The parish facing the challenges of the nonreligious phenomenon: pastoral-missionary landmarks Cover Image

Parohia în fața provocărilor fenomenului neoreligios: repere pastoral-misionare
The parish facing the challenges of the nonreligious phenomenon: pastoral-missionary landmarks

Author(s): Constantin-Iulian Damian
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion
Published by: EDITURA ARHIEPISCOPIEI DUNĂRII DE JOS
Keywords: mission; parochial community; pastoral strategy; postmodernity; secularization; sociological parish;

Summary/Abstract: Postmodernity, as an axial moment of modernity, brings fast and profound changes into the contemporary world. Continuing at a different level the attributes of modernity, it implies rationalism, subjectivism, utilitarian individualism, and secularisation. On this ground, a new type of religiosity arises, adapted to the new social and cultural realities and influenced by religious pluralism, the decline of theism, and the crisis of traditional Churches. It affects the Church, in general, and every parochial community, in particular. For this reason, the Church and every parish must promptly react by elaborating and applying dedicated pastoral and missionary strategies, in order to diminish the preponderance of “sociological parish“ in favour of the “active parish“. Here are delineated few strategies concerning clergymen’s activity, the active implication of the laymen in the pastoral and missionary activity of the parish, and a change in the sequence catechesis → Liturgy → implication is suggested. Without claiming exhaustiveness, these strategies can represent at least a starting point in the activity of bringing back the lost members of the Church.

  • Issue Year: XIV/2015
  • Issue No: 14
  • Page Range: 236-267
  • Page Count: 32
  • Language: Romanian