The final night of Formation for PPC took place last Monday. It was addressed by Fr Gearóid Godley, Pastoral Centre, Killarney. Kerry Diocese has thirteen parishes without a resident priest out of fifty-three parishes in all. They have had to do much planning at diocesan level and Pastoral Area level to meet the challenging sitruation. Pastoral Councils had to work together to ensure the people were serviced in the various areas without destroying the health of their priests or being totally burned out.
Fr Godley advised not to get bogged down in the negativity of the age or of society but to positively explore how the parish can thrive into the future. Their task with the priest is to work together to further the mission of Jesus. In the parish the Pastoral Council has a leadership role. The priest is the official representative of the bishop and is ultimately responsible for all decisions made regarding the parish. The Council are meant to be the engine of the parish, thinking and planning in response to present and future needs. The task is to reach out to people and encourage people in the faith.
Fr Gearóid encouraged the new Pastoral Council to plan. He also mentioned the importance of coordinating what is going on in parish and to be conscious of supporting and encouraging groups that are working in the parish already. He stressed the importance of prayer and reflection at the meetings and said it was central to the work and life of the parish. Room must be given to the Holy Spirit to inspire all present. Faith in God is basis for all the work.
Towards the end of his presentation Fr Gearóid spoke about an effective meeting and the roles of the officers. He stressed good communication with the group and the parish. He also spoke about the situation in his own diocese where they work in Pastoral Areas of four or fives parishes. They are served by perhaps three priests. He quoted the saying: “If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go further go together”. The wild geese line up behind each other on route.
