Teaching Parish Committee

At St. Paul Seminary, the pillar around which the Pastoral Formation is structured is the Teaching Parish. John Paul alluded to this fact in a previous post. Among other things, seminarians are asked to develop a teaching parish committee of five to twelve members with the help of their pastor. These groups are composed of a people from within the parish, and ideally, represent a cross-section of the of the parish population. For instance, my committee is composed of a retired woman, several parents (men and women) and a young man who is a senior in high school. This committee meets on a monthly basis with their seminarian. They discuss any variety of topics. With my committee, I have discussed issues of Ecclesiology, liturgy, methods of prayer, models for youth ministry and religious education, the historical developments of the Sacraments of Initiation, and a variety of other topics. The committee is useful to the seminarian for a variety of reasons. First, they bring a certain element of reality to the mostly theoretical discussions of the classroom. They provide a context in which the teachings of the Church can become embodied in the lives of real people. It gives the seminarian a chance to try to teach groups of people with wide varieties of experience and expertise. The teaching parish committee is also provides a place where the seminarian can practice preaching to real people as opposed to seminarians. For me, this committee has been one of the most fruitful parts of my pastoral formation experience. They provide a keen insight that supplements into my classroom based knowledge. They tell me when I am reacting foolishly to a given situation, and they affirm what I often am able only to presume about married and family life. I am deeply grateful for the men and women on my committee. So, thank you to all of you who participate in the teaching parish committees around this archdiocese.