Future Directions

To the Clergy, Religious and Laity of the Church of Pittsburgh

Peace be with you.

The future directions of the Diocese of Pittsburgh are rooted in the faith, blessings, and vitality that have always characterized, strengthened and guided this local Church. At least three major events in the life of our Church give us reason to reflect with hope on our future.

This Fall marks the close of our sesquicentennial celebration which commemorates the 150 years since Pope Gregory XVI established Pittsburgh as the local Church covering the western half of Pennsylvania. In November, together with the other bishops of Pennsylvania, I will go to Rome to make the ad limina apostolorum visit. Each diocesan bishop is required every five years to make an accounting of the Church entrusted to his care. At the same time we are nearing the final phase in our diocesanwide reorganization/revitalization project and are beginning to experience some of the positive change that is preparing us for a future as successful as the past.

These three events, the sesquicentennial anniversary, the ad limina visit to Rome and the reorganization/revitalization project call us to reflect on the Church in its past, its present and as it moves into the future while giving thanks to God. We are grateful for the rich blessings so generously poured out on all who have served and continue to place their gifts and talents at the service of the Lord, and for the faith in God and the love of Jesus Christ ever present in this Church. We are also challenged to look ahead and to envision our future directions.

We especially rejoice and give thanks to God who has called us to be a people who offer praise for the love shown us in Jesus Christ, and we take this opportunity to refresh in our hearts and minds the Church's understanding of who we are as members of the Catholic Church.

It is not enough, however, to simply meditate on who we are. Wholesome and praiseworthy as such a prayerful self-examination might be, we are challenged to be all that the Church of Pittsburgh can be. A part of the mystery of God's Church is the revelation that we are called through the grace of God and our human efforts to become more fully the presence of Christ's kingdom in the world.

The Church as Mystery
The origins of the Church are rooted in the decision of Christ to gather his people into a structured, visible community in which they would find salvation through baptism into his Body and share in his resurrected life through the Eucharist. In baptism we are given new life, God's life, and we become members of Christ's Body the Church. In the Eucharist which is the heart of the Church's life, we seek communion with God and, therefore, are united with all those who approach in prayerful jubilation the banquet table of the Lord's supper.

At first glance, the mystery of the Church seems simple. It is also an astounding reality. In a formulation going back to the earliest days of the Church, we find in the first letter of Clement to the Corinthians as well as Tertullian: "The Church from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, Christ from God." Just as Jesus came to do the work of his Father, to save us and to bring us eternal life, so too does his Church, faithful to the revelation given to the apostles, continue to make the richness of redemption in Christ available to us .

Images of Christ
To help us grasp the profound reality of the Church, we turn to images. In the pages of sacred scripture the Church is described as a sheepfold with its shepherd. The beautiful image of the good shepherd comes quickly to mind and with it all of the tasks associated with leading and being responsible for a flock.

The new people formed in the Holy Spirit is seen as a vineyard where the vine grows and brings forth the many branches that bear abundant and good fruit. We also envision the tree with its many branches inviting all the birds of the air to nest.

The Church is depicted as God's family, the household of God. From every land and nation, people of diverse origins, backgrounds, customs, traditions, languages and colors come together in a solidarity of faith and love that marks them as children of God and members of one family.

The psalms, so rich in content and so familiar in the liturgy of the Church, regularly speak of Jerusalem, the holy city and dwelling place of the Lord. From the earliest days the image of the new Jerusalem where God's people would dwell in peace, justice, faith, unity and love has been appropriated as a fitting expression of the Church struggling to be the kingdom of God in our midst.

Since we turn to the Church for our sacramental nourishment and for the word of God, one of the most beloved and cherished titles that reflects our filial posture is that of mother. She is our holy mother the Church.She is also the bride of Christ, the one chosen by the Lord with whom she is intimately united.

Anyone familiar with the letters of Saint Paul knows of his predilection for the image of the body when he unfolds the mystery of the Church. There is one body with many members. We the members look to Christ the head for leadership, guidance and direction. With him we make up the Body of Christ.

The Kingdom of God
All of these rich images speak of Christ being really and truly present in his Church. We view the Church as the beginning of the kingdom of God. Some day, when all is completed in Christ, when all has been restored in Christ, we will experience true, full and lasting peace, justice, and love. The beginnings of that realm -- God's kingdom -- are now in our midst in and through the Church. With pride then we call ourselves the beginning of God's kingdom and we recognize that whatever we do to build up the Body of Christ, his Church, builds up his kingdom in our midst.

We all recognize, however, that each of us falls short of that union with Christ that Jesus has described as perfect. We are called to be perfect as is our heavenly Father (cf. Matt. 5.48). We are called to be one as Christ is one with the Father (cf. John 17.11). Yet we know we fail. We are a pilgrim Church -- a struggling Church -- a people striving, in the midst of failure, sin, ignorance, and other forms of spiritual darkness, to be more like Christ.

A view of the Church is sometimes presented that considers membership in it an option. We may hear people say, "I deal directly with God. I don't need the Church." Or someone might speak of going "elsewhere" in their frustration, anger or annoyance with something or someone in the Church. Some argue that the church has changed too much, and others insist the Church moves too slowly. The Church, however, is not an option any more than Jesus is. She is the enduring presence of Christ in the world and bids us to follow the obligations of the commandments and the challenges of the beatitudes.

As God's family the Church calls us to be one even in the face of forces that would fragment our community and divide us along racial, ethnic, economic, cultural or social lines. The solidarity to which we are called as followers of Christ is one of faith and love that makes us sisters and brothers open and responsive to each others needs. We are to see in each other the face of Christ calling us to unity in love in the midst of our diversity.

