As we think about upon the word of God on this 4th Sunday of Easter, we will reflect upon what it means to be a local church and what it means to know and be known. Today's homily will be a little longer, because it has both "nuts and bolts" parts in it, as well as theological themes.
What does the Magisterium say about the local church?
(Vatican II - Lumen Gentium, 26): This Church of Christ is truly present in all legitimate local congregations of the faithful which, united with their pastors, are themselves called churches in the New Testament...For in their locality these are the new People called by God, in the Holy Spirit and in much fullness. [emphasis mine]
The words "in their locality" mean in their territory, in their area, where they live.
Late in August of 2018, as I was preparing for my assignment at St. Hedwig's, I sent some "nuts and bolts" type questions about the parish to the diocesan offices. Here is a part of an email that Fr. Mike Smith, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Pembroke, wrote in reply. He clarified, "St. Hedwig is the territorial parish for Barry's Bay and surrounding area. St. Lawrence O'Toole Parish was founded as a national parish (now called a personal parish) for the Irish Catholics of the area. St. Lawrence is still, canonically, a personal parish...People in Barry's Bay choose their parish based on personal preference, whether it be for the Mass times or for whatever other reason". So a personal parish is one where you would belong because you're part of a particular ethnic group. We have plenty of examples of personal parishes in Toronto and area – Polish, Italian, Croatian, Portuguese.
St. Hedwig's, however, is not a personal parish – it is a territorial parish. A parish that has in mind, first and foremost, the residents of a particular territory or town. So St. Hedwig's is the territorial church, the "default" parish for those who live in Barry's Bay and area. The parish boundaries are a little unclear – for example, where does St. Hedwig territory stop and St. Mary's in Wilno, or Holy Canadian Martyrs in Combermere begin? This is not precisely defined. However, even though the boundaries of the territory of St. Hedwig's are a little hazy, this church is still a territorial parish. Consequently, this parish's first concern are the needs of the full-time residents of Barry's Bay and area, those who are living here.
Jesus says in the Gospel, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me". The Good Shepherd knows his sheep; He recognizes them, He is acquainted with them, He is on familiar terms with them – and they with Him.
In a similar way, a pastor, a priest exercising ministry, knows, or should know his sheep – this knowledge occurs not only in church, but also at the grocery store, at the post office, while walking around town, or riding one's bike around town – all of these places give a chance to meet people, to say hello, to ask some questions, to find out more what is happening in the lives of families – who is ill, who got a new job, who is moving into town, etc. This is part of the Church's wisdom of establishing local churches – to foster a local community, a koinonia, a communion between people, between Christians who live in the same area.
The pastor knows his sheep – also in the confessional. The downside of a parish with just two priests is that, well, you have just two to choose from when it comes to confessions. The upside of a parish with just two priests is that those two priests grow in the knowledge of their penitents; week after week, month after month. During a Chrism Mass in 2013 at St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis called pastors to "be shepherds with the 'smell of the sheep'".
Now, some of you come to St. Hedwig's from the territory of another parish, whether that would be Combermere, Wilno, or Killaloe. You might even be passing another Catholic church on your way here...You are coming from the local church of Combermere, Wilno or Killaloe, driving to St. Hedwig's, for a variety of reasons. A few weeks ago I had a conversation with Archbishop Mulhall about people who come to St. Hedwig's, but who do not live within parish boundaries. If you are in this situation, there are a couple of things to consider here – have I made the conscious decision to make St. Hedwig's my parish church? Where do I most regularly attend Mass? Where am I registered as a parishioner? Normally, people from a local church should be attending that particular local church, getting known by their local pastor, who has responsibility for that particular area. However, this is not a strict rule –the Archdiocese of Toronto, for example, allows people to be parishioners of a church, even if they live outside of the pre-determined boundaries, as long as they attend Mass regularly there, and also take the time to register.
All this leads back to the question - where are you known, and where do people know you? This is one of the goals of a local church. Where can you not only offer liturgical worship, but also develop relationships of charity with the Christians around you?
What can a parishioner do to make him or herself more known? Here are some suggestions – stop and say hi after Mass at the "meet and greet" at the back of the church – stay around for a while to chat, now that Spring has arrived; make sure that you're registered as a parishioner; consider participating in some of the parish groups.
On this 4th Sunday of Easter, which is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we pray for holy Bishops, Priests and Deacons; that many may follow the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in consecrating their lives to the service of God's people.
Let us conclude with the words of Vatican II, which speaks of the People of God: "For in their locality these are the new People called by God, in the Holy Spirit and in much fullness". Let us grow in our knowledge of God, self, and neighbour in our local church of St. Hedwig's.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, May 12, 2019)
