Guwahati pastoral plan sets 10 priorities for mission

GUWAHATI, Assam (Indian Catholic News) — The Archdiocese of Guwahati has updated its pastoral plan with 10 priorities for its mission, emphasising evangelisation, human dignity, social service, youth, education, ecumenism and communication across Northeast India.

The 2016 plan, originally prepared as the archdiocese approached its silver jubilee, was updated Aug. 13 on the Guwahati archdiocesan website. It calls for a coordinated pastoral response to the region’s religious, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity.

The plan says the archdiocese’s vision is to be a “community of the disciples of Jesus Christ” called to establish “the Kingdom of God” amid “religious, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversities.”

Its mission is to promote “the inherent dignity of the people through integral human development,” with “special focus on the indigenous and weaker sections of the Archdiocese.”

The document identifies 10 priority areas: evangelisation, catechesis, family, social service, health, women, youth, education, ecumenism and mass media.

The plan says pastoral planning was needed because of “the constantly changing and challenging situations in our country” and the growth of “market forces, consumerism and religious intolerance.”

“To remain relevant, it is important for an organization to have its vision and mission clearly defined,” it says, adding that a mission should spell out a “concrete action-plan to be executed in a specific context and time.”

Evangelisation at the forefront

Evangelisation is described as the archdiocese’s most urgent priority for the Northeast.

“The urgency of evangelising the Northeast India is a felt need and it is a priority area that the Archdiocese will focus on for the next ten years,” the plan says.

It calls for evangelisation through witness, outreach and existing Church structures, including Small Christian Communities, pious associations, ecclesial movements and youth movements.

“A new way of being Church calls for an effective witnessing in the Northeast by building intercultural bridges, upholding openness to other cultures and respecting all,” the plan says.

It also calls for family visits by priests and religious, greater collaboration among clergy and religious, prayer-oriented pastoral visits and annual pastoral plans for parishes.

Families, social service and health

The plan describes the family as central to the well-being of both Church and society and calls for marriage preparation, family catechesis, counselling, family prayer and pastoral visits.

It also calls for action against domestic violence and for greater attention to women’s dignity and participation in Church structures.

Social service is presented as an integral expression of Christian witness.

“Social work is an important aspect in the life of the Archdiocese,” the plan says, adding that the Church’s service should include education, health care, relief and advocacy.

Its proposals include economic development, health and hygiene, village empowerment, urban poverty programs, skills training, scholarships, disaster response and local resource mobilization.

The health priority calls for greater access to medical services for poor and marginalized people, more health workers and health centres, and attention to community health and traditional medical practices among indigenous communities.

Youth and education as priorities

The plan describes young people as “important for the present and the future of both the Church and society.”

It proposes faith formation, Bible studies, leadership training and greater youth representation in parish pastoral councils. It also encourages young people to enter civil services and other professional fields.

Education is likewise given a broad social and pastoral role.

The plan calls for ensuring that every Catholic child attends school, reducing dropout rates, expanding scholarships and promoting higher and vocational education, particularly for socially disadvantaged students and girls.

It also urges educational institutions to uphold “the constitutional values and the socialistic, secular and democratic character of our country.”

Ecumenism and media

The plan calls for greater unity among Christians and practical ecumenical cooperation.

It says the Church should “build ecumenical bridges among all Christians to be peacemakers” and create opportunities to address social and religious concerns together.

Media is identified as another important missionary tool.

“The Church in the Northeast has to become a communicating church,” the plan says, calling for the use of film, television, music, drama, the internet, radio and social media for evangelisation.

It also proposes media education, particularly for young people, visual documentation of the archdiocese’s history, personnel training and media products in vernacular languages.

For implementation, the plan proposes action groups for each priority area, a core monitoring group, an annual review process and a documentation system.

Its conclusion expresses confidence in “God, in the teaching of the Catholic Church and in democratic values enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution of India,” as the archdiocese seeks to carry out its mission.

Read the pastoral plan.