By Fr. Troy Schweiger,
pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Lincoln
Next week the roads of southern Nebraska will be filled with cars, minivans and trailers, moving priests from parish to parish.
Thirty-five parishes in our diocese will be receiving a new pastor. Sixteen parishes will be receiving a new parochial vicar (or senior parochial vicar). If you are a member at one of those parishes I invite you to welcome your new pastor and/or parochial vicar and maybe even carry a box or two into the rectory.
As these priests take up their new appointments and begin to serve you, their parishioners, it is an opportune time to reflect on the nature of a parish and the role of the pastor within that parish. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #2179) defines a parish as:
“a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop. It is the place where all the faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ’s saving doctrine; it practices the charity of the Lord in good works and brotherly love.”
In a very real way the parish is the beating heart of the community of faith in its liturgical and charitable endeavors. The sacramental life finds its focus and center in the parish. It is in our parish that we are baptized and brought to the life of our Triune God for the first time. It is in our parish that we receive the life-giving nourishment of the Eucharist. It is in our parish that we are brought to the mercy of God in confession. It is in our parish that families are founded through the beautiful gift of matrimony. A lively, vibrant parish is one where the sacramental life of the Church is profoundly experienced.
The etymological root of the word “parish” comes from the Greek word “paroikia.” In the early church this meant a “pilgrim people” who were citizens of heaven and on their way to their real homeland. The sacraments nourish us in that journey. Being rooted in our parish provides a healing balm to the chaos of our modern time that is constantly experiencing change and movement, confusion and loss of identity. We gather together in a community founded and rooted in Christ as experienced in the sacraments. That is our parish.
Once we have been nourished, healed, sustained and strengthened by that sacramental and liturgical life, we have the ability to go forth to proclaim our love for God in charitable works and fraternal love. This is why so much charitable activity happens at the parish level. A lively, vibrant parish will by definition have a lively, vibrant charitable outreach. It’s in the DNA of a parish.
There is an old saying, “You can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family.” In a sense that applies to our parish family as well. By God’s design, though, that is how we learn to love as Christ loves— namely, unconditionally. Each of our parishes has a wide variety of people with differing personalities, gifts, talents, strengths, quirks and weaknesses. Yet, through the sacramental life experienced in the communion of the stable parish we can practice true charity toward one another. We learn to see Christ in each other.
In each parish, leading this sacramental, charitable and fraternal communion is the pastor. The pastor is called to serve the community of the Christian faithful, the parish. The Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church (Canon 519) teaches that
“The pastor is the proper shepherd of the parish entrusted to him. ... he carries out for his community the duties of teaching, sanctifying and governing”
Countless books have been written on the reality of the pastor of a parish, but all in one degree or another elaborate upon his central mission; to teach, sanctify and shepherd the people of God in the parish. To teach is to unveil the mystery of God’s love for each and every one of us. This occurs in a myriad of ways in the life of a pastor.
It is easy to think of the role of “teacher” in formal settings; the classroom, RCIA, the homily, marriage instruction, baptismal instruction, etc. These are all critically important and necessary, yet, I have found that most often the most moving times of living the role of “teacher” is in the simple and informal interaction with parishioners. Many years ago a wise priest once told me that a person will only learn about God if they first know that you love them.
Your pastor loves you. Sometimes your pastor may not be the most eloquent speaker or may not be the easiest to understand or may not be the smoothest social operator or may have some challenging personality traits but those things are not what constitutes a true teacher. I can tell you that your pastor wants to share God’s love with you. At the heart of a pastor is the desire to enkindle the love of God in the hearts of his parishioners. That is being a teacher.
To sanctify is simply to make holy. The pastor does this primarily through the sacramental life of the parish. Yet, like teaching, the celebration of the sacraments is not the sum total of the pastor’s sanctifying mission. When you bring a rosary to be blessed, that is sanctifying. When you ask for your pastor to bless your home, that is sanctifying. When you ask your pastor to pray for an intention, that is sanctifying. When he comes to anoint your mother when she is dying, that is sanctifying. To sanctify is at the heart of a pastor.
A shepherd has two primary functions: to lead the sheep to nourishing food and to defend the flock from predators who would harm or kill them. Your pastor is called to discern and make prudential judgments that will lead all parishioners to Jesus, our true source of nourishment. An essential part of discerning is listening and taking all perspectives into consideration. Yet, the weight of decision lies on the shepherd which is why I would encourage you to fervently pray for your pastor that the Holy Spirit may guide all decisions and discussions.
A parish and its pastor are inseparably joined together in the heart of Christ. No parish or pastor is perfect, though. A parish is by definition a community of people and the pastor is a person. As we know, every person is afflicted by the consequences of sin.
Yet in and through the imperfect exercise of faith our parishes and pastors are drawn together to the love of God. May your parish ever grow in faith and love.
