Communication is the most necessary, and sometimes the most difficult, art in all our interactions as people. Good communication allows a group to function. Excellent communication allows it to do so at a very high level. Poor communication, even in a solitary instance, has an unfortunate tendency to destroy whatever good will has been built up over a long period of time.
Listen to some of the pained voices talking about the recent troubles and scandals that plague our church. I’m not speaking of the outsiders who would just as soon demolish the church with their criticisms or the alleged anti-Catholicism some of us claim comes from the media and other sources. I’m talking about the people who have stayed and yet remain hurt even though, for instance, their own contributions have not been embezzled or misused or their children (or themselves) have not been abused by the clergy. They speak of a history in which the hierarchy failed to see and fix obvious problems, often by transferring abusers and thieves from one parish to another, and a present in which the unwillingness of some in the church hierarchy to have transparent communication makes them think that the sins and crimes may perhaps continue.
Communication in a parish is hard enough when everyone is more or less the same in culture and language. People don’t always see things the same way, and small misunderstandings can erupt into large problems if left untended. In our particular situation, we have many more complications because of the different languages and cultures. I see a parish with three very distinct and valid spiritual styles and practices, and you may well see a pastor who doesn’t even speak two of the languages and struggles to lead even the simplest prayers in them. I also see a parish in which every group, despite their obvious gifts, often have questions about how they fit into the whole.
We have Poles who have been here a very long time and often travel great distances to worship here. These Polish people sometimes feel left behind because their numbers are smaller than they used to be. We have Hispanics who still remember being uprooted from their spiritual home even though it happened two decades ago. Many of the Hispanics also travel long distances to enjoy the community they have built together even when they feel that they are not really integrated into the broader whole. We actually have two separate groups of predominantly English speakers. One group has been here for decades, and some follow the theme of coming a long distance to pray and do service here. Many of them choose to lead the traditional organizations or feel that responsibility has been thrust upon them and won’t be taken away. The other English speakers are relatively new both in our neighborhood and our parish. They want to find a spiritual home close to home.
Each of these groups has a beautiful spirituality. Each has an important place around the altar at Holy Innocents. Because of that, good communication is even more necessary. That is the purpose of today’s Parish Day. We will try for the first time, and certainly not the last, to come together as a large group to voice and hear our concerns. Some will be matters of mutual importance. Some will matter only to one of our smaller groups. All are important.
I will ask us to accomplish something that is easy to describe in the form of ideas and hard to do in reality. We need to be patient with each other. Because we have so many people who only speak one language well, everything must be translated for the others. Our patience will be a sign that we value everyone present at the meeting. We need to be willing to speak and hear honesty. It will do us little good to come together if we are not willing to speak our hearts. After all, our ideas and dreams will come together to make Holy Innocents exactly what we want our parish to be, a house of prayer for all peoples.
I do not expect us to communicate perfectly today, but I fully expect that we will try our best because no one should feel left behind, or marginalized, or forced to do things they’d rather not have to do. That is why we start this day with not just any prayer, but the Eucharist. We come as one to the table of the Lord, and we move as one to do God’s work. Let us pray that this new step will be a good one for our parish home.
God bless you!
Fr. Phil Cyscon
What a profound post. I pray the town hall meeting was productive. Communication is the key, especially with three different languages/communities.
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