The Structure of the Church
In this brief overview of the Church, we can identify the Christian faithful -- the women and men who have received the sacraments of initiation, baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist and who rejoice in the call to holiness. Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in his Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation On the Vocation and the Mission of Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, teaches us that the participation of the lay faithful in the threefold mission of Christ as priest, prophet and king finds its source "in the anointing of baptism, its further development in confirmation and its realization and dynamic sustenance in the Holy Eucharist." This exhortation states that it is a participation "given to each member of the lay faithful individually, inasmuch as each is one of the many who form the one Body of Christ in the Lord" (14).

The same exhortation confirms the teaching of the Church in explaining that "in a primary position in the Church are the ordained ministries, that is, the ministries that come from the sacrament of orders" (22). Out of the vast community of faithful, God calls some and anoints them in the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of holy orders. They are the bishops, priests and deacons. The ordained ministries are a grace for the entire Church. These ministries express and realize a participation in the priesthood of Jesus Christ that is different, not simply in degree but in essence, from the participation given to all of the lay faithful through baptism and confirmation. At the same time, the ministerial priesthood, as the Second Vatican Council recalls, "essentially has the royal priesthood of all the faithful as its aim and is ordered to it" (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 10).

The wondrous gift of the priesthood is meant to provide God's people with a leadership that teaches, guides and sanctifies. The fullness of priestly orders is found in the bishop who is to the Church today what the apostles were to the infant Church. Deacons, though not necessarily called to priesthood, are ordained to an order of service in assisting bishops and priests in the exercise of their sacred responsibilities.

Just as God freely bestows the grace of new life on each of us, so too does God continue to bless the Church through religious communities of men and women. Each community represents some special blessing or charism that strengthens the Church and challenges all of us to pursue fully our call to holiness. Hence we thank God for the honored role that women and men Religious have had in the life of the Church and for the many blessings that have come to all of us through their lives, consecrated to Christ.

Our Diocesan Church
When we reflect on the Church, there is a temptation to think of it in merely theoretical terms. Yet the Church touches each of us in a far more concrete manner. The Universal Church -- the Church we have been speaking about -- is present in our local Church in a visible, structured manner. For us in Southwest Pennsylvania, the local Church, the presence of Christ's kingdom coming to be in our midst takes form in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Just as the Church universal has its shepherd and leader, the successor to Peter, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, so too the local Church has as its shepherd and leader a member of the college of bishops and successor to the apostles, the local bishop whose joy and privilege is to serve in the wondrous mystery of making Christ present known and felt in our part of God's vineyard.

Our Parish Faith Community
There is still another expression of the Church that is even more familiar to most of us -- the parish faith community. The local Church -- the diocese -- is present in our lives and in our hearts in the parish faith community to which we belong and where we hear the word of God, live it, strive to build a community and celebrate the sacraments, above all, the Eucharist.

The parish faith community is the local presence of the diocesan Church. It is a living expression of the Church in which we come to know, love and follow Christ, and in which we recognize and serve the needs of one another. Pope John Paul II spoke of the parish as "the place and community in which you nourish and express your Christian life..." In a talk during his first visit to the United States, he pointed to a well known passage from the New Testament which, he stated, "helps us to keep in mind just why the members of a Catholic parish come together in the name of Jesus. In the Acts of the Apostles we read about the early Christians: 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and prayers' (2:42). Instructions in the faith of the Apostles, the building up of a living community, the Eucharist and the other sacraments, and the life of prayer -- these are essential factors of the life of every parish" (September, 1987, San Antonio).

Because a parish must be a vital, loving, caring faith community, we have devoted much time, energy, talent, and love in reorganizing and revitalizing the parishes of this diocese. Any reflection on our parishes calls us to thank God for the many blessings we have received through their pastors present and past who have striven to be true shepherds after the image of Christ the Good Shepherd.

Thanksgiving to God
There is much more to be said, more than time and space now allows. Let us, however, open our hearts in praise and thanksgiving to God for the love shown us in Jesus Christ, for the graces manifest in the faithful women and men of this Church, for the gift of the zealous Religious who serve in such ministries as education, health care, social service and administration, and for the deacons, priests and bishops.

We recognize that we are called as a faith family to grow in knowledge of God and in awareness of God's presence among us, and to welcome and support one another in love that manifests itself in word and deed. We are challenged to participate in the sacramental reality of the paschal mystery in our lives and are to motivate ourselves and others to bear witness to the gospel of Christ.

Why do we do this? We accept the challenge, make the sacrifices, celebrate the mystery and live the joy because we truly believe that we have been chosen to build up the Body of Christ and to hasten the coming of God's kingdom.

During the past year we have reflected on the accomplishments of the lay women and lay men, Religious, deacons and priests who with the ten successors of Bishop O'Connor have struggled to make this part of the Church a true manifestation of the kingdom of God in our midst. Sometimes we have done well and on other occasions we have become aware of our limitations. At all times we struggle to remain united in teaching, in service and in our visible unity so that we are a true manifestation of the one holy, Catholic and apostolic Church at Pittsburgh.

Each month during the past year some aspect of the ongoing ministry and mission of this 150 year old diocese was highlighted: in October Catholic education in our parishes and schools; in November Catholic higher education; in December the multi-cultural complexion of the Church; in January ecumenism; in February Church music; in March social concerns and our outreach to those in need; in April religious life; in May health care ministry; in June lay organizations of both women and men, and in July persons with disabilities.

