Church mission belongs to all, not just priests

KURNOOL, Andhra Pradesh (Indian Catholic News) — Bishop Johannes Gorantla is urging Catholics in his southern Indian Diocese of Kurnool to take greater responsibility for the Church’s mission, saying they must become participants, not spectators, by sharing responsibility for parish life and spreading the faith to others.

In his pastoral message, titled “Walking together as a family of Believers,” the bishop stresses that the mission of the Church belongs to the whole People of God, not just priests. He calls for greater participation by laypeople, women and young people in parish life and evangelisation.

“The Church cannot be built by priests alone,” Bishop Gorantla says. “Our priests have a beautiful and irreplaceable vocation. But the mission of the Church belongs to the whole People of God.”

From belonging to building the Church

The bishop says Catholics must move beyond simply belonging to the Church and take an active role in building it together.

This is at the heart of our Diocesan Pastoral Plan, he says, referring to efforts to establish Family Units, Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Finance Committees.

He describes these structures not merely as administrative arrangements but as “an invitation to conversion” and to becoming the Church that God desires.

Drawing on St. Paul’s image of the Church as the Body of Christ, Bishop Gorantla says members depend on one another and each person has a contribution to make.

“The priest needs the laity, the laity need the priest, families need the parish, the parish needs its families,” he says, adding that young people need the guidance of elders while the Church needs their energy and creativity.

“Every person has a place. Every person has a gift. Every person has a mission,” he says.

The bishop urges Catholics to change their outlook from “my parish” to “our parish” and from “my responsibility” to “our responsibility.”

Parish structures must encourage participation

Bishop Gorantla calls on priests to trust laypeople and give them opportunities to serve, while urging the faithful not to shy away from responsibility.

“Do not say, ‘This is the work of the priest.’ If the Lord has given you a gift, He has given it for the good of His Church,” he says.

He wants Family Units to become small Christian communities where families pray together, share their joys and sorrows, care for people in difficulty, visit the sick and elderly, and strengthen one another’s faith.

Parish Pastoral Councils, meanwhile, should become places where priests and laypeople listen to one another, reflect together and work for the good of the parish.

“Let us not allow these structures to become merely another set of meetings and registers. Let them become instruments of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Gorantla says.

Church mission must include youth and women

The bishop says participation must lead to mission, urging Catholics to reach out to people who have stopped attending church, young people searching for meaning, forgotten elderly people, the sick and families living in poverty.

Bishop Gorantla makes a special appeal to young people, urging them to take an active role in parish life rather than remain on its margins.

“You are not simply the future of the Church. You are the Church today,” he says, emphasizing the need for their enthusiasm, courage, questions, creativity and generosity.

He encourages young people to participate in prayer, catechesis, liturgy, social service, evangelization and digital ministry, and to use their talents in serving Christ. The bishop also says he will soon publish a Youth Directory containing concrete guidelines for youth ministry in the diocese.

Bishop Gorantla argues that evangelisation does not always require large programs or exceptional abilities.

“A visit can evangelize. A listening heart can evangelise. A word of encouragement can evangelize. A family prayer can evangelise,” he says. “Mission begins wherever Christian love becomes visible.”

Bishop Gorantla also calls for greater recognition of women’s contributions to the life of the Church, particularly within families. He expresses gratitude to mothers, grandmothers, sisters and daughters who, often without recognition, “pray, teach, accompany, sacrifice and hold families together.”

He says he wants the gifts and wisdom of women to be increasingly welcomed in the diocese’s pastoral life. “The Church becomes richer when every gift is recognised and every voice is heard,” he says, stressing the importance of listening, especially to people whose voices are often overlooked.

A pastoral plan lived by everyone

Bishop Gorantla warns against divisions, jealousy and criticism, urging Catholics to preserve unity even when they disagree.

“A Pastoral Plan succeeds not when all the activities are completed on paper, but when people encounter Christ, families become stronger, communities become united and the Church becomes more missionary,” he says.

He asks each Catholic to reflect on one question: “Lord, what are You asking me to do for Your Church?”

The bishop concludes by expressing his hope for a diocese where priests and laypeople work together with trust, every family feels included, young people participate enthusiastically and every parish becomes missionary.

Read the message.