Parish Renewal in Light of the Congregation for the Clergy’s Instruction The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church

Authors

Keywords:

parish, parish community, parish renewal, pastoral conversion, evangelization

Abstract

This article presents the Congregation for the Clergy’s reflection on the state of the parish and conditions for pastoral care. The congregation’s most recent instruction entitled The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church presents the authors’ vision for renewal of the parish community and pastoral care within the parish setting.

This article is the first of its kind to present the bases for, the conditions of, and the direction that such renewal should take. The need for renewal stems primarily from ongoing cultural changes that are taking place in the modern world. The renewal should transform the parish into a sanctuary where the Word of God is proclaimed in a way that the faithful understand. The parish should become a place of deep devotion to the Eucharist and a shelter for every person in need. In order to renew the parish, it is necessary to change parish structures. It is also fitting to introduce changes concerning the agents of pastoral care and to engage the laity in pastoral care of the parish.

Through textual and comparative analysis as well as textual criticism, the author presents the model of parish pastoral care according to the Instruction The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church.

Author Biography

Dariusz Lipiec, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

REV. DARIUSZ LIPIEC, PhD, Hab, is a priest of the Diocese of Siedlce, professor of pastoral theology at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (JPII KUL), and a researcher and educator in the Institute of Theology at JPII KUL. He is a member of the Learned Society of the Catholic University of Lublin, the Polish Society of Pastoralists, the Pol- ish Academy of Sciences, and PosT-Netzwerks der mittel-und osteuro- peischäischen Pastoraltheologinnen und Pastoraltheologen. He wrote the monographs Duszpasterstwo niewidomych i słabowidzących w Polsce. Studium pastoralne [Care for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Poland: A Pastoral] (2011) and Formacja pastoralna młodych prezbiterów w diecez- jach w Polsce. Studium teologicznopastoralne [Pastoral Formation of Young Priests in Polish Dioceses: A Theological and Pastoral Study] (2020). He is also the editor and co-editor of several anthologies, the author of several dozen articles on pastoral theology, but specifically on organizing pastoral care, the lay apostolate, and the pastoral care of those with disabilities.

ORCID 0000-0002-8890-2062

References

Bibliography

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Congregation for the Clergy. The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Commu- nity in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church [Instruction]. Accessed August 23, 2021. https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/ bollettino/pubblico/2020/07/20/200720a.html.

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Published

2021-12-30

How to Cite

Lipiec, D. (2021). Parish Renewal in Light of the Congregation for the Clergy’s Instruction The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church. Rocznik Teologii Katolickiej, 20, 135-147. Retrieved from https://rtk.uwb.edu.pl/index.php/rtk/article/view/2

Issue

Vol. 20 (2021): Rocznik Teologii Katolickiej

Section

PASTORAL THEOLOGY