[Delivered by Bishop Mylo Hubert C. Vergara on the National Meeting of the Parish Priests for the Synod.]
In his letter to the participants of the International Meeting of “Parish Priests for the Synod” held last May, Pope Francis started with this positive note of gratitude: “It is so obvious as to sound almost banal, but that does not make it less true: the Church could not go on without your dedication and your pastoral service. So before all else, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the generous work that you do each day, sowing seeds of the Gospel in every kind of soil (cf.Mk 4:1-25).” (Letter of the Holy Father Francis to Parish Priests, May 2, 2024) Perhaps, as we embark on these days of reflection, prayer, and sharing, we can also have this disposition. In fact, we just did it as we had our Eucharistic celebration presided by His Eminence, Jose Cardinal Advincula.
The Eucharist comes from the Greek word eukharistia which means “thanksgiving”. With the highest form of prayer, we expressed our gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings he has bestowed on each of us, especially our life, our vocation to the priesthood, and the gift of priestly ministry in our parishes. May I invite you also to contemplate in gratitude the parish priest who has been part of your vocation journey. Perhaps we could pause for a few moments of silence and pray for each other and the parish priests both living and dead who been instrumental to our vocation and have been witnesses of pastoral dynamism in serving the Church. They have been gifts of God to us in our priesthood. As we remember them, let us give thanks. (pause in silence for a few moments)
Some of my Icons of Synodal Leadership in Parish Ministry
As I prepared for this talk, I remembered three parish priests, among others, who have inspired me as a priest, and now as a bishop.
The first is the late Msgr. Fidelis Limcaco, first parish priest of Good Shepherd Parish, Fairview Quezon City, now Good Shepherd Cathedral of the Diocese of Novaliches. He was the one who recommended me to enter the seminary. Some of our seasoned clergy here might have known him. I served as one of his first Knights of the Altar and got me to attend the Parish Renewal Experience (PREX) which he propagated in our parish and in other parishes nationwide. His immersion and encounters with the parishioners in our villages made him realize the need for basic catechesis which the PREX as a week-end evangelization activity was able to provide. During his prime, I witnessed him animate the youth and motivate many laypersons to serve the parish through the numerous PREX classes which he conducted with the help of parish lay servants he trained. The program had a ripple effect that spread to many parishes and even became a standard evangelization activity.
The second is the late Msgr. Jose “Chito” Bernardo who was one of my formators in the seminary. When I was ordained a priest, I became his parochial vicar in St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Makati City. After ten years of seminary work, I took his place in my first parish assignment in Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish, Philam Homes, Quezon City. A good number of you might also know him because he gave many recollections and retreats to seminarians and clergy in dioceses all over the country. I consider him a mentor in prayer, discernment, preaching, dialogue, parish planning, and pastoral management. He was one of the pillars of the Galilee Center in Tagaytay City. He taught me how to orchestrate the gifts and talents of young and old in serving the parish. He also made me value the need for ongoing formation of the clergy.
The third is Fr. Nestor Romano fondly called Fr. Bong, a priest of the Diocese of San Jose Nueva, Ecija, my first assignment as bishop. Fr. Bong is an industrious and dedicated pastor in all his assignments. When I left San Jose, Nueva Ecija for Pasig, I learned about what he did in San Sebastian Parish, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. He heeded the call of Pope Francis to go and reach out to the peripheries. He started doing Katolikong Nagbabahay bahay. He motivated his parish lay servants to join him in visiting homes in the barangays. The visits were made randomly which became a venue to encountering the poor and listening to their stories. He was able to put these stories in writing which he compiled in a book. The stories will definitely touch your heart and has motivated his fellow priests to do what he has been doing. I even told Fr. Bong that I read his stories, from time to time, as part of my mediation when I do my hour of prayer.
