The Diocese of Udupi organized a meeting of the Parish Coordinators of 18 Commissions at Bishop’s House on 19 March, 2017.
Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Gonsalves led the prayer service which was followed byintroductory words and welcome by Fr. Ferdinand.
The Bishop of Udupi, Most Rev. Dr. Gerald Lobo inaugurated the programme. Placing before the Coordinators the example of Jesus, he gave a detailed explanation of the mission of the Coordinators. He told them that it was a privilege for each of them to take part in the mission of Christ Himself and render their service to their parishes. Quoting the adage, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”, he emphasized the importance of pastoral planning in a parish. He urged them on to take active part in Pastoral Plan Mission 2025 of the Diocese of Udupi and make it successful by achieving good results in their respective parishes.
Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Gonsalves made a presentation on ‘the Roles and Responsibilities of the Laity in the Church’ Based on Vat II.
The Bishop and the Director of Family Commission, Mr. Leslie Arouza presented the process of the Pastoral Plan Mission 2025 and the role played by various people in the Diocese in designing that plan.
In the post-lunch session, the Bishop made a presentation of the achievements of the 18 Commissions for the past two years. He highlighted the following points:
- The effectiveness of the work of 18 Commissions depends much on the implementation of the pastoral plan.
- It is important that the Coordinators ensure the conformity of the parish annual plan to the pastoral plan.
- The Conveners of 18 commissions must meet at least once in 4 months to share their experiences and views and to review the progress
- The Conveners should participate in the Deanery and Diocesan level Pastoral council meeting
- The report of the 18 Commissions should reach the Bishop’s House by the end of December or 15 January the latest
Four Coordinators gave a good feedback at the end of the meeting. The Secretary of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, Mr. Alphonse D’Costa proposed the vote of thanks. The meeting ended with the Blessing by the Bishop.