Parish Life Without a Resident Priest/Pastor -
conclusion (Part 1 appeared in the February issue of In the Vineyard.)

Sr. Mary Mazza, C.N.D. is a Parish Life Director at St. Patrick Parish in Athens, NY. Many thanks to Eleanora Paciulan of VOTF Seacoast, MA Affilliate for this report) Sister referred attendees to the pamphlet Things to Know About A Parish Life Director prepared by Albany's Diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning, which details the requirements for PLDs: Masters Degree in Religious Studies, Theology, or Pastoral Ministry; at least three to five years of full-time experience in a parish, preferably in multiple parish settings; a demonstrated commitment to education, formation and development both personally and professionally; leadership, interpersonal, organizational and other skills required in parish ministry; personal maturity, compassion, sense of humor, and emotional stability; and a well developed sense of Church and spirituality.

Religious women and lay people in Albany, the Midwest, and West have leadership roles and Diocesan positions but this has not been a phenomenon in the East. Several unfamiliar titles that are operative in the Albany Diocese were explained: Canonical Pastor is a priest appointed by the diocesan bishop to oversee all aspects of leadership provided by the PLD. A Sacramental Minister is a priest who is assigned to a specific parish or parish cluster to serve as the ordained minister of prayer and sacraments. The Advocate for Priests is everyone's Canonical Pastor; his goal is to go to every parish in the diocese, which he does on three weekends each month, and on the fourth, he serves as the Sacramental Minister at St. Patrick Parish. The Priest Advocate usually celebrates Funeral Masses and Weddings there and Sister Mary does the preparation.

In response to two questions that were asked relating to the Reconfiguration process in the Boston Archdiocese, Sister affirmed that although the position of PLD is canonically approved, the local Bishop has the authority to decide whether or when to appoint lay leaders in the diocese, as stated earlier. For those who want to keep their Church, Sister recognized that our Church is like our family and we don't want to let go of what we have; at the same time, in a city that may have five churches within a ten-mile radius, we need to look for new ways to have vibrant communities. We exist as Church to bring about the reign of God and understand that God will never leave us. When we hear about the declining number of priests, maybe the Holy Spirit is asking, "Are there vocations that we are not recognizing?"

Sister talked about her role during Mass. She does the preparation for the music ministry and Prayers of the Faithful, participates in the Opening Procession, preaches once a month, distributes Communion on occasion, could do the readings but wants parishioners to do them, and greets people before and after Mass. People have grown to appreciate the moment of silence between readings. A commentator welcomes the congregation and reads the announcements. Music is selected based on the liturgy and to make the Mass more prayerful; music for Communion time and at funerals is familiar so that people can sing the antiphon. Missalettes are provided for the hearing-impaired, but others are encouraged to listen rather than read the Word. Sister may conduct a Communion Service on Sunday in the absence of a priest. Consecrated Hosts are kept on hand.

Sister Mary noted that in the Albany Diocese, PLDs do not have a contract because the Bishop doesn't believe in them; she doesn't know about other dioceses. She said PLDs are treated the same way that priests are, attend the same meetings related to ministry. Sister Mary, as most parishioners call her, is paid by the parish, which she forwards to her community, the Congregation of Notre Dame, who support her. She wants to remain in St. Patrick Parish for years to come. Sister said the hardest thing is eating alone; her former parish was large and she enjoyed sitting down with a congenial group for dinner. She telephones her friends during dinner now.

At the conclusion of the Q and A period, Sister ended with a story, "In Appreciation of the Boll Weevil." In Enterprise, Alabama there is a landmark statue of a woman who is holding a boll weevil over her head. Cotton was the single crop in the area in 1915 when these cotton-destroying insects came in from Mexico. The crop losses affected everyone: the farmers were unable to pay their bills, businesses lost sales, and banks lost their investments. One man had the foresight to encourage farmers to diversify their crops, and suggested that they plant corn and peanuts and raise livestock. Only a few farmers did so and regained their losses, while those who didn't lost their cotton crop again the next year. What was learned was that the newer crops were less labor-intensive than cotton; by 1919, they realized that the disaster had caused them to do things in new ways, which by 1919 heralded prosperity. This is a good paradigm for our Church today.

The meeting concluded with the participants joining with Sister Mary in song. As with all great presentations, attendees went home with many ideas to reflect and pray upon.

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