Called To BE Church - Reference Materials

“Called to BE Church”

Reference Materials

“In the organism of a living body no member is purely passive: sharing in the life of the body each member shares in its activity. The same is true in the body of Christ which is the church, the whole body, ‘when each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth (Eph 4:16).’ Between the members of this body there exists, further, such a unity and solidarity (see Eph 4:16) that members who fail to do their best to promote the growth of the body must be considered unhelpful to both the church and to themselves.”

Vatican Council II
Decree on the Lay Apostolate
Paragraph 2

From the Bishop

Other Useful Materials for “Called to BE Church”

Suggested Reading

This page is a single source location to find all on-line reference materials that may be useful for planning and understanding “Called to BE Church.” The materials available on-line through this page are copyright protected. They may be copied and reproduced without permission when:

1. Used by an official parish, office or ministry which is part of the Roman Catholic
     Diocese of Albany; and,

2. The material is used in conjunction with the Pastoral Planning effort known as
    “Called to BE Church.”
The “Called to BE Church” LOGO should be used on all documents and worship aids created by parishes, facilitators, Deaneries and Local Planning Groups.

From the Bishop

June 12, 2006 talk on “Called to BE Church.” - Discover what Bishop Hubbard said
to more than 800 parish leaders at this historic meeting.

Mission of the Contemporary Parish - In this short work, the Bishop expands upon the foundation of his 1998 book “Fulfilling the Vision.” He proposes making Jesus and his mission the center of our planning efforts and poses the question “By now, you must be asking yourself, what is this man smoking?” Read more about the Bishop’s prophetic message and find our why doing the work of Jesus is more important that Mass schedules and paving parking lots.

The Mission of the Contemporary Parish is also available on DVD. Call or e-mail Jack Manning, Director of the Office of Pastoral Planning at (518) 453-6661 -
jack.manning@rcda.org.

Study Guide for Mission of the Contemporary Parish - a companion to his paper and the DVD. Great for Adult Education.

“We are His People.” - Pastoral Letter by Bishop Hubbard written in 1978.

“We are God’s Priestly People.” - A Pastoral Letter from 1988.

Other Useful Materials for “Called to BE Church”

For Prayers used during “Called to BE Church” meetings click on the “Prayers for Meeting”.

For Meeting Resources (agenda & prayer) for facilitator and participant guides used in the “Loosening the Soil” Fall 2006 Town and Leadership meetings and the Local Planning Group meetings (January 2007 - June 2008), click on the “Meeting Resources”.

For a copy of all Pastoral Planning Memoranda, click on the “Memoranda from Pastoral Planning”.

For a list of the parishes in the Local Planning Groups.

For a copy of the “Called to BE Church” LOGO in JPEG format. Use the Logo on all of your parish bulletins, prayers, etc. The LOGO is also available courtesy of The Evangelist.

For a “Called to BE Church” Book Mark Prayer & Logo. These are great for inserting into the worship aide you use for Mass. Pray the “Prayer in Time of Change” at every liturgy!

For a copy of just “The Prayer in Time of Change”.

“Called to BE Church” Song and Music: Written by Steve Wildermuth, the song for Called to BE Church is available as sheet music for vocal groups, organ and piano and in several MP3 format versions that can be downloaded and played. We suggest that this song be used during Mass and meetings associated with the process.

For a copy of the Thomas Merton Prayer, Merton’s prayer reminds us Who is in control.

Suggested Reading

The official Diocesan newspaper, The Evangelist, the official publication of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, has been running articles on “Called to BE Church.” To obtain these articles or to download the LOGO in JPEG or PDF format, http://www.evangelist.org/called.htm

“The Basic Sixteen Documents VATICAN COUNCIL II.” Austin Flannery, O.P., General Editor, Costello Publishing Company, Northport, N.Y., 1996 ISBN 0-918344-37-9. This is MUST reading for all Catholics.

“Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, a Resource for Guiding the
Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.” Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005, is available on line in PDF format.

Also available as a book through Costello Publishing Company, Northport , NY , ISBN 1-57455-724-6. An excellent resource for anyone who wants to serve Jesus and his people as a dedicated lay person in active ministry.

“Fulfilling the Vision, Collaborative Ministry in the Parish.” Howard J. Hubbard, Crossroad Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0-8245-1719-9. While out of print, it is still available as a used book through on-line book stores.

“Creative Ministry.” Henri J.M. Nouwen, Image Books, 1971, ISBN 0-385-12616-6. While originally written for the clergy, this book has meaning for all God’s Priestly people who serve, or who want to serve, in the Name of Jesus.

“A Struggle for Holy Ground, Reconciliation and the Rites of Parish Closure.” Michael Weldon, Liturgical Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8146-2155-4. Very important to help understand the dynamic of consolidation of resources and parish closings. Based upon actual experiences.

“Collaboration, Uniting Our Gifts in Ministry.” Loughlan Sofield, ST and Carrol Juliano, SHCJ, Ave Maria Press, 2000, ISBN 0-87793-683-8. Christian Collaboration is nothing like Roberts Rules of Order. Must reading for those who meet to do the work of Jesus.

“Dancing with Change, A Spiritual Response to Changes in the Church.” Dr. Richard J. McCorry, iUniverse, Inc., 2004, ISBN 0-595-31462-7. Insight into why change is so difficult and strategies for dealing with change that is inevitable.

“Priestless Parishes, the Baptized Leading the Baptized.” Virginia Stillwell, Thomas More Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-88347-481-6. We live this dynamic already in Churches lead by Parish Life Directors. Knowledge alleviates fear and uncertainty and this book explains how parishes can thrive without priests.

If you have any suggested readings, please provide the information in the format above, including a brief synopsis, to WarrenEd@Verizon.net.