MANTUA – For all those who serve as parish pastoral associates, Bishop Dennis Sullivan has a message.
“You are agents of mission and evangelization, announcing the Gospel. Know of my gratitude for what you do,” the Bishop said during the annual formation day for pastoral associates – those who aid the Diocese’s parishes in ministries such as music, liturgy, youth and service.
About 60 people gathered Jan. 23 at Church of the Incarnation for the day, which had as its theme, “In Pastoral Service to the Church of Today.”
“There’s a lot of good going on, but we can do it better,” Bishop Sullivan said. “You are critical [as heralds] of the Kingdom of God in South Jersey.”
During this time of synodality in the Catholic Church, as it seeks to understand better the needs of its flock, the Bishop stressed six points for ministry leaders to focus on in their local communities.
“The mission must grow and expand; people need to be listened to, heard and welcomed, especially women and the poor; formation in the Christian life [must} be strengthened; division needs to be healed in parishes and the whole Church; the Eucharist, the Sunday gathering of God’s people, needs to be properly celebrated with all the ministries in every single parish, [and] the need to have a spirit of openness to others,” he said.
Guest speaker Dr. Hosffman Ospino, theology and religious educator at Boston College and chair of its Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, provided historical context to show how the Church came to where it is today, and where it is going.
Comparing the Catholic Church to an iceberg on the sea, he urged all to not just focus on what can be seen, but “plan for the Church that is coming.”
Explaining the changing face of U.S. Catholicism, Dr. Ospino noted that in the last century, the first wave of Catholic immigrants to the United States from Europe – with their varied nationalities, languages and traditions – organized national, and later, personal parishes throughout the nation.
Today, the second wave of Catholic immigrants, mostly from Latin America, Asia and Africa, represents a new reality for the Church: integration and the responsibility of all faith communities to welcome and embrace these Catholics, he said. “A pastoral associate needs to be a person who reads the sign of the times and adjusts accordingly …. to keep the faith alive [for all],” he said.
To this end, Dr. Ospino stressed a need for parishes and ministries to develop “inter-cultural competence” in ways such as its ministers learning a new language or identifying the needs of new parishioners.
Wendy Dominguez, secretary at the Parish of Saint Monica in Atlantic City, said she felt energized by Dr. Ospino’s talk. “He gave me that push to do what I’m doing with love. As pastoral associates, we all have a mission to take care of everyone who comes to us every day.”
She appreciated the education she received not only from Dr. Ospino, but others during round-table discussions held during the day. After Dr. Ospino challenged attendees to examine the challenges and opportunities of preparing for the future of the Church, she and her tablemates discussed issues including the need to further empower parents as the key evangelists of their children, and adopting a prayerful trust in the Holy Spirit.
“Everyone brought something new and different [to the conversation],” Dominguez said. “We learned from each other, were united and grew together.”
Donna Ottaviano-Britt, the Diocese’s head of the Secretariat for Pastoral Outreach, said the day was an opportunity for Bishop Sullivan and diocesan ministry leaders to thank “the people in the trenches accompanying others at the local level.”
Echoing sentiments expressed by Bishop Sullivan and Dr. Ospino, she called the vocation of a pastoral associate one focused on “building the Church of the future, as parishes on mission.”
“It will take all of us, integrated together, to find a home and place [for all faithful],” said Ottaviano-Britt, whose Secretariat for Pastoral Outreach sponsored the day with the diocesan Secretariat for Evangelization and Hispanic Ministry.
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