We have tried to make known as much of the history of the diocese as possible. In television programs, bulletin inserts, prayers of the faithful, publications and articles, Pittsburgh Catholic stories and in the great series of monthly commemorations, we have celebrated our history and in so doing we have given thanks to God for the many graces received. We recognize that we stand on the shoulders of others in our own efforts. We also realize that we can never be content to rest satisfied with what others have done as if their moment and not ours was the only time of testing. As we rejoice with the past, we now turn to the present.

On Sunday, September 19, 1993, in the midst of a great assembly of thousands and thousands of the faithful of this diocese representing laity from the 300 parishes, Religious, deacons, priests and bishops, and in the presence of our Holy Father's personal representative, we renewed -- personally and in the name of the whole diocese -- our commitment to Jesus Christ and to his Church. It was a fitting climax to our year of renewal. It was a time of joy and great faith that we hope to live in the years ahead of us.

Every five years the bishop is required to visit Rome and present an account of his stewardship. The "quinquennial" (5 year) report is part of the ad limina apostolorum visit which brings the bishop to the "threshold of the apostles" so that he might share the efforts of the local Church with the successor to Peter. Since this report is rather comprehensive and, therefore, long, I would like to provide you with an "Executive Summary." The report follows a required structure and the topics presented in compliance with that format begin with an overview of the general condition of the local Church.

General Religious Situation
The state of the faith in the Diocese of Pittsburgh continues to be healthy. According to the most recent U.S. census figures, the total population of the six counties (Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Lawrence, Greene and Washington) that make up the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1990 was 2,014,935. The number of registered Catholics currently in our diocese is 810,826.

In view of population shifts and limitations in clergy and necessary resources, the diocese has undertaken an extensive program of reorganization and revitalization. This program, begun in 1989, has involved the maximum possible consultation and collaboration with the priests, Religious and laity of the diocese. The steps included a period of: "Self-Study" in which the parishes assessed their services and needs; "Realistic Envisioning" to evaluate the parishes against established criteria for viability; clustering of parishes for reorganization; establishment of an executive committee to recommend guidelines and parameters for reorganization, and the reorganization itself.

At the same time, all parishes have been encouraged to participate in a program of spiritual renewal. In conjunction with a program for spiritual revitalization of each parish, special attention is being given to the continuing formation of the clergy. A diocesan pastoral council has also been established and a theological commission among others is in place.

Economic Situation of the Diocese
The Western Pennsylvania region has been undergoing a dramatic transition from heavy industry to a mix of health care, education and service-oriented business. Unemployment and underemployment continue to be major concerns. Allegheny County, the most populated county in the diocese, has the highest average citizen age in the United States.

The number of registered Catholics has declined by approximately three percent from the last report of 835,798. The number of parishes and missions has decreased from 332 to 293. Although some individual parishes are experiencing financial problems, the aggregate operating income continues to rise.

The operation of the diocesan central administration has been refined and its finances stabilized. We are prepared to live within our budget. The annual "Parish Share Program" continues to be the most significant revenue source for the diocese which is free from debt of any kind.

Sacred Liturgy
In conjunction with diocesan revitalization efforts, liturgical life is receiving special attention. Parish communities are evaluating their sacramental life, including the continuation of ethnic devotions. Interest is growing in developing the full variety of ministries available to laity and in providing training for them.

The Rite of Election and the Recognition of Candidates for Reception into Full Communion has become one of the major diocesan celebrations. The number of participants has continually increased each successive year and from 1988 through 1992, over 8,000 adults were received into the Church.

In another significant liturgical development, the diocesan reorganization and revitalization project has enhanced participation of the faithful at Mass in the reorganized parishes. While there are fewer Masses, there are greater numbers of people at each Mass, highlighting the communal aspect of worship.

The Clergy
Formal and informal contacts between the diocesan bishop and the 556 members of the diocesan clergy and the 171 Religious priests are frequent. The diocesan priest council meets monthly with the diocesan bishop presiding. The priest personnel board meets twice a month. Priests also gather regularly at the deanery level, and a college of deans has been established, chaired by an auxiliary bishop.

The diocesan bishop also relates to the clergy through the secretariat for clergy and pastoral life. Among the departments of this secretariat are: pre-ordination formation, clergy personnel, and clergy formation. Also working within the secretariat is the vicar for retired clergy.

In 1992 this secretariat coordinated a four-day convocation of priests with the diocesan bishop for prayer, conferences and fraternity. Nearly 400 priests attended. Four spiritual retreats are held each year for the clergy and days of recollection are sponsored by groups of priests and some deaneries.

The diocese is subdivided into 16 deaneries, 277 parishes and 16 quasi-parishes. Parish councils exist in 260 parishes, and parish finance councils have been fully implemented. An anticipated outcome of the diocese's reorganization and revitalization program is a better distribution of clergy.

Religious and Secular Institutes
There are 15 pontifical apostolic institutes of women Religious and two congregations of men Religious who have motherhouses in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, as does one diocesan apostolic institute (Sisters of the Holy Spirit), and one contemplative institute of women Religious. In all, there are 2,089 Sisters in the diocese, with 1,076, or 52 percent, age 75 or older. Of the 47 Brothers in the diocese, 14 are age 75 or over. Additionally, 17 congregations of women Religious and 18 congregations of men Religious whose motherhouses are outside the diocese are represented in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The office for religious is the primary link between the bishop and the communities of Religious women and men in the diocese. It serves as a liaison between the bishop and Religious, and between diocesan agencies and Religious communities. Religious are integrated into the pastoral life of the diocese through active involvement in central administration, educational leadership and teaching, health care, pastoral ministry, social service, housing for the elderly, and direct service to the poor. They are, likewise, represented on diocesan committees and advisory boards at the highest levels.

