LETTERS

Meaning of ‘community’ in a parish differs for parishioners

The Editor: I thank you and Isabella Moyer for the wonderful article, Parocialism in parish life defeats purpose of community (Jan. 18 PM).

I would, however, like to ask a question; What is the definition of community?

Isabella heard that a faith community is a place that “gathers and sends.” She also mentions that “it is vehicle, not a destination” and makes wonderful reference to what it does and things it needs to be aware of. But I do not see anything that clearly defines or suggests what a “parish/faith community” is.

I am the director of stewardship for the Diocese of Prince Albert. Our parish communities seem to consist of people who see their faith community in a variety of different ways. For some, it is an entity which provides them with their required weekly mass. For others, it is a community of “religious” people, but only for one hour a week. For others it is a place to regularly practise their faith and others, a place where faith is practised but very rarely for them.

Others see it a a place where they do baptisms, weddings and funerals. For some it is a place where they come to serve; for others, it is a place where they come to be served. And for others, it is the celebration of the eucharist — the apex, so to speak, of living their faith. And for others, although they seem to be very few in number, it is something that exists outside of the wall of the church facility.

Isabella also reminds us that there is no “us and them,” only us. I believe she mentions this in the context of different parishes. But I believe that even within the parish community, there exist the “us and them” syndrome and that, to a large extent, it exists because there isn’t a unified understanding/acceptance of what that community is and why it is.

As I stated earlier, I would be very interested in knowing how we, as a church, define what it means to “be community.” — Jean Lawrent Fournier, Prince Albert