The People of God in Lake County
Pastors, Deans, Parish Staff, Volunteer Ministers
THe People of God are the front-line workers for Christ in our society. Your apostolate, owing from
your baptism, is to transform those within your sphere, those you encounter on the journey of life.
Your mission is ful lled by being followers of Jesus in the world, especially serving those who don’t
know Christ. It’s about loving those who haven’t been drawn to church, who don’t cross the parish
threshold. Yours is a mission to live in such a way that when others encounter you, they encounter
Christ. They experience your qualities of salt, light, and leaven, even without being able to articulate
what draws them to you. Your mission is to bring about the will of the Father for the good of the other,
in all the places and spaces you encounter them, standing ready to give an account of your joy (1 Peter
3:15). Remember, our highest purpose is the salvation of souls. Our final destiny is to be made into
saints. Use the gift s God has lavished upon you in ways that build the Kingdom of God on earth in
the image of what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like: a place of peace, love, and joy Pray regularly,
attend Mass and celebrate Reconciliation. Practice seeking the Spirit, listening in the stillness, and
telling your story. Parents and teachers, embrace your role in forming the next generation of faithful.
Whether young or old, digital natives or technologically challenged, urban, suburban, or rural dwelling, each of you has the ability and responsibility to transform lives. p.20
When I visit parishes and celebrate Mass with the parishioners, I often tell them that
a healthy parish does three things well: The people worship God with intensity. the people hear God’s Word and share the Good News of our salvation in Christ with others, becoming
evangelizers. And, finally, they put their faith into action by serving the materially and spiritually poor as Jesus commanded, especially thinking of Matthew 25, where Jesus said, “When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.
Worship (Cult) Evangelization (Culture) Service (Cultivation) These three are at the heart of parish ministry, the primary reasons why a parish exists. Although parish life in the Diocese of Cleveland looks different than it did five years ago, before the pandemic, not to mention fifty years ago, these three components remain.
Activating and promoting more effective worship, evangelization, and service was my
goal when I began the restructuring of our diocese into deaneries. I hope this will be helpful in fostering other important aspects of parish life.
Additionally, he is responsible for forming and supporting a deanery committee, led by a lay, religious, or diaconal deanery chair that will shape pastoral plans for the deanery.
The deanery committee is the way in which I hope to gather input and ideas, not only from clergy, but from lay leaders of our parishes. These pastoral plans I am asking the deanery committee to develop will have measurable goals that strengthen the collective work of the deanery’s parishes in bringing people closer to the Lord, especially through authentic worship, active evangelization, and acts of charity or Christian service.
Let’s ask ourselves how we can get the message of Jesus and his Gospel out into our
communities in a way that is authentic, orthodox, and inviting. It is true that we live in an age saturated by screens and information, and that a majority of young people spend a great deal of time on the internet and social media. We must ask ourselves, are our parishes present online? Are we reaching out to our parishioners and potential parishioners online with the Gospel message? Do we have a social media presence that is filled with hope and joy? Are our websites attractive and easy to navigate? Can they find a community to meet in person? Have we consulted our younger parishioners to ask for their help as “digital natives” in this regard? If not, it is time we begin.