I am sure that, in one way or another, you may be like Msgr. Fidelis, Msgr. Chito, or Fr. Bong in the parishes you have served. Like them, you have inspired your bother priests, seminarians, consecrated persons, and parishioners. But we also realize our imperfections and needs for improvement on how we are in our parish service and how we can become better synodal priests.
How parishioners see us—perceptions and experiences from below
In our synodal journey since October 2021, two documents were sent to the Synod General Secretariat (SGS) in Rome which were the products of our diocesan, metropolitan, and national consultations as our contribution to craft the instrumentum laboris (working paper) to be reflected on by the Synod delegates for the first session in October last year and the second session this coming October. The first is the “Salubong” report that was published in August 15, 2022. The second, the latest one, is the “Salya” report which was just made public last July 12, 2024. Both reports articulated how participants in the consultations perceive and the priests serving in the parishes based on their personal experiences.
The reports revealed a blend of lights and shadows of the ministry of priests in the parishes. The following are directly quoted from the reports:
Marami ang nakikilakbay, ngunit mas marami ang naiiwan” (“Many are journeying together but many more are left behind.”). Many dioceses acknowledged the failure of the church in general and the priests, in particular, to journey with their flock and to reach out to so many people, especially mga nasa laylayan (existential peripheries), the poor, and the marginalized. It has also been noted how the lifestyle of the priests either inspires or turns people off. In the words of one of the participants, “Bigyan nyo naman kami ng pari na handang bumabad sa aming kalagayan!” (“Please give us priests who are willing to immerse in our situation!”). Some have pointed out that their priests are becoming too secular, hooked to vices, engaged in business, own vast properties, and use parish funds for every personal need. Such priests, they say, are offensive to people and drive them away from the church. On the other hand, priests who live a rich pastoral ministry, not in love with money or properties, have no vices and celebrate Mass with dignity, deliver good homilies, inspire people, and draw them to the Church. The same comment is noted with regard to lay leaders. (Salubong Report)
“Ayawan na!” (“We quit!”) Those who were demoralized or felt excluded have left the church and no longer find the need to be part of it. Another very painful reality that makes people leave the church are some priests who have committed sexual abuse and those who have sired children. They have wounded not only the reputation of the Church but also the credibility of their fellow-priests. Some male parishioners have gone to the extent of prohibiting their children or their wives from being actively involved in church ministries and activities presumably to protect them from abusive priests. (Salubong Report)
Participants are grateful for the well-prepared liturgies and homilies of priests, especially when priests celebrate Mass in the far-flung areas of the diocese. There was a touching story of a priest washing the feet of the members of the family left behind by a suicide victim on Holy Thursday. He did so especially after the synodal team had listened to their story and had discovered that the one who committed suicide did so after another parish priest did not appear four times to his supposed visit to the family. (Salubong Report)
Although many priests would celebrate Mass in difficult-to-reach places by traversing mountains, still many far-flung areas are neglected. Some people have never seen a bishop visiting their place. Masses are held once a year only during their patronal fiesta. Participants expressed the need for the clergy’s increased and visible presence in the parish, especially in remote areas. The people desire that the priest stay after Mass and spend quality time with them. (Salubong Report)
In terms of temporal management, the laity expect the clergy and their leaders to be more transparent, especially in financial matters. Many parishes are demanding transparency especially from the Parish Finance Councils. They also expect a stricter implementation of policies and guidelines, and express the need to eliminate ecclesiastical red tape (unnecessary bureaucracy in the Church). They question the implementation of the policies of the local Church such as the system of tithing and collection. Furthermore, they also report about having authoritarian church leaders, and some who are involved in alcoholism, as well as others among them who are meddling in political affairs and supporting political candidates. (Salubong Report)
