With sections 154 through 178, we’ll turn our attention to the diocese and its support for adult faith formation. Remember, this document Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us was promulgated in 1999. While parishes succeed, fail, and bear fruit or not depending on the pastor’s support, the bishop is ultimately responsible for the objectives laid out in this document. If you’re in the know about your diocese, judge for yourself how the last twenty-three years have been.
OBWBWU cites the International Council for Catechesis and Pope John Paul II in paragraph 154:
While the parish is the place of front-line ministry in adult faith formation, the bishop has primary responsibility for the general welfare of the local Church, and as teacher of the faith, he is the chief catechist of adults. (Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community 82; Catechesi Tradendae 63)
As with pastors, bishops hire and appoint competent people to assist. I’ll list out the three objectives given in the next paragraphs of the document:
- The diocese will have a clearly stated vision of lifelong learning in parishes that promotes adult faith formation as the chief form of catechesis. (155)
- The diocese will have a clear strategy for developing parish adult faith formation leaders, teams, and catechists. (160)
- The diocese will allocate adequate personnel and resources for carrying out the mission of adult faith formation in the diocese. (164)
Starting with paragraph 169, steps for implementation will take us to the conclusion of the document:
- Study the plan
- Analyze the situation
- Develop action steps
- Prepare your leaders
- Make a commitment of financial resources
We’re in the home stretch of this document. We’re pretty much at a point to check our parish and diocese and see how faithful they’ve been to the vision.
Catholic Sensibility 