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updates from the Parish Pastoral Council
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feedback from dalkey parish
REFELECTION QUESTIONS
WHAT THEMES ARE EMERGING FROM THE GATHERING?
There emerged a strong sense of hope and joy experienced from the vision and pastoral leadership of Pope Francis expressed as a ‘Beacon of Hope’. The joys of sermons and church teaching, liturgy, sacred music, sacraments and from those same sacraments came hope. The participation of the laity was expressed in all, joys, sorrows, hopes and fears with a strong emphasis on joy from participation of the faithful, sorrows from missed skills of the laity and maturing laity and opportunities for greater roles presenting hope. The waste of the potential of the laity was evident as a source of fear. The need for change through the absolute hunger for equality of women was found in both sorrows and hopes in the Church and again to ‘bring on all the gifts’ of the laity in an inclusive way.
There was a deep concern that we are too late and as a church, have lost a generation while our present generation are in the process of becoming ‘lost’ to the faith. This led to a fear emerging of what fills this vacuum when faith is gone. Although the younger generation brought joy, their absence, and a failure to engage with or connect with the young was a source of sorrow. The sense of community is of immeasurably valuable, brings joy and brings the faith community together. This togetherness motivates and is a source of joy for many. Church abuse, scandals and the institutional church and its structures were set out as sorrows and a fear that that the church will not be reimagined, reformed or remain relevant. Vatican II brought hope but also sorrow because of ‘aspirations not realised and ‘a failure to implement’. Reconciliation brought both joys and hope. A sense of spiritual growth brought joy together with spiritual leadership bringing hope.
We listened to the sorrow of how the faith is no longer passed on at home yet there is hope in family faith and a hunger to ‘show us’ ‘equip us’ and to ‘teach us. This resurfaces with sacramental preparation as educators and parents called out for support. There is hope with moral guidance but fears with a lack of moral teaching. The contemplative tradition was a source of hope and joy with the absence of this tradition causing sorrow. The celebration of mass in its universality brought joy and hope yet low attendance at mass brought sorrow. Both a lack of new vocations and the issue of celibacy were a source of sorrow. Fear arose with a sense of a loss of truth and values.
Hopes and joys have both emerged from the very synodal process itself and by the experience of ‘sincere listening’, some are fearful for the scale and challenge this renewal presents.
WHAT MIGHT THE HOLY SPIRIT BE INDICATING IN THIS?
Using the Jesuit terms of ‘consolation and desolation’ it was expressed that there was' joy but not that much happiness'. The phrases used were: ‘a deep sense of loss’, ‘a lament’, ‘a cry out for something more’. While there was a deep yearning for change, there has been a sense of widespread appreciation for the positive things in people's experience of parish which were belonging to a faith community, being on the journey with others, being enriched by sacraments, consoled by liturgies, having good priests in our midst. There are joys and hopes from prayer, our Lady, the Holy Spirit, enduring faith, Eucharistic Adoration and from the presence and relationship with God.
The experience of joys that emerged from receiving faith passed on can be considered in the context of ‘a hunger’ for an ability to pass on the faith from parents that felt ill equipped alongside an education system that is ill prepared. To satisfy this hunger might act as an enabler to enriched living of the faith at home and better connect with our youth.
A reimagining of local parish leadership was hoped for and where there exists both a lack of clergy and a need to build on laity strengths and skills, these could be intertwined issues with the laity at the core. We witnessed aspects of the laity emerging like a thread moving through joys, sorrows, hopes and fears, with a constant focus on participation and skills
The need for change related to the absolute equality of women as identified in both the sorrows and hopes in the Church - to the hungers expressed, and a need to ‘bring on all the gifts’ of the laity. There is one spirit, and this experience might be enriched by steps toward ecumenism with ‘oneness at its core’. 'We now know the journey we have to travel when it comes to evangelisation.'
It seems we have been 'good enough at diagnostics over the years' but 'paralysed about going forward in response'. We have been involved in a kind of ‘numb’ maintenance' and 'incapable of going forth' and the Holy Spirit might be indicating that 'we now have in our hands the pathways on which we are to proceed’ similarly, the universal church has in its hands the information it can no longer ignore.
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