Whether face-to-face or virtual, worship remained as the best venue for experiencing synodality. However, the consultations called for priests to reevaluate their understanding and formation regarding the celebration of the sacraments as people have observed that they are merely “dispensers of the sacraments.” The homilies of the priests have received a lot of negative comments as well as some attitudes that hindered participation (e.g. pulpit abuses like scolding people in public, criticizing parishioners, engaging in character assassination of fellow priests during homilies). Unclear policies regarding the arancel system for the celebration of the sacraments, funeral Mass for suicide victims among many others, tend to keep people away from the church. In a diocese affected by the bombings of churches by religious extremists in the area, people live in a “threshold of vulnerability,” and their trauma keeps them from attending Mass in the Church. (Salubong Report)
Focus on the marginalized. Synodality challenges the Church’s understanding of poverty and the need to listen ever more to people living in poverty. As one archbishop mentioned, “When you go to your new parish assignment, you spend the first three months locating the poor. Bring your parish leaders with you, go to the poor, get to know their names, be cognizant of their situation and needs, and when you make your pastoral plans, keep them in your mind and heart”. In some smidioceses, the first consultations gave birth to new initiatives and programs of reaching out to the poor indicating a listening to the real needs and connection to realities on the ground. (Salya Report)
Co-Responsibility in Mission. Synodality has inspired an expanded and dynamic understanding of mission local church to becoming a missionary local church, “walking together” in a true synodal church indicates the reality of a “co-responsibility” of laity and clergy which means that pastors and lay people, without superiority of one over the other, carry together the life and mission of the Church. Various innovative initiatives in missioning to the poor in one diocese not only respond to the needs of the poor but also facilitate connection with the poor and the sharing of Good News in a very creative way. There are new ways of doing mission like the use of the online space to provide ongoing catechesis and reaching out to those in the peripheries. The care for the common home in response to the call of Holy Father through Laudato Si strengthened collaboration with local government. It also helped them realize that though the mission place needs missionary priests, all of the baptized are natural missionaries. (Salya Report)
Priests as a key mover of synodality. While the laity still reserves high regard for priests, many find it important for the priestly formation to undergo a thorough review given the synodal vision. Many express how the priests need to be more relational and immersed, open and accommodating. But they also wish that bishops would prioritize open communication with their priests, to understand their unvoiced needs as well as foster a culture of care and support for them to continually carry out their ministry effectively. (Salya Report)
These chosen quotations from the two reports are self-explanatory. Most of them, may sound offensive and hurting. However, if we keep an open mind and heart, have a serious examination of conscience, and face the truth about how we have been, perhaps, we can sincerely say our mea culpas. This can be grace and growth on our part to accept our sinful and stained reality and recover our priestly identity modeled after no one else but Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, who chose us to serve His Church.
Some Elements of Synodal Leadership to Become a Synodal and Dynamic Parish Priest
One of the goals of our synodal journey is to become better parish priests serving our parishes. Based on the observations extracted from the Salubong and Salya reports about the decorum of a number of our parish priests, the following may be some elements needed in the life of a synodal dynamic parish priest.
1. Prayer: Since we started the synodal journey prescribed by Pope Francis, the importance of prayer as a primary requirement in listening to each other has been repeatedly emphasized. We first have to listen to the Holy Spirit in prayer and realize that He directs and stirs any synodal meeting we engage in. In fact, before we underwent our synodal consultations in the parishes, the SGS gave the following instruction: “Prayer is a structuring element of Conversation in the Spirit. Adequate time for prayer is encouraged at the beginning and end of each meeting. One is also reminded of the importance of inserting short pauses of silence, of 2-3 minutes, between the different phases of the Conversation, to facilitate reflection and interiorization.” (cf. Possible Outline of Parish Priests Meeting)
This is an opportunity to ask ourselves: How much time do we allot for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament as we start and when we end our day in our parish rectory or church? When we conduct parish meetings and parish planning activities, are our prayers more substantial than the business agenda? Sumasama ba rin tayo sa ating mga parokyano sa pagdarasal ng kanilang mga debosyon at lumalakad kasama nila kapag nagpruprusisyon? Realize that we were schooled in prayer during our seminary formation. Thus, parish priests should lead, join, and teach their parishioners to pray, always asking enlightenment from the Holy Spirit on how to proceed to better serve the parish community.