Cooperation with the Missions
The people of the Pittsburgh diocese generously support the work of the missions, contributing more than 1.5 million dollars each year. The annual World Mission Sunday Collection and collections by visiting missionaries are supplemented by individual donations. Missionary institutes are encouraged to participate in mission awareness programs of the diocese.

For more than 25 years, the diocese has sent priests and Religious to South America. In 1991 the Chimbote Foundation, an organization of priests, Religious and laity, was established to support the diocesan mission in Chimbote, Peru.

Seminaries and Universities
The diocese maintains Saint Paul Seminary for seminarians pursuing college and pre-theology courses. Seminarians receive their personal, spiritual, apostolic and priestly formation from the faculty of the seminary and their academic formation at Duquesne University. During the past quinquennium, 26 seminarians from four theologates were ordained to the presbyterate for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Currently (December 1992), the diocese has 24 theology-level seminarians enrolled at three theologates.

Duquesne University, conducted by the Holy Ghost Fathers, is the one Catholic university in the city of Pittsburgh. There are two Catholic colleges in the Diocese of Pittsburgh: Carlow College, conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, and La Roche College, conducted by the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Catechesis
The diocesan catechetical office, formally titled the department for religious education/CCD, gives direction to the local catechetical ministry by providing assistance to parish leaders and by calling them to accountability for their catechetical ministry. In most parishes there are active religious education programs for both young and adults. Currently there are 42,255 students in grades K-8 and another 7,312 in grades 9-12 receiving instruction from 3,864 catechists, 1,726 of which are certified. The number of Master catechists who teach the training courses is 94.

Included among the diocesan work of catechesis are:

• Co-sponsorship of a religious education institute at Duquesne University which prepares individuals for parish catechetical administrative positions;
• A program to form and certify volunteer parish catechists;
• An on-site comprehensive evaluation of parish catechetical programs;
• Catechetical guidelines for parish elementary CCD programs from pre-school through eighth grade and for diocesan high schools;
• A program to integrate catechesis in sexuality into the Catholic elementary school and religious education curricula, which now is being piloted at designated sites in the diocese; and
• Catechesis for the mentally and physically handicapped, and numerous other programs.

Catholic Education
Although declining enrollments during the 70s and 80s have affected student population in Catholic schools, enrollments have stabilized over the past two years, with the lower grades showing growth. There are nearly 40,000 students in 11 Catholic high schools and 113 elementary schools. Over the past five years, 7078 young men and women graduated from our high schools and began making their way through the next stage of their lives.

A two-day convocation on the future of Catholic schools, held in 1988 and attended by 250 representatives from throughout the diocese, resulted in a reorganization for excellence plan to redimension, market and finance our Catholic schools. These recommendations continue to be implemented.

The Extra Mile Education Foundation, a non-profit corporation, was established to raise funds for endowment, capital improvements and operation of three inner-city Catholic elementary schools formerly subsidized almost totally by the diocese.

In 1990 the Pittsburgh diocese was one of the first in the United States to have all of its elementary schools accredited by a national accreditation agency. All of the high schools will be accredited by 1993.

The Laity: Life and Apostolic Action
The laity play a significant role in the local Church. They serve on all diocesan commissions and committees and are encouraged, supported and prepared for involvement in parish life and social ministries.

The life and apostolic action of the laity is fostered and encouraged at a variety of levels within this local Church and is coordinated on the diocesan level primarily through the secretariat for social concerns. This secretariat consists of three sections: the department for social awareness, which has pro-life issues as one of its focuses; the department of family and community concerns, which has three offices: family life and family concerns, employment development and community concerns, and ministry to aging; and the department of social programs and community development.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a separate non-profit corporation, works closely with the secretariat to address social and charitable concerns. Two apostolic societies, the Ladies of Charity and St. Vincent De Paul, are present and active in the diocese. A third, the Christ-Child Society, is being developed. The Knights of Columbus, in addition to a variety of national programs, sponsor and carry out each year a support system for two institutions that care for children with mental disabilities. In all, nearly 40 lay organizations are active in our diocese. Just a sample of this list includes the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, the Holy Name Society, the Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association, the Legion of Mary, the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers, the Catholic Interracial Council, the Catholic Physicians Guild, the St. Thomas More Society and the Serra Club, to name a few.

Communications
The secretariat for communication works to ensure effective internal and external communications throughout the six-county diocesan area, which includes the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan area, one of the country's major media centers. This office is charged with facilitating communication among the offices of the central administration, between the central administration and the parishes, and between the diocesan Church and the wider community.

The secretariat coordinates and manages media relations and internal diocesan communications; it produces communications materials, such as brochures and videotapes, and it serves as the liaison between the central administration and the Pittsburgh Catholic, the official diocesan newspaper. The secretariat is also responsible for the diocesan television studio and productions, including the Bishop's television series, "The Teaching of Christ" which is aired locally and nationally.

Ecumenism -- Non-Christian Religion -- Non Believers
The Church in Pittsburgh relates well to other Christian faith communities, members of the Jewish and Islamic community and those who practice no religious faith. The diocese has an active ecumenical and interfaith commission, established in 1988 and chaired by a priest of the diocese. It serves as an advisory body to the bishop.

The diocese has been a charter member of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, a local ecumenical organization, for 23 years and in 1989, the Christian Leadership Fellowship was formed to foster cooperation among the Christian leaders of the See city.

