Pastoral Regions

Most Recent News from the Regional Pastoral Council

Posted on Friday March 12, 2010

Highlights from the Regional Pastoral Council Meetings of November 2009 & March 2010

SGRPC Meeting Highlights (November, 2009 and March, 2010)

Prayer is very important to the San Gabriel Region Pastoral Council. Members participated in an awesome retreat on November 7, 2009. Our next one is calendared for November 6, 2010 and will include not only Council members, but members of the Standing Committees as well.

SGRPC hosted a Discernment Day at Ramona Convent on January 23, 2010. Twenty-two people participated, discerning whether or not they are being called to serve on a Standing Committee and/or the Council itself.

Standing Committees promote the implementation of the six Synod Initiatives. Most people in attendance indicated an interest in participating on a committee and eight indicated a willingness to serve on the Council. The Recruitment Committee is reviewing the names of those who expressed interest in being considered for membership on the regional council.

Standing committee chairs are contacting those individuals who expressed interest in serving on a standing committee.

SGRPC is planning a bilingual Parish Pastoral Council Training and Certification workshop and the date will be announced in the near future.

The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council has expressed a desire to have one overarching goal shared in common by the APC, the regional councils and parish pastoral councils. SGRPC members agreed that this is a great idea.

A sub-committee on Inclusiveness and Sensitivity to Cultural Differences and needs was established at the March 6 meeting. This committee will address the questions and concerns that the Council has in this area and will report back to the Council at the June meeting.

On March 6, Council members received an informational presentation by Greg Kramer, RENEW, International, via telephone speaker and power point handout, on the RENEW process commencing with an abbreviated version of a typical session and culminating with a discussion of how the RENEW process links with each of the Synod Initiatives.

Representatives from each of the Initiative Standing Committees presented written and oral updates on the status of implementing the Synod Initiatives at both the November and March meetings. Summary of Reports:

Initiative I: Evangelization and the “New” Evangelization

A specific plan for the “new evangelization” of all Catholics (laity, clergy and religious) is to be established in the Archdiocese and implemented in each parish. The discussion centered around all the great events in place under Fr. Paul in St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Reseda.

Fr. Paul was formerly stationed on the San Gabriel Region and was a member of Synod Initiative I committee. He has begun implementing his ideas in his new parish and has helped the parish come to life establishing prayer groups, retreats for parish leaders, bible study, parish council, school board, etc. The parish is growing in leaps and bounds.

Renew, presented at the March 6 meeting, is one of several programs designed to assist parishes with evangelization. The Council will continue to study other possibilities and will encourage parishes to adopt a model that is suitable for the specific parish.

Initiative II: Structures for Participation and Accountability

As indicated above, a bilingual Parish Pastoral Council Training and Certification event is being planned for the future.

The Committee has completed a manual for parish pastoral councils. They are awaiting dates from the Bishop to go to the deans’ meeting and for representatives to go to Deanery meetings to distribute it. It will be reproduced as soon as a couple of finishing touches are added.

Initiative III: Ongoing Education and Formation: Adults, Young Adults, Youth

The Committee submitted all material last May for a Pastoral Resource Guide to the archdiocesan webmaster. They are awaiting the web publication of the Pastoral Resource Guide before initiating a plan to promote networking throughout the SG Region. In their committee meetings in May and September 2009, they planned their strategy and timeline. They need only to revisit and revise this with their new members, before its implementation.

Establishing a Regional Youth Advisory Board is now the focus of the Committee’s attention. Throughout January committee members researched and drafted seven separate proposals for the establishment of a Regional Youth Advisory Board (a Synod priority of Initiative III). In February, seven proposals, in written form, were presented for consideration (what/how/where/when/who), after which there was a focused conversation.

Two committee members (who also serve on both the regional and Archdiocesan ‘youth councils’ that are coordinated by the ORE) offered feedback.

Initiative IV: Ministry and Leadership: Lay, Consecrated, Ordained

Follow-up is in progress with a few (20) participants from the March 18, 2009 Dialogue & Development Session, “Parish Leadership: A Shared Leadership,” to conduct a brief post-session interview. The Committee plans to offer another “Collaborative Leadership” workshop in the fall of 2010.

The Committee is proceeding with a pilot with St John Vianney parish that is in the exploratory stages of developing a school for existing ministers. A dialogue meeting with Sr. Edith Prendergast, Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education, SJV Pastor and existing ministers was scheduled for Tuesday, March 2nd at SJV.

- Committee Recommendation #1:

With the SGPR Council’s effectiveness in sponsoring four (4) workshops/seminars/dialogues, these can be developed into an ongoing series offered at a School of Ministry located in the SGPR (e.g. St John Vianney, Holy Family).

Four (4) SGPR Council workshops/seminars/dialogues included:

Syn VI – Social Justice: Catholic Social Teaching and Social Ministry Parish Models; Syn II -Parish Pastoral Council Training & Certification;

Syn IV – “Parish Leadership: A Shared Responsibility.”

- Committee Recommendation #2:

Development of a School of Ministry must be collaborative, including the other Syn Initiative Committees and the Region’s ORE.

Initiative V: Eucharist and Sacramental Living

Initiative V Committee is collaborating with Initiative II and IV and the ACC.

We must make appropriate provision for the full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful in the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The Liturgical Committee in every parish should be functional. We must reach out to the entire congregation and form a people “steeped in prayer.”

We have to develop a lay ministry and prepare the laity to lead in this area.

Initiative VI: Social Justice: Living at the Service of God’s Reign

Social Justice begins with Liturgy. We need more members on the Social Justice Committee and we need to develop leadership from the grassroots. The program Catholic Social Justice 101 which was purchased last year would help in this area.

The Initiative VI Committee announced plans for a workshop led by Bishop Gabino Zavala on Catholic Social Teaching on Tuesday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Pomona.

The Committee is continuing to plan an event in May on immigration.