Recall that when the twelve disciples returned to Jesus and were so eager to report to him all that they had done and taught in their mission, the Lord simply told them: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (cf. Mk 6: 30-31). Jesus still gave priority go to a place where they could be alone and commune with His Father. Jesus tells us that amidst the busy activities of parish life for a parish priest, his lay servants, and parishioners, prayer takes primacy and is non-negotiable.
2. Discernment: The synodal process invites us to have a discerning mind and heart to know God’s will for us in our service to the Church. Fortunately, for most of us, seminary formation made us undergo Ignatian retreats, guided by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This helped us discern our vocation to priestly life. But the discernment process is not for us alone. We are encouraged to engage others, especially those involved in parish work to discern with us. This is what we call communal discernment which the Jesuits practice in line with rules of discernment taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Actually, the method of Conversation in the Spirit which we have done during our synodal consultations and we will do during this national gathering of parish priests is an exercise of communal discernment which we can apply in our parish meetings and planning sessions.
When we do communal discernment, we dispose ourselves to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, speaking through our co-workers in the Lord’s vineyard. How many times have we heard the unexpected voices from our lay people whose words have been prophetic and jolted us to better serve others. For example, when I attended the synodal consultation of our deaf community in our cathedral parish, they expressed their clamor be administered the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly. This made us realize how we have neglected some of the basic spiritual needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) belonging to our parish community.
If you want to be a synodal and dynamic priest, you have to practice the art of communal discernment. It is the essential link between prayer and a more effective parish ministry. Pope Francis, reminding us about the synodal process, even wrote: “As pastors, we are called to accompany in the communities that we serve, and at the same time to commit ourselves with prayer, discernment, and apostolic zeal in ensuring that our ministry is suited to the needs of a synodal and missionary Church.” (Letter of the Holy Father Francis to Parish Priests, May 2, 2024)
3. Openness: There have been varied reactions to the synodal process. The great majority welcomed it but there are those who did not. Our diocesan consultations also showed some hesitance on the part of the parish priest to join. On the one hand, there were parish priests who felt that their presence in the synodal conversations may be a hindrance for laypeople to speak freely and give feedback about their parish priest and how the parish was run. On the other hand, a number of parish priests decided not to participate due to fear of getting hurt once negative reactions are hurled against them.
When we were formed in the seminary, each of us underwent an evaluation process with the formators and our co-seminarians. We were oriented to be open to receive both positive and negative feedback. This was necessary to monitor our growth from one stage of formation to the next until we were recommended for ordination. Isn’t it a paradox that when we became priests, there has been a tendency to avoid and not be open to the synodal process?
We must realize that if we are not open to feedback, we will not grow. We remain static. Openness to feedback about ourselves and novel opinions and ideas to improve parish ministry, especially coming from dedicated lay servant leaders, makes dynamic parish priests.
4. Vulnerability: Here in the Philippines, there is a sub-culture that elevates the clergy to a lofty throne or raise them up a high pedestal. There are times this gets into our head and without realizing it, we camouflage our humanity by our social status. For this reason, sometimes we are afraid to be vulnerable before others. We do not want to appear weak and wounded before our parishioners. There are even some priests who are perceived to show a “superman” image, seemingly unperturbed and untouchable.
But we follow Jesus Christ who was weak and wounded when he accomplished his mission. He was not afraid to be criticized by the Pharisees and scribes. He showed God’s vulnerability when he was mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified on the cross.
