I have set out below some thoughts that I have about where we find our parishes at present and also where we might go in the future. I stress that these thoughts are completely mine and should not be taken to represent the thinking of all those other parishioners who are currently involved in our leadership groups which are considering how our parishes may look like into the future.
Introduction
In May 2008, Fr Frank O’Loughlin in an address to one of the parishes in the Archdiocese, spoke about significant changes occurring in the Church. The context was that “it is mostly hard to cope with major changes that occur before we are ready”.
What might the parish of the future look like, how might it function, are we ready to adapt to the changes that will occur, even if we are not really ready for them?
What is the current setting for our parishes?
We currently find our parish is functioning very differently from what we are used to, thanks to COVID-19. Will we be able to go back to what we were used to? I do not think it possible for us to endure what 2020 has thrown at us and to just wind back the clock, change will be upon us. The Archdiocese has made it clear we cannot go back to the past, hence the decision to have our parish join with Camberwell, Balwyn and Deepdene Parishes to form a much larger parish unit. The reality is that we have an ever-declining number of priests available to serve us, but also our number of parishioners has declined over the last decade(s) and the large numbers we used to have are a thing of the past and are not likely to return in the near future.
So change is already underway. Change is always challenging and raises many questions in people’s minds. The creation of a much larger parish raises questions in the near term such as:
You are most likely aware that we have leadership teams working across our parish communities to consider these and other issues for the future parish. These deliberations are proceeding in a collaborative, consultative manner and in a measured time frame. It is hoped that the majority of our parishioners will be open to considering the future of our parish and what role they may play in it.
A recent survey undertaken across the parishes, which was well responded to by parishioners, revealed a picture of what is important to them. Whilst things such as having Mass and the Sacraments available ranked highly, what was probably of greatest importance was the role community played in their lives. Tragically in these difficult times we have not been able to have our communities function as we would like and be there to support each other as we would like. 2020 has been a year none of us will forget in a hurry, it will leave many of our parish communities struggling in various ways. It is not just the inability to meet at our parishes as usual that has impacted us, but there are also so many non-parish things that help ground people’s lives that have not been available either, for example:
And the list goes on.
These disruptions to people’s lives have also come at a time when other major external forces have challenged our belief systems and left us feeling as though we are floundering. We are having one Royal Commission after the other, eg. into sexual abuse, into aged care, into financial services and so on. These all play a part in disrupting our bearings.
In the near term, our parishes, once they are open again, can play a significant role in helping us all get some of our bearings back and to look to the future with hope for a better world, to help us feel better about ourselves. This role for the parish can only happen if we, as parishioners, want to see the parish play this sort of supportive role and also a role into the future that helps make our world a better place. This depends on us; are we willing to support and help develop our parishes for the future?
What of the future beyond the immediate?
What are some of the possibilities for the future once we are functioning with some level of normalcy? We have a great opportunity to mould our parish in partnership with our clergy so that it is something we want to be involved in and help to make happen. Some possibilities for the future to consider could be:
There are no firm answers to the above and to other questions at this stage. These and other matters are part of the agenda that the leadership teams will be seeking to place before parishioners for consideration in the coming months. In creating a much larger merged parish, the Archbishop is challenging us to be willing to take some of the responsibilities for our own futures as a parish. Will we take up this challenge? We have a great opportunity to set the pathway for the future for our parish if we work together; it may not all be plain sailing but with goodwill we will get there.
Many of you may say you have heard all this before and what are we doing about it? There is certainly some truth to this but the question also needs to be posed: “what are WE going to do about it?” We need to accept that this has to be a collaborative effort.
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Liz Tehan says:
Congratulations Peter. A great article on the current situation. We have a “once in a generation” or even “once in 100 years” opportunity in front of us to really create some significant change that excites and reinvigorates people in the expression of their faith. We all need to be brave, innovative, creative, and open to new ideas from others. The times we are in call for transformation, not step change. Good luck with your deliberations. I hope we get to work together at some stage in the future.