Commission secretaries given broader pastoral role in Kurnool 

KURNOOL, Andhra Pradesh (Indian Catholic News) — The Diocese of Kurnool has defined its commission secretaries as pastoral animators and facilitators of synodality, responsible for collaboration and implementing pastoral directives. 

The guidelines, signed by Bishop Johannes Gorantla of Kurnool and published in the September 2026 issue of the diocesan newsletter Kurnool Vani, say the diocesan commissions play a vital role in “animating, coordinating, and implementing the pastoral mission of the Church.” 

They are intended to serve as “instruments of communion (communio) and mission (missio), fostering collaboration between the universal, national, regional, and local Church.” 

The document makes a distinction about the identity of commission secretaries. “A Commission Secretary is not simply an organizer,” it says, describing the role as that of “a pastoral animator who inspires and mobilizes,” a “bridge-builder between the Diocese and national/regional Church structures,” and “a listener and discerner, attentive to the signs of the times.” 

The secretary is also identified as “a facilitator of synodality, fostering collaboration among clergy, religious, and laity.” 

The role is exercised “in communion with the bishop, who is the chief shepherd and moderator of all pastoral activity,” the guidelines say. 

Linking Church structures 

At the national and regional levels, commission secretaries serve as “official representatives of the Diocese in their respective sectors.” 

Their responsibilities include maintaining communication with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Conference of Catholic Bishops of India and Telugu Catholic Bishops’ Council commissions, as well as providing information when requested. 

They are also expected to receive, study and disseminate “guidelines, policy documents, and pastoral orientations issued at national and regional levels” and participate in meetings, seminars and workshops organized by those bodies. 

The secretaries are to represent the Diocese of Kurnool by “articulating its pastoral realities, challenges, and contributions at broader ecclesial forums.” 

The guidelines describe participation in such meetings as “an essential dimension of ecclesial communion and co-responsibility.” 

Implementing directives locally 

Within the Diocese, commission secretaries are “entrusted with the responsibility of contextualizing and implementing the pastoral directives received from higher bodies,” in harmony with the diocesan pastoral plan and under the bishop’s guidance. 

They are expected to prepare annual or triennial plans, submit them for approval, and “form and animate a team or sub-commission, including clergy, religious, and competent lay faithful.” 

The guidelines also call on them to “encourage co-responsibility and participation of the laity in the mission of the Church,” organize programs at diocesan, deanery and parish levels, and periodically review pastoral initiatives. 

The responsibilities extend across commissions dealing with Scripture, migrants, women, liturgy, health, family and laity, youth, marginalized communities, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, vocations, prison ministry, and doctrine and theology. 

Financial responsibilities

The secretaries are accountable to the bishop and must submit annual reports of activities and finances, participate in diocesan pastoral review meetings and work with other commissions, parishes and institutions. 

They also carry financial responsibilities, including preparing budgets, administering funds with “prudence, integrity and accountability,” documenting expenditures and mobilizing resources within the Diocese. 

The guidelines say the faithful should be invited “not merely as donors but as partners in the mission of the Church,” contributing their “time, talents and resources.” 

Concluding the guidelines, Bishop Gorantla says the effectiveness of the commissions depends on “the dedication, creativity, and pastoral zeal of the Secretaries and their teams.” 

“Rooted in prayer, guided by the Word of God, and inspired by the teachings of the Church,” the secretaries and their teams are called to build “a vibrant, participatory, and missionary Diocese.” 

The document concludes with a hope that their service will “contribute to the growth of a synodal Church, walking together in faith, hope, and charity.” 

Read the guidelines.