“Communities of Salt and Light”

(Excerpt from Bishops’ Pastoral Letter)

The parish is where the Church lives.  Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope.  They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth.  Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church.  Parishes are the place where God’s people meet Jesus in word and sacarament and come in touch with the source of the Church’s life. 

One of the most encouraging signs of the gospel at work in our midst is the vitality and quality of social justice ministries in our parishes.  Across the country, countless local communities of faith are serving those in need, working for justice, and sharing our social teaching as never before.  Millions of parishioners are applying the gospel and church teaching in their own families, work and communities.  More and more, the social justice dimensions of our faith are moving from the fringes of parishes to become an integral part of local Catholic life.

We seek to affirm and encourage local parish commitment and creativity in social ministry.  We know pastors and parish leaders do not need another program to carry forward or more expectations to meet.  We see the parish dimensions of social ministry not as an added burden, but as part of what keeps a parish alive and makes it truly Catholic.  Effective social ministry helps the parish not only do more, but be more—more of a reflection of the gospel, more of a worshipping and evangelizing people, more of a faithful community.  It is an essential part of parish life.

This is not a new message, but it takes on new urgency in light of the increasing clarity and strength of Catholic social teaching and the signs of declining respect for human life and human dignity in society.  We preach a gospel of justice and peace in rapidly changing world and troubled nation.  Our faith is tested by the violence, injustice, and moral confusion that surround us.  In this relatively affluent nation, a fourth of our children under six grow up in poverty.  Each year in our nation, 1.6 million children are destroyed before birth by abortion.  And every day, 40,000 children die from hunger and its consequences around the world.  In our streets and neighborhoods, violence destroys the hopes, dreams, and lives of too many children.  In our communities, too many cannot find decent work, housing, health care, or education.  In our families, parents struggle to raise children with dignity, hope and basic values.

Our faith stands in marked contrast to these grim realities.  At a time of rampant individualism, we stand for family and community.  At a time of growing isolation, we remind our nation of its responsibility to the broader world, to pursue peace, to welcome immigrants, to protect the lives of hurting children and refugees.  At a time when the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, we insist the moral test of our society is how we treat and care for the weakest among us.

In these challenging days, we believe that the Catholic community needs to be more than ever a source of clear moral vision and effective action.  We are called to be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” in the words of the Scripture (cf. Mt 5:13-16).  This task belongs to every believer and every parish.  It cannot be assigned to a few or simply delegated to diocesan or nation structures.  The pursuit of justice and peace is an essential part of what makes a parish Catholic.

In urban neighborhoods, in suburban communities, and in rural areas, parishes serve as anchors of hope and communities of caring, helping families meet their own needs and reach out to others, and serve as centers of community life and networks of assistance.