Ministry Priorities
Descriptors of the Ministry Priorities
The ministry priorities of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa is a result of the SWOT analysis, the large forum, and the most recent clergy meeting with the pastoral planning committee.
The ministry priorities have been defined to articulate the ministry and to explain why this is a priority.
LITURGY
Liturgy- Public Worship. As God’s people, it is truly right and just our duty to gather together to offer praise, thanksgiving, and sacrifice to God. We do this through words, prayers, music, and celebration of the sacraments. Most importantly, God acts on us. He gives us His grace and strength to live life to the fullest. It is our time with God and also God’s time with us. It is our work to glorify God and He works to bring us to eternal glory.
The Diocese of Chalan Kanoa aspires to educate people on the importance of Liturgy for living and knowing our faith. These approaches include: 1) liturgical practice according to the mind and disciple of the Roman Catholic Church, 2) liturgical formation of sacred and lay ministers and, 3) deeper unity in liturgy practices, particularly Sacred Music, Sacramental preparations, Mass offerings, etc.,
EVANGELIZATION and FAITH FORMATION
Evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World)
Evangelization has both an inward and an outward direction. Inwardly it calls for our continued receiving of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our ongoing conversion both individually and as Church. It nurtures us, makes us grow, and renews us in holiness as God’s people. Outwardly evangelization addresses those who have not heard the Gospel or who, having heard it, have stopped practicing their faith, and those who seek the fullness of faith. It calls us to work for full communion among all who confess Jesus but do not yet realize the unity for which Christ prayed. Pope John Paul Il, in his encyclical on missionary activity, summed up the three objectives of mission: to proclaim the Gospel to all people; to help bring about the reconversion of those who have received the Gospel but live it only nominally; and to deepen the Gospel in the lives of believers. (USCCB)
Evangelization, then, has different implications depending on our relationship to Jesus and his Church. For those of us who practice and live our Catholic faith, it is a call to ongoing growth and renewed conversion. For those who have accepted it only in name, it is a call to re-evangelization. For those who have stopped practicing their faith, it is a call to reconciliation. For children, it is a call to be formed into disciples through the family’s faith life and religious education. For other Christians, it is an invitation to know the fullness of our message. For those who have no faith, it is a call to conversion to know Christ Jesus and thus experience a change to new life with Christ and his Church.
Faith formation involves the lifelong effort of forming people of all ages into witnesses to Christ, opening their hearts to the spiritual transformation given by the Holy Spirit, and sharing the Good News with others by word and action.
As a lifelong process of deepening our understanding of the catholic faith, the Diocese currently offers opportunities that allows children to learn and grow. These are the children’s faith formation which prepares our children and youth for the Sacraments of First Holy Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation, and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) wherein interested men and women can explore Catholicism, and make a decision to become a Catholic. The Diocese of Chalan Kanoa need to increase the participation of children and their families and young adults in evangelization and faith formation.
VOCATION
Becoming a priest or a man or woman religious is not primarily our own decision…. Rather it is the response to a call and to a call of love.
—Pope Francis, Address to Seminarians and Novices, July 6, 2013
Often people think of their vocation as their job or career, but when we look at it from the background of our faith, it is usually the call that God gives us through our Baptism to grow and become like Jesus Christ – to share our life, gifts, talents and love in the service of God and for the benefit of other people.
In the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, “there is a need for ordained ministers and religious women and men to serve the needs of the local church” (Diocesan Pastoral Plan 2002-2006). The Diocese of Chalan Kanoa’s goal is to have candidates from within the Diocese for the priesthood, permanent deacons, religious and consecrated life.
MARRIAGE and FAMILY LIFE
Marriage and family life is about married couples, newly engaged men and women, single persons, children, the widowed, and the divorced. The ministry on marriage and family life is about sustaining and supporting spiritual life, personal relationships, and human dignity.
Marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, a lifelong union of two individuals created in God’s image, while family life is about children, families and people that interact and doing things together.
The marriage and life ministry priority exists to bring married couples, families and all persons of the Diocese into a deeper union with Jesus Christ and with one another through prayer, education, outreach and advocacy. Through these various approaches, the marriage and family ministry in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa hopes to strengthen, sustain and respond to the preparation for marriage and equip the family in becoming fully alive in Christ.
YOUTH
Youth is the time of life when one is young, but often means the time between childhood and adulthood (maturity), between the ages of 13 years old – 24 years old.
For the youth ministry, the Diocese responds to the needs of the young people and involves young people in sharing their gifts with the larger community (USCCB, 2017).
SOCIAL JUSTICE and OUTREACH
As Catholics, we are part of a community with a rich heritage that helps us consider the challenges in public life and contribute to greater justice and peace for all people. Our Bishops at Vatican II say that “society itself may enjoy the benefits of justice and peace, which result from [people’s] faithfulness to God and his holy will” (no. 6). The work for justice requires that the mind and the heart of Catholics be educated and formed to know and practice the whole faith.
Responding to the demands of justice in our Diocese from a faith perspective requires both words and actions. We need to look both within (our own church structures) and beyond (the larger community) to identify those areas that are broken and in need of healing. Current examples here might be: Gambling/ Immigration/ Dependency/ Substance Abuse/ Health Issues/Culture.
The Diocese will speak out on these issues and reach out with practical charity.