Priesthood Sunday USA | October 28, 2007 >> Priesthood Sunday | Ways to Dialogue
 

STEP TWO: Set up a dialogue

How well do your parishioners and priests know each other? Start a dialogue to exchange concerns and ideas.

Use Priesthood Sunday as a starting point for opening parish communications. Set up an informal parish meeting with your priests. The purpose of this meeting is to give parishioners a chance to listen to priests talk about their everyday lives and need for support, and for the priests to hear the laity’s concerns, needs and ideas for mutual support with priests. This meeting requires a little planning:

  • Consult with your priest(s) to select a date for the meeting.

  • Draw up a meeting agenda.

  • Select a volunteer parishioner to record the highlights of the meeting’s discussion.

  • Decide on a start and end time for the meeting.

  • If you need a second meeting, repeat the steps above.

An in-depth look at the day-to-day life of priests in the Cleveland diocese was the subject of a four part series that ran in the Cleveland Plain Dealer this past spring.. The entire series , including photos, can be found at www.cleveland.com/shepherds.

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