Know, Love, Serve planning process spreads love

 

With many Catholic parishes graying, the Diocese of Spokane has embarked on a process to call parish leaders and members back to the primary focus of the faith: love.

Brian Kraut guides the diocesan planning process.

“Corporately, we may look at numbers, but the foundational piece that drives the church is love,” said Brian Kraut, staff to the new Parish Support and Renewal Services office.

“The language we use is about moving us from maintenance to mission,” he said. 

After serving 21 years as a lay youth minister at St. Pius Parish in Coeur d’Alene, he began working July 1 to implement the “Know, Love and Serve” diocesan planning process and former Spokane Bishop Blase Cupich’s pastoral letter, “Joy Made Complete.”

In 2012, the Diocesan Presbyteral Council asked the bishop to develop a process for diocesan planning.

Brian said the goal is for people to see Christ in how “we Christians live, pray and make a difference.  Laity cannot just defer to those who are ordained,” he said. 

The process was also inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, “The Joy of the Gospel.” 

In it, he invites Christians to renew their personal encounter with Christ, to be saved again and to be taken into God’s redeeming embrace.

“Pope Francis says faith is to be action motivated by love.  Love will bring more change than obligation.  It’s not about having to do something but about response to someone’s love for us,” Brian said

He calls the church to live in the world, saying, “People long for something authentic in relationships.  So much of young people’s lives is virtual.  They want to experience something real.”

The diocese invited Mark Mogika of Green Bay, Wis., to initiate a process of inquiry with priests, parishes, religious communities and other Catholic organizations.  It generated 100 reports.  A committee reviewed them in 2013 and 2014 to help develop a plan

The diocese sent a questionnaire to help parishes and institutions identify their strengths and dreams, and to talk about how to build on them.

In April 2014, a summit of 50 parish leaders took the information, processed it and recommended to Bishop Cupich eight goals for renewing the church.

He used that input to write “Joy Made Complete,” as a four-year plan with priorities for each year.  It was published in August 2014.  Parishes are using that plan to make their own plans, which they submit to Brian. 

Fr. Pat Kerst, pastor at St. Mary’s in Spokane Valley, chairs the steering committee that developed the inquiry process and now serves as an advisory committee for Brian.

Fr. Pat said responses vary with parishes, priests and local committees.

“Some are implementing it lavishly.  Small parishes are doing less.  Some have 10 parishioners.  Others have 5,000,” said Fr. Pat.  “The process presumes people and resources.”

Parishes are to work on two of the eight goals each year, based on their own strengths.

• The first year’s priorities are leadership development and faith formation for teaching adults.

• The second year’s priorities are community, youth and young adult ministry, and family ministry for renewing communal life.

• The third year’s priorities are liturgical renewal, and discipleship and stewardship related to Eucharist and prayer.

• The fourth year’s priorities are service and evangelization, and ecumenism to share with those in need and add to parishes’ vibrancy.

“The invitation is to reflect on the parish, be grateful to God, give witness to faith, think about what they can do and step outside their comfort zones, to be creative and do new things,” Fr. Pat said.

Brian’s role is to come alongside parishes and work with them for the process to take root.

His initial task was to do parish visitations with the bishop, but in September former Spokane Bishop Cupich was installed Archbishop of the Diocese of Chicago and left Spokane.

That left Brian to do 62 parish visits with pastors and parish councils.

What each parish does is unique, Brian said.   “Pastors are to provide the ignition.”

He met with a Newman Center retreat, went to a parish leaders meeting in Brewster and a youth night in Okanogan.  He visited the Colville Reservation and just listened for two days.  They said he was the first to come from the diocese in a long time, and they want to be connected.

In Walla Walla, he met with three parishes that work in collaboration with one pastor.  Many parishes are served by one pastor.  Multi-parish ministry is growing as the number of priests retiring exceeds the number being ordained.  In the Spokane Diocese, 47 priests, pastors or parochial vicars serve 82 parishes.

Brian, who started in youth ministry at St. Pius when he was in his 20s, grew up in Lewiston and earned a degree in education in 1993 at Lewis and Clark State College.  While at St. Pius, he also taught science and math for 10 years at Holy Family Catholic School in Coeur d’Alene.

His job with the Diocese of Spokane also includes strengthening youth ministries by developing a team of youth leaders and training youth ministers.

Brian also organizes leadership and parish gatherings.

About 230 leaders came to a diocesan planning meeting in April.

A second assembly Oct. 9 and 10 will include a Friday gathering of parish leaders and a Saturday gathering for everyone from parishes and agencies.  That gathering will focus on the need for churches to collaborate, for leaders to encounter Christ so they can lead others to encounter Christ, for bringing compassion to teaching and for engaging in mission work.

“We serve and lead based on our personal stories,” Brian added.  “The foundation of our work as disciples is to know Christ and Christ’s love in a way that drives us to have others encounter the Spirit, especially young people. 

“All who are baptized are responsible to do the work of evangelization, which is about our being and doing,” Brian said. “In addition to our work of catechesis, we must give witness to what Christ is doing in our lives, rather than just share knowledge of beliefs.”

After years of negative feelings because of abuse by some priests, this process is positive, Brian said.

While the Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth requires all people who have contact with children to have background checks and boundary training, he recognizes that there is continued need for healing.

“Out of suffering, however, there is potential for growth,” he said.  “The church has taken a lead in looking at child abuse, which is a societal problem. 

“We must now share what we have learned with society, so we can be proactive and prevent child abuse in other settings, where society still may turn a blind eye to abuse,” Brian said.

“The church offers the story of God who is merciful, brings healing and forgiveness to those who had their power taken,” he said. 

“The church has grown to be a place to cherish children,” he said.  “I have great hope as we move forward.”

“The Know Love Serve process can motivate parishioners to move from defensiveness and maintenance to a spirit of mission,” Brian said.  “It is a response to the reality that the church lost its way and is being called back to its primary motivation of love.”

For information, call 358-7314 bkraut@dioceseofspokane.org.

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