Bishop's Statements

Vision for the Future of the Diocese of San José
May 17, 2001

Bishop Patrick J. McGrath delivered this statement to the clergy at Clergy Study Week on May 17, 2001; to diocesan staff on May 24; and to parish staff attending the Parish Staff Day, June 5, 2001.

It is a given that the first and most important step in our movement towards the future is vision. That vision must rise out of faith and be different from any merely worldly vision. We must be immovable in the conviction that Christ and He alone is central.

I also believe that, if we live in faith and hope and true charity among ourselves, the Risen Lord will work in us, despite our many defects. The Lord will accomplish his purpose in the midst of our weakness provided that we are truly humble and open.

I believe that the time has now come for our local Church as a whole to develop a comprehensive pastoral plan. I also believe that the vision cannot become and remain an abstraction. We must have a plan for putting the vision into action and fulfilling our mission. This plan must truthfully assess our present situation and build upon our many strengths. We must be the architects of our future. The challenges we confront may, at times, seem overwhelming and even insurmountable. But I also believe that within each challenge lies a rich opportunity for the Church.

This plan has to be a means for gathering together the whole Diocese to embrace the hope and vision of the Church’s mission and to unleash the energies of new life into all aspects of our local Church.

Our purpose must be to do better and more effectively what we are called to do in the ever-new realities taking shape before us in our Valley.

Up to this moment, I have been reluctant to clarify my vision for the future. This is true because I want the final pastoral plan to reflect not just my vision, but to also reflect your vision and the vision, hopes, and dreams of the people we serve together. That is why we have the Pastoral Planning Committee--hearing sessions-and finally the emergence of the ten critical issues. I now feel that I can share my vision more clearly with you and not run the risk of having it (my vision) take over the process.

Here is what I would like to see:

• I would like us to be a Church that is not afraid to dream. This Church is a microcosm of the new world in which the new world Church is struggling to be born. We are on the cutting edge of this struggle so not just our valley, but our world is watching. We cannot be content with the ways of the past. We have new challenges, and we must use our imaginations in meeting them, and we must not be afraid to take risks.
• I would like us to be a Church that is in tune with the world around us. I want us to be dealing with the real concerns of real people. We should not be answering questions which no one is asking. I want us to strive to come up with solutions to these concerns. I want the Church to matter in people’s lives. I want the Church to make a real difference in people’s lives.
• I would like to see us as a collaborative Church. Not a Church where we are concerned with trivia while the major issues of our lives are not addressed. I would like to see a collaborative Church in which no one is made to feel unwelcome or unwanted.
• I would like to see us as a witnessing Church, witnessing not a cause, not an ideology, or an agenda, but witnessing the person and life of Christ.
• I would like to see us witnessing the poverty of Christ in a consumer society.
• I would like to see us witnessing the charity of Christ; witnessing the hope of Christ.
• I would like to see us as a Church that is known for its compassion, forgiveness, and love. A Church that shows forth the face of Christ.
• I would like to see us as a Church in which all are servants.
• I would like to see us as a confident Church, a Church that is not gloomy and without joy. We should be able to laugh.
• I would like to see us as a community of disciples in which we are all seeking together to know the Lord and to follow him ever more closely. A community of disciples in which we all make mistakes, but in which we all forgive one another.
• I would like to see us as a community of disciples which perseveres in the teaching of the apostles, in the breaking of the bread, and in prayer.
• Finally, I would like to see us as a Church which has priorities. A church in which there is a priority of persons over things, and of truth over expediency, and a Church where there is a priority of love over all else. And so a Church in which we say that the greatest of all, of everything, is love.

As we now move forward with our pastoral plan, and as we approach the hour of decision for our local Church, we approach it with faith and with confidence. The early Church of the New Testament has handed on to us the memory of the honor in which it held Mary, the Mother of the Lord. In the spirit of the Apostles and those first Christians, we now turn to her, the Mother of the Church. We commend ourselves, our local Church of San Jose, and our pastoral plan, to her intercession and that of Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse, and pray that all we do may serve to bring glory and praise to Christ, our Lord and Savior.