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Getting involved with one another
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October 26, 2023Outside, windy and humid, inside a bustling, welcoming atmosphere: around 500 people attended this year’s State of the Diocese at The Richard M. Borchard Fairgrounds in Robstown.
People took time to explore the different ministries and initiatives of the Diocese at the 18 Expo tables. Do you know what the Diocesan Archive is doing? And what are the latest initiatives of the Youth and Young adult ministry? Participants could chat with the different representatives of offices and Catholic Schools and get to know the three missionaries of La Fazenda de Esperanza (Farm of Hope) who recently arrived from Brazil.
Two videos introduced Bishop Michael Mulvey’s speech: one with impressions of different youth and young adult initiatives, from the Gen Verde Performing Arts Camp that just happened to the WYD pilgrims and service retreats. The second one put together priests, married couples and religious sisters of different generations who reflected on how they grew up in different times but are living out the same vocations, just with other means.
Bishop Mulvey invited the participants to “go back to the roots” of the Church – when the adherents of this new religion were not yet called Christians but “the people of the way.” “They came together as communities; they shared what they had,” the bishop continued. They were noted because they were different – they put the New Commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you (Jn 13:34)” into practice.
He went on to the motto of the Synod, “Communion – Participation – Mission.” Sharing about a period in his life, where he lived for one year with 65 priests and seminarians from all over the world, he recognized that he was prejudiced: “I grew up in Houston with all kinds of different people around me, but I didn’t get to know them.” To be a community, “we have to get involved with one another, especially with our enemies – otherwise, we are not part of ‘the way.’”
Participation means stewardship – and Bishop Mulvey urged the people to settle down in one parish instead of hopping around because the music is nice in that parish and the sermon in another.
The third point, our mission, is to give witness to the resurrection, and this means accepting change. He shared that he always feels uncomfortable when people say, “We want to keep our parish just as it is.” Instead, “We have to keep learning the beauty of interacting with each other, being part of a bigger family.”
One serious concern is the number of priests and parishes in the diocese. There are 69 parishes and 25 missions, with 79 priests serving them. In ten years, though, there will be only 58 priests. He invited the audience to be part of vocational teams in their parishes, “future priests don’t grow on trees; they sit in your pews.”
On the other hand, the diocese has to keep up with many buildings and structures. He presented data on different cities in the diocese – some smaller-sized towns have 3 or 4 parishes but a low regular mass attendance. In some cities, the cost is around $1,350 per active Catholic. If those parishes would merge, “imagine what we could do – we had more money and staff for Schools, for young people and marriage preparation.” In some cases, “we could sell properties and build one brand-new church for the whole town.” He invited the parish members to propose and develop ideas on how their parishes could attract more people.
Guided by questions, each table had around 15 minutes to talk about ideas to be a more missionary and evangelizing parish. Some representatives shared ideas on how to reach out to “Christmas Catholics,” others proposed to preserve the beauty of our faith while being open to new ideas that meet the needs of people. All written proposals were collected and will be evaluated.
Music – Charles Gounod’s Ave Maria, performed by Carolina Salinas and Alex Oldroyd, and a video of Gen Verde performing with the young people closed the evening. The feedback was positive –people look already forward to next year’s State of the Diocese and want to continue the conversations in their parishes.