We serve people who are powerless and vulnerable like the poor, the handicapped, and the elderly. We can best identify with them when they see ordained servant-leaders who are vulnerable shepherds. The servant-leadership of a parish priest who ministers to his people, in the words of Henri Nouwen, is a leadership “in which the leader is a vulnerable servant who needs the people as much as they need him….” (In the Name of Jesus, 1989, pp. 44-45)
5. Humility: Vulnerability makes us humble. But fear of being vulnerable to protect an image or a status may inflate one’s ego that can make one proud and even hold on to power for the wrong reasons. We have heard this before: “Utos ng pari, hindi mababali!” Whatever interpretation you make out of this statement, you and I know that there are parish priests who manifest themselves as kings of their kingdom. There have been situations when some parish priests have already been given constructive feedback by their parish staff and servants about their scandalous decorum or failures in their parish management, yet they deny and do not want to admit their mistakes because of pride.
For more than three decades now, the Church has been humbled by the numerous clergy sexual abuse and financial crime scandals. This has been a wake-up call for us that made us humbly bow our heads in shame and kneel or even prostrate on the ground, realizing that we are weak and sinful—that we cannot boast of anything before God and the people we serve.
God’s vulnerability and humility is exemplified in the kenosis of our Lord Jesus Christ spelled out in the words of St. Paul who tells us: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2: 5-8). We are challenged to imitate and live the humility Christ.
6. Resilience: Were there times you just wanted to give up on your parish assignment because of gossips, rumor mongering, and intrigues against you? What were the instances when you felt alone and helpless because you inherited many problems from the previous parish priest like an unfinished parish church construction due to lack of funds? Were there moments when you rehearsed at the back of your mind, planning to approach your bishop or a priest friend and tell him: “I give up! Di ko na kaya. Kailangan ko nang magpahinga.”
I am happy that we have seasoned parish priests here who will share their many experiences of braving the storms of parish life and have shown resilience in their ministry. But if we take some steps back and reflect on what has happened to us during the three-year pandemic, we will realize that we have been resilient as pastors amidst a worldwide crisis that we thought would never end. Parish priests together with their lay servants were able to hold Masses, recollections, and retreats in the digital space to comfort their parishioners, especially the sick and the grieving. There are those who were daring to distribute ayuda to the poor, risking their lives to help those in need. May mga paring tinamaan ng Covid-19 at ilan sa kanila ay namatay. If you recall, we started the diocesan synod consultations during the last quarter of 2021 when Covid-19 infections continued to increase and intensify. Were we hindered from undergoing the synodal process? No. We were resilient!
We were resilient because of our faith as we listened to Jesus who told us: “Do not be afraid!” We were resilient because we listened to the comforting words of our bishop, fellow-priest, parishioner, or family member who was with us in the journey. This gave us courage to move on and here we are now, recovering or recovered from the many storms of life serving the Church.
7. Joy: Pope Francis wrote two encyclicals with the word “joy” in the title. One is the Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium). Another is the Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia). I think this is in line with his challenge that we become joyful missionary disciples of Christ. In Evangelli Gaudium (EG), the Holy Father tells us not to show ourselves like “Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter.” (EG 6) or “who has just come back from a funeral” (EG 10). Discipleship means to radiate the joy of Christ.
Time and again, we hear this comment from some of our parishioners: “Why are there bishops and priests who look very serious and seldom smile, as if they carry the weight of the world. And at times it is just difficult to approach them. Bihirang ngumiti. Mukhang suplado. Madalas galit Nakakatakot lapitan.”
Sometimes, I find myself showing this disposition. This made me think. Indeed, we bishops and priests have a lot of responsibilities and burdens. We are just human beings and, at times, find it hard to cope with the many demands in our ministry. But without realizing it, we become too serious not only in our work but also on how we project ourselves to others. This has made our clergy, religious, and lay faithful distant from us. Cardinal Sin who ordained me once told us: “Be a happy priest when you serve people. The people you minister to have already many problems in life. You add to their problems when you show yourself as unhappy. Sana di na tayo makadagdag pa sa mga problema nila.”