In 1992 the diocese co-sponsored the National Workshop for Christians and Jews. That same year, the diocesan bishop received a national Jewish award, "The Tree of Life" to acknowledge his commitment to furthering relationships between the Catholic and Jewish communities.

Justice and Charity
The diocesan secretariat for social concerns and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh are the primary, organized responses to the poor and needy directly sponsored by the local Church. A ministry for aging has been created in cooperation with Catholic Charities to address the needs of the area's fast-growing elderly population. On the parish level a great number of programs for the needy serve a large number of persons throughout all six counties of the diocese. A great number of needy are served directly by the many lay organizations active in the diocese and noted in part above.

The secretariat and Catholic Charities assist the parish social ministry program in encouraging service to the poor and needy. Additionally, the secretariat provides resources to aid parish leaders in numerous social and family concerns, and involvement in local programs such as soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food banks.

Five years ago a diocesan natural family planning advisory committee composed of Catholic professional experts was established to develop a program of medical instruction in the practice of natural family planning at sites operated by local Catholic hospitals.

The diocese has also worked with several hospitals and community groups in transforming a personal care residence into a facility for persons with chronic diseases, including Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

The remainder of the quinquennial report (much larger and detailed with hundreds of pages of attachments and exhibits) consists of figures, data, statistics and corroborating material. Much of it has already appeared in some form over the past five years in the Pittsburgh Catholic. I share this brief "Executive Summary" so that you might have, in outline form, an overview of the diocese that we call our home.

Reorganization can also be described in the familiar experience of parents moving from an old and well-beloved family home to a smaller apartment when the children have grown, married, established their own families and moved to their own family homes. This image seems particularly appropriate for our community that has witnessed so great a decline and shift in population. So many of our children have moved and left us in search of greater opportunities. With love and affection we wish them well. We, however, need to deal with our present structures and resources. No one can afford to live in the past.

During my recent annual Spring visit to the 16 deaneries of the diocese, another image surfaced. Reorganization was expressed in terms of a necessary surgery that is painful and ultimately life-giving but a reality that requires time and care to achieve healing.

There are times when I, like some of you, wish that reorganization were not necessary. With all my heart I wish that there were some other less difficult and painful way to address the dramatic changes in this part of the country, changes that include: a substantial drop in the overall population and, therefore, in the Catholic population; a major shift in population centers with a greatly reduced urban population and an expansion of housing and population in specific suburban areas; the aging of a large segment of our population that demands a refocusing of our ministries; the radical decline in the number of women Religious available to serve the Church, and the need to redistribute more equitably the diminishing number of clergy. We are not alone in facing these realities. Diocese after diocese have begun the unenviable but inevitable task of reorganization. We have no choice. We cannot sit back, ignore what has happened, and shirk our duties because they are difficult and unpleasant.

At the same time we can take great pride in the way in which the overwhelming majority of the faithful, Religious and priests have responded to the clear need to reorganize and revitalize our parishes and who have worked together to make this diocesanwide collaboration effort a truly exemplary model of cooperation, consultation and renewal. The great majority of our people have accepted these changes, sometimes with pain and sorrow, but in a spirit of faith that has characterized those who have had to face difficult challenges and other forms of change throughout their lives.

A distinct minority has decided to challenge our decisions in the civil courts. I wish that this were not the case because appeals to the civil government to interfere in the internal affairs of the Church are not only ultimately fruitless but can foster misunderstanding and disunity. Nonetheless, such actions do not make me any less concerned about the feelings of this small group and the need for everyone to work together toward reconciliation. I too feel pain when I have to close a church building that has served people for many years, but all of us know from experience that doing the right thing is not always easy. I pray that we can bring healing to those who have been disillusioned or angered by the difficult but necessary decisions made as a part of the reorganization/revitalization project.

In these days, I often reflect on Jesus' words in John's gospel (16.21) when He speaks about a woman in labor who no longer remembers the pain that she has suffered once her child has been born. I pray that we can move rather quickly to the revitalization and spiritual renewal phase of this project so that people can put their pain behind them when they experience the joy that comes from new life, from parishes that serve the needs of their people better than ever.

The clergy, Religious and faithful of our local Church have not shirked their responsibilities in addressing our needs and problems today. While we can take pride in the things that occurred in the past, we can also point to our own present efforts with a certain satisfaction and conclude that we too have met challenges, experienced difficulty and pain, and, above all, served the Body of Christ by having the courage to do what must be done. With the same spirit that Bishop Michael O'Connor began the Diocese of Pittsburgh, we too look to the future with the same courage, vision and hope. We have organized -- reorganized -- our local Church to serve better Christ and Christ's people in the years and decades -- in the new millennium -- to come.

How should we achieve the spiritual renewal to which our baptism calls us and our Holy Father continually challenges us? In a sense, our spiritual renewal is simple. Love is the life and the perfection of the believer. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" (Lk. 10.27).

Christian love, as it is lived in the pilgrim conditions of this life, bears fruit in the joy which St. Paul lists among the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5.22). Neither the love nor the joy of which he speaks is to be understood in a shallow or artificial way. Christian love involves a firm will to give what is truly good to others. It requires generosity. If we care only about our own self interest, we are not true to ourselves nor to the gospel proclamation.

Christian joy has a paradoxical character. It can flourish along with great suffering. "Blessed are the poor in spirit...blessed are those who mourn...blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake..." (Mt. 5.3-4, 10). The blessedness or happiness to which Christ here refers is not merely that of a bright disposition, nor is it the shallow gratification of sensible pleasures. There is profound joy in love strong enough to bear the cross. Christian joy does not need to escape pain or the realities of this life in order to know happiness. It is a rejoicing in the midst of trials and in unshakable hope (cf. Rom. 5.3). Those who share Christ's unselfish love know that he is calling us to live together eternally with God, a life that shall truly be purified of all sorrow and pain.

