Sunday Mass or is the Ecumenical Committee just a group of like-minded enthusiasts whose contacts make no difference to the whole parish community? This should not be an extra but is something which is enjoined upon the whole Church by the Second Vatican Council.
7. If there are people of other world faiths in the area, what effort is made to get to know them and for them to get to know us? Are we engaged with them in the locality? Is there a group that deals with this and brings these matters to the attention of the whole community? Is this ever mentioned in the homilies at Sunday Mass?
8. What efforts are made to involve the whole community in matters of justice and peace and the protection of the environment? Are these things spoken about in Sunday homilies? Is there a group that reports on these matters to the whole community?
9. How do you cater for the needs of young people, do you have a youth group? Does it include opportunities for formation and reflection?
10. Does your parish hold an annual meeting in which all of the people are invited to express their views about life in the parish and the various groups present in the parish report on their activities and future plans.

Deanery and diocesan activity

Many of the above questions could also be asked of the Church in your deanery and diocese. The Second Vatican Council expressly instructed us that the laity should be involved in the governance of the Church at all levels.

Conclusion

Greater collaboration, transparency and openness between priest and people at all levels will be essential if we are to build a Church for the future. This requires that priests change their behaviour and encourage people to be more active in all areas of parish life. However it also requires many more lay people to recognise their responsibility to play a full role in the mission of their parish and the church as a whole. A vibrant parish, while always looking outwards to the world in which we live, will seek to involve as many people as possible and we can best do this by supporting groups of all kinds where people can engage openly with each other.

We hope these notes will be useful in helping you to review parish life and we suggest that they are made available to all in the parish and in particular to members of the Parish Pastoral Council who may want to discuss them at a future meeting.

You can find out more about Stand up for Vatican II at www.standup4vatican2.org.uk and if you would like to explore the teaching of the Second Vatican Council you will find this at www.vatican2voice.org - you can contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Bernard Wynne                                   Derek Reeve (retired parish priest)

March 2011

Message to Parishes