To our parish priests here, try your best to smile when you encounter people around you and make them feel the joy of Christ. St. Teresa of Calcutta once said: “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing…. Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” (The Joy in Loving, 2000)
8. Presence: Siguro narinig niyo na itong sinabi: “Yun parish priest namin, parating wala. Nagbakasyon na nung isang buwan. Ngayon, nagbabakasyon nanaman. Gala ng gala!” Naisip ko: Sana tinutularan si Hesus na “itinerant preacher” at talagang nagmimisyon na ipinapalaganap ang Mabuting Balita ni Kristo.
One of the significant concerns of laypeople that came out in both the Salubong and Salya reports is the need for the visible presence of the parish priests, especially in the peripheries and in the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). I know that parish priests together with their parochial vicars (if they have) wrestle with managing their time to be present in all the parish activities, given the many demands of the parishioners and, at times, multi-tasked roles in the vicariate and the diocesan curia offices. But I think the people we serve understand if we are not present with them due to right and justified reasons. Perhaps, what they are requesting is that we make extra efforts to spend quality time with them amidst our hectic schedule. Many times, our visits to their homes and simple presence during fellowships make them feel our love and affection.
When we went to our apostolate areas during our seminary days, our formators always reminded us of the apostolate of presence. We went there just to be with poor families and communities—to pray with them, share stories, eat the food they offer, and sleep in their shanties. Just when they felt privileged that they were visited by a seminarian who would become a priest, little did they know that we were more blessed because they evangelized us.
9. Synergy: There are parish priests who work like “spartans”. They have no parish pastoral council. They have no parish finance council (even though this is required by canon law). They even count all the collections of their Sunday Mass. They are architects and engineers of their parish churches and rectories even if they are not licensed. They do everything. Later on, they get burned out. Some get sick; others die because they did almost everything by themselves.
Stephen Covey popularized a concept which he called “synergy”. Synergy is when two or more people use their individual talents, strengths and abilities to achieve a common goal, they produce far better results working together than what each one can do working alone. (cf. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 6). He even used a mathematical equation to define synergy in this way: 1 + 1 = 3. From our vantage point as Christians and ordained servants of the Church, Pope Francis deepens this point on synergy when he reminded parish priests: “I ask you first to live out your specific ministerial charism in ever greater service to the varied gifts that the Spirit sows in the People of God. It is urgent to ‘discover with faith, the many and varied charismatic gifts of the laity, be they of a humble or more exalted form’ (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 9), which are indispensable for evangelizing any number of human situations and contexts. I am convinced that in this way you will bring to light many hidden treasures and feel less alone in the demanding task of evangelization. You will experience the joy of being true fathers, who do not dominate others but rather bring out in them, men and women alike, great and precious possibilities.” (Letter of the Holy Father Francis to Parish Priests, May 2, 2024)
These words of the Holy Father invite us to synergize and orchestrate the many varied gifts of our parishioners to better serve the parish community. For many of you, this has already been a practice. Develop it more and discover many willing lay servants who are very much eager to live up to their baptismal identity and fulfill their priestly, prophetic, and kingly roles as active Catholic Christians.
This brings to mind our newly declared Servant of God Laureana ‘Ka Luring’ Franco. She died in 2011 and is known by a good number of priests and bishops. She was a dedicated catechist of St. Michael Parish, Hagonoy, Taguig City. She catechized children in the public schools and reached out to the poor in the small communities of her parish. What her parish priests could not afford to do because of too many demands in the parish, Ka Luring was able to accomplish.
This Synod on Synodality has recognized and affirmed the invaluable role of women in the Church. In fact, there is a “call for further exploration of ministerial and pastoral modalities that better express the charisms and gifts the Spirit pours out on women in response to the pastoral needs of our time.” (Instrumentum Laboris for the Second Session on October 2024, n. 15) Imagine, in the words of Pope Francis, the “great and precious possibilities” if we discover, tap, draw out, form, and motivate to service many “Ka Lurings” in our parishes who can reach out to the peripheries and become active partners in mission.