Call to Holiness
The real challenge of Christian living begins when we seem to hear the quiet voice of the Lord calling to us: "Friend, draw closer" (Lk. 14.10). This call might come to us in prayer, even in prayer that is less than fervent, or in hearing the words of scripture. We can never hide completely from God's word even if we are inattentive to it.

In one way or another the call will come. God is patient, but because God loves us God will not forget us. Our continued openness to God's call and our continued reception of the grace that allows us to follow the call is the heart of Christian spiritual renewal.

Personally and as a parish community we must seek spiritual renewal and accept the challenge to establish systematic, parish-wide renewal. When we speak of a revitalized Church, we must include some visible and recognized action plan for each parish. Each parish is free to select the form of its renewal but all of us are challenged to accept the call to ongoing conversion. The vocation of the Christian is to pursue holiness. Ultimately, holiness is oneness with God in Christ.

Diocesan Committee on Spiritual Renewal
Following my pastoral letter Renew the Face of the Earth, I established the Diocesan Committee on Spiritual Renewal whose purpose is to offer assistance to every parish in conducting a selected program of spiritual renewal. The diocesanwide spiritual renewal effort and the works of the Diocesan Committee on Spiritual Renewal are not just one more program of this local Church. The effort at spiritual renewal focuses on the life of the Spirit within us so that we will stir that ember of life into a flame that will make Christ's presence felt more keenly now and will hasten the day when the glory of God's kingdom will shine fully in our midst. It is a blueprint and plan now, but with the power of the Spirit we can build it always more clearly into the house of God, the dwelling place of Christ and the Spirit.

The Diocesan Committee on Spiritual Renewal is composed of priests, religious and laity who reflect both the diversity of the diocese as well as people interested in, and with an expertise in, spirituality, spiritual formation, and spiritual renewal. The Committee is now in its second term and has directed its focus first towards the spiritual renewal of the clergy of the diocese and now to diocesanwide parish renewal.

As part of the first phase involving programs to assist priests in their ongoing spiritual formation, the committee addressed diocesan days of recollection for priests and initially held six such days conducted by our own diocesan priests. Such days of recollection have been held subsequently on an ongoing basis. The clergy retreat program was reviewed and the existing program was strengthened. The clergy continuing formation program was enhanced by the addition of workshops on a wide range of subjects including personal spiritual renewal. An outgrowth of the work of the committee was the multi-day convocation of our diocesan priests that was held in October of 1992 at the retreat convention center in Oglebay, West Virginia. Approximately 90% of the diocesan priests in active ministry participated in that gathering that brought us together to pray, to reflect on our ministry, and to share time and our experiences together.

The present goal is to see that each parish develops some program on the parish level that will assist and encourage the ongoing spiritual growth of the parish family. I urge any pastor and parish that has not yet initiated a parish program of spiritual renewal to do so as soon as possible and to utilize the services of the Diocesan Spiritual Renewal Committee. Such programs can help us to become more aware of and responsive to the presence, gifts, transforming power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through effective evangelization efforts, we must find ways to invite people back to full and active participation in the Church from which they have drifted away for whatever reasons.

Cultural Diversity Committee
Given the history of the Church at Pittsburgh and the ethnic origins of many of our parishes, we need to be sensitive to the place of ethnic customs and traditions where they continue to serve the proclamation of the gospel and the life of faith. The Commission on Cultural Diversity has been meeting to recommend how the ethnic traditions that were a part of former parishes can remain an active and important element in newly reorganized parishes. It is worthwhile noting that while some former ethnic parish churches have closed, the majority of them remain open and that our priests conversant in the language and traditions of various ethnic groups continue their presence, pastoral ministry and personal attention. In honesty to the gospel, we must also admit that the purpose of the Church is first and foremost the "salvation of souls" and not to foster cultural traditions, however important they may be. Nor can a church lay claim to the title "Catholic" if it excludes anyone on the basis of race or ethnic origins.

In a concern for ethnic traditions, I have charged the Commission on Cultural Diversity to invite local and national ethnic organizations to accept the challenge to develop language programs and educational opportunities that will preserve their ethnic traditions.

Collaboration -- Cooperation
As we work together on our future directions, we will continue to rely on our local model of consultation and collaboration that has served us so well and holds out the promise for continued and vital lay participation in the mission of the Church. We do not stand alone. We are all one body in Christ and our lives and ministry should reflect that truth.

Liturgy and Worship
We come together as a people who praise God for the graces given us in Jesus Christ. We are a worshipping community. As the Second Vatican Council document on the liturgy teaches us: "In the earthly liturgy, by way of foretaste, we share in that heavenly liturgy" (SC, 8) which is celebrated in that glory to which we journey as pilgrims, and in which Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Participation in the Eucharistic liturgy not only unites us with the living Church on earth but also with those who have gone before us marked with the indelible character of faith. As the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church teaches: "Celebrating the Eucharistic sacrifice, therefore, we are most closely united to the worshipping Church in heaven as we join with ... all the saints" (LG 50).

Three of the sacraments -- baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist -- are concerned with Christian initiation. They work to bring the faithful to full stature in Christ and to enable us to carry out the mission of the entire people of God in the Church and in the world. We are called not only continually to renew ourselves in and through the Eucharist but to participate in the Church's communal celebration of baptism and confirmation whereby others are initiated into the life of the Church. In practical terms our diocesan guidelines concerning the sacraments of initiation are one part of the ongoing process of spiritual renewal that finds its focus in the sacramental and liturgical life of this diocese.

Teaching the Faith
An essential part of the mission of each member of the Church is to share the faith. We are a teaching community. For decades our Catholic schools have borne the greatest weight of Catholic education. It is our turn now realistically to envision the future of Catholic schools by a re-appraisal of our school tuition policy and to stabilize our schools through an equitable distribution of the cost of Catholic education.

Cost of Catholic Education
Our history shows that for many years great sacrifices were made and continue to be made by parishes, parents, women and men Religious, lay teachers and the diocesan Church to sustain our Catholic schools. Much has happened in recent years that has greatly reduced both the number of students in our schools and, therefore, the number of schools. The reduction in the number of our Catholic schools is the result of many factors, demographic and economic to note just two, and has happened in spite of the very hard work of our pastors, parishes and the diocese itself to keep open as many schools as possible. The financial plight of many of our parishes is the result of their efforts to support a Catholic school and Catholic education.

On the diocesan level the largest single sum of money by far that this diocese expends today is for Catholic education. The greatest part of it has gone in recent years to direct diocesan subsidy of Catholic schools. The same is also true on the parish level. Parishes have directed a great percentage of their income to maintain our schools while more and more people send their children to tax-funded public schools.

Our parish schools derive their support from three sources: tuition, parish/diocesan subsidy, and fund raising by the school. We have tried in recent years to increase all three. It is important for any tuition increase to keep pace with increases in costs. Like any responsible household, we cannot spend more than we have. Both parish and diocesan subsidies have dramatically increased in recent years. Some parishes expend more than 50% of their total income on its school alone. The diocese spends a large portion of its budget on schools. We have encouraged individual schools to use whatever means are available to them to try to raise additional funds. Some schools have responded enthusiastically, but this effort has yielded only modest financial relief to the parishes involved.

These efforts, however, have not been able to keep pace with the rising cost of maintaining our schools and the decrease in the number of parents able to send their children to a Catholic school because of those costs. This brings us to the question, "How long can we continue to spend more than we have and still act responsibly?" Some parishes over the years have borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the other parishes of this diocese to maintain their schools. This cannot continue forever. Nor can we allow a parish to go bankrupt in the effort to keep its school open. We have an obligation to minister to the entire parish: to celebrate the Eucharist, to administer the sacraments, to provide religious education for those who do not attend Catholic schools and to make available many other pastoral and service ministries in the name of the Church. We cannot justify spending most parish resources to keep a school open while allowing other important parish ministries to suffer for lack of support.

Where does this leave us? When a public school system needs more money, it simply raises the taxes. When our Catholic parochial schools need money, all we can do is raise tuition costs and once again ask people to sacrifice more and to give more generously.

Ambassadors For Our Schools
On the other hand, I am convinced that if each person on the parish level were to become an ambassador for its school and to convince the rest of the parishioners of its value and the need to support it, the future would be far brighter. For this reason I encourage everyone concerned about the financial stability of our parishes and their schools to take on this challenge. It is an enormous challenge but I believe that it is the only way we can adequately sustain both the parish and the school. On the diocesan level, we will continue to consider incentive programs to assist parishes in overcoming severe financial debt.

Diocesan Education Task Force
The appointment of a diocesanwide task force to address the best way to finance Catholic education, including our schools, is an expression of our determination to do all within our power to maintain not only the excellent quality of Catholic education but also to make it available to as many of our young people as possible.

Religious Instruction
The recent reorganization of the diocesan secretariat for education has underlined the emphasis we must place on our total religious education and not only on our Catholic schools. CCD programs in particular must be given more attention, both in personnel and finances. It is my hope that the renewed emphasis on religious education as evidenced by the evaluation of parish programs by the staff of the religious education department will develop greater support for this essential Church ministry.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Throughout the entire Church the opportunity to review and renew our appreciation for our faith is available in the recently published Catechism of the Catholic Church. Responding to the needs of the worldwide Church and with his apostolic authority, Pope John Paul II has provided the entire Church with a summary of our Catholic faith that invites each of us to reflect on what the Church teaches.

Our own diocesan secretariats for education and communications have developed an excellent tool to review on an adult level our Catholic faith. Exploring the Teaching of Christ is perhaps best described as a package of video presentations of the Catholic faith together with participant and instructors guides. This packet is designed to enable a parish to present an up-to-date overview of the faith completely referenced to the new Catechism of the Catholic Church that can be used with small groups, adult discussion groups, family education groups and a whole range of adult education programs.

The Good Samaritan
We are also called to be a community that cares for its members and reaches out in service in imitation of the good samaritan. This is a good time to reflect on the good works that we perform individually and collectively as a Church either through institutions such as Catholic Charities or through our parish social service ministry. Our diocesan spiritual renewal encourages each of us to participate personally and directly or through our financial support of those institutions which carry on the good works that we are all called to do. The great array of such programs ranging from individual parish-based outreach programs to diocesanwide ministries presents each and every one of us with an opportunity to extend a hand in care and love to someone in need.

In the most recent year's statistics, Catholic Charities provided services to nearly 100,000 children, women and men, people from a broad spectrum of racial, financial and religious backgrounds who share one common reality: a human need of some sort. Catholic Charities of our diocese has experienced the same phenomena as Catholic Charities agencies throughout the country -- more and more people are coming to Catholic Charities for basic human needs of clothing, food and shelter. The same thing can be said for individual parishes. Increasingly people with a wide range of needs appeal to the local parish for some assistance. This pastoral letter gives me an opportunity to offer to all the members of the diocese an opportunity, if you are not already actively involved in some parish or diocesan program, to select from the many existing programs one to which you can volunteer some of your time, talent, energy and love.

Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life
This is also a time to urge every member of our Church, especially our youth, to be still and listen for that quiet voice of God that calls them to the priesthood or religious life. As a visible, structured Church that is organized around the celebration of the Eucharist, priestly ministry is an essential part of our ecclesial life. In the face of the today's cultural and social challenges, we must address in a more meaningful way the question of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. By both prayer and active encouragement, response to these vocations can increase. I am convinced that we can identify young people who are open to the call, particularly to priesthood, and encourage them in an effective and realistic manner to respond to the ever present challenge to set everything aside and follow the Lord. Many other voices calling our young people are often stronger and louder. They seem to drown out that quiet, still voice that says "follow me." Yet through good example and with encouragement the seed of a vocation can be nurtured and brought to fruition.

The Role of the Laity
The bishops of the world, gathered at the Second Vatican Council, issued the Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People. The decree is a clear call for the active involvement in the life and mission of the Church of all women and men who are baptized into the Body of Christ.

This apostolate is described as one of evangelization and sanctification. Quite simply this means that each believer is charged to spread the Gospel and to help make the world in which we live holy. "The apostolate of the Church therefore and of each of its members, aims primarily at announcing to the world by word and action the message of Christ and communicating to it the grace of Christ" (Decree on the Laity, 6).

The decree goes on to point out that lay people have "countless opportunities for exercising the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification." These countless opportunities take place in our lives--in what we do, where we work, where we live, how we recreate, with whom we come into contact day after day after day. These countless opportunities unfold in our homes, our schools, our offices, our factories, on our streets as well as in church.

What is so amazing about the document is not that each baptized Catholic is called to share in the mission of the Church, for this is something we have always recognized even if we have not always strongly underlined it, but that the council fathers chose to make such a resounding affirmation of the role of lay people at the very moment when there were more vocations to the priesthood and religious life than at any other time in the life of the Church--at least in the United States.

I think there is a lesson here. Some people today claim that lay involvement in the life of the Church is the result of the decrease in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This may be true, but it is not the whole story. The development of the Decree on the Laity at the Second Vatican Council surely argues another view. I am convinced that in God's providential plan the Spirit has moved the Church to reappraise and encourage the role of lay women and lay men in the day to day ongoing work of the Church. This providential guidance came at the very height of our vocations to underscore that the mission of the Church is the responsibility of everybody no matter how many religious and priests there are.

Each baptized person has a responsibility to help evangelize and sanctify the world. If this is done in the company of many priests and religious, all the better. If the challenge must be met with fewer priests and religious, so much the clearer is the task of lay persons. The involvement of laity in the life of the Church in the past twenty years is not a reaction to the drop in vocations. I believe it is the living out of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit found in the pages of the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

Reach Out to Those Who Have Drifted Away
One way in which each of us can effectively engage in real evangelization is to invite back to Mass someone you know who has drifted away from the practice of his or her faith. Sometimes the seed of faith that was planted long ago gets choked by the daily cares of life. We know people whose practice of the faith has become choked by whatever, yet each of us can take the responsibility to invite them back home. Someone you know can be simply overwhelmed at times and just drift away from the life-giving contact with Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist. Invite them home. Invite them to share with all of us the joy of knowing that we do not go through the struggle of life alone. Show them that you care. Invite them to come with you to Church.

Institute for Ministries
The reorganization/revitalization project has already identified women and men throughout the diocese who have demonstrated a strong desire to be an active participant in the life of their parish church. We need not only to encourage but also to offer them opportunities to prepare well for service within the Church. Through the diocesan Institute for Ministries, we can respond to parish and diocesan needs by developing programs that meet identified areas of preparation and formation.

More and more women and men involved in the life of the Church at the parish and diocesan level are coming forward with good will and open hearts to respond to the needs of the Church and to the will of Christ in building up his Body. We are serious about preparing our laity for ministry in the Church.

Public Witness
We are also called to look outward to the wider community and to be a voice of conscience in articulating the word of God and continuing the ministry of Christ. The need for moral leadership and the obligation to be engaged actively in the formation of public policy are new challenges and opportunities for our lay women and lay men who are called to be a leaven in society. In an age when much of the Church's teaching and religion itself is suspect or even ridiculed, the voice and witness of lay persons can have a powerful impact.

This is an age of opportunity and challenge for lay persons. I join you in the prayer that as we move in future directions the voice of our lay men and lay women in defence of human life, in support of the family and family values and in the articulation of a host of concerns that grow out of our Catholic experience, will be clearly evident among our laity who have reached positions of prominence and influence in the wider community.

As we define ourselves more clearly as God's people, as Christ's Church, we do well to ask ourselves if we are one in the faith that we accept and proclaim, whether we are one in unity of action in support of the Church on the parish and diocesan level, and if we are one at the table of the Lord celebrating the Eucharist? When all else is said and done, this unity will proclaim before God and ourselves our true and abiding success in establishing the beginning of the kingdom of God unfolding in our world.

With gratitude for the many gifts God has poured out on this holy Church of Pittsburgh, I ask you to join me in prayer that God will continue to bless all of us with faith, wisdom, courage, joy and love as we, God's people, make our way along these FUTURE DIRECTIONS.

May God grant you health, blessings and peace.

Donald W. Wuerl
Bishop of Pittsburgh
September 19, 1993