10. Obedience: When we were ordained by the bishop and made our promise of obedience, it was clear to us that we entrusted our priesthood to him. This meant that we will submit to his episcopal office and abide by whatever plans he has discerned and prayed over for the good of our priesthood and the diocese. I had to learn what this meant the hard way. When Cardinal Sin ordained me for the Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM), he put me in a seminary assignment which I had reservations to accept for ten years. When he appointed me to my first assignment as parish priest of Sta. Rita de Cascia, Philam Homes, Quezon City (QC), he pulled me out and transferred me to the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, U.P. Diliman, QC, after only one year and eleven months. I can still remember our conversation via mobile phone. Cardinal Sin said: “Mylo, I am transferring you to the parish in U.P.” I told him: “But Eminence, I am not even two years here in my present assignment.” He responded: “I know. But you have to go there.” So, I asked: “When will I leave here?” He, then, instructed: “You have to leave now so pack up and go to U.P.” That was it. No more questions asked.
Obedience is living out synodality. We have heard it many times that the word obedience stems from the Latin term ad audire which means “to listen”. Bishops try their best to inculcate a culture of listening in their meetings, colloquia, and, at times, informal conversations with their priests. The bishop as a father and friend makes efforts to allow their priests to express their sentiments on both personal and pastoral matters. When a bishop and his clergy listen to each other, there will surely arise differing perspectives on a number of issues. But if he has a diverse opinion and makes a decision contrary to the point of view of his priest, that doesn’t mean that he did not listen to those sentiments. It just happens that, after listening to him, he will do his prayer, discernment, and final decision about the matter as bishop by virtue of his office entrusted by the Holy Father to him. Always bear in mind that being obedient to the bishop gives us a sense of mission. Wherever the bishop sends you, obey him and you will bloom where you are planted. There is grace in obedience. Bibiyayaan ka ng Diyos sa pagsunod mo sa kanyang kalooban.
Pope Francis tells us: “I would like to urge you to base everything you do in a spirit of sharing and fraternity among yourselves and with your bishops.” (Letter of the Holy Father Francis to Parish Priests, May 2, 2024) Ad nutum episcopi!
Conclusion
Two weeks ago, Fr. Jason Laguerta and his team facilitated the annual retreat of the clergy of the Diocese of San Pablo. He shared with us an alarming study conducted by the Social Weather Stations from 1991 to 2021 on weekly church attendance of religious services by our catholic faithful and other religions. This study which spanned for three decades revealed that catholic church attendance in 1991 was 64% and went down to 37% in 2021 while other minority religions like other Christians, Muslims, and Iglesia ni Cristo had spiked increases in their church attendance. The average drop of 1% in church attendance yearly translates to millions of Catholics no longer interested in going to church. This was validated by a priest in one of our Conversation in the Spirit sessions who shared an experience on one of their street Masses. Just when they expected a hundred attendees, only sixty came. It was reported to him that those who did not attend the Mass joined the worship gathering of a Methodist church. He later discovered that the Methodist servants were actually going house to house in their barangays daily evangelizing them.
For the second session of this synod, we are urged to reflect on: “Understanding how to be a synodal Church in mission thus passes through a relational conversion, which reorients the priorities and the action of each person, especially of those whose task it is to animate relationships in the service of unity, in the concreteness of an exchange of gifts that liberates and enriches all.” (Instrumentum Laboris for the Second Session on October 2024, Introduction to Part I Relations). This means that we all need a “relational conversation” to keep the synodal dynamism towards mission in our parishes, perhaps through prayer, discernment, openness, vulnerability, humility, resilience, joy, presence, synergy, and obedience. For us here in the Philippines, the synodal journey started with salubong, a welcoming encounter, which motivated us to salya, that is, to cross-over. After the celebration phase of the synod, as we map out new pathways to a more synodal and dynamic parish ministry, we will be urged (if I may suggest) to suóng, karakol, a dance of faith which means to bravely face the difficulties and challenges that lies ahead in becoming a truly synodal Church in mission.
Be not afraid!
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