Archdiocese spreads Jesus through parish servants

    You met with about 200 parish secretaries, administrative assistants and priests on Aug. 2 for the 5th annual Parish Staff and Administrators Day. Why was this important?
    So often, the people who work in parishes such as secretaries, administrative assistants, finance directors and pastoral associates get overlooked, but I wanted to make it clear that their mission and ministry is vital, and they serve and lead God’s people. I am so thankful for their ministry. I can honestly say – and this is no exaggeration – we could not carry on the mission of Christ in this archdiocese without them. They directly share in the ministry of the church by carrying on the 2,000-year tradition and teachings of the church. And in their ministry, they are on the front lines. Very often, they are the first responders – the first voice that is heard when people need information or are in grief, and they extend the compassion of Christ to others. Even when they are busy, they are the ones who say, “You are welcome.”
    What were some of the major topics you discussed?
    Our safe environment program in the archdiocese is incredibly important. I think what’s happened since the sexual abuse of minors became such a public crisis in 2001 and 2002, the church has responded vigorously to protect children through the implementation of extremely vigilant safe environment policies. Since the crisis has moved more to the background, it might be human nature to let down our guard, but we cannot and will not. If anything ever happened to a child and our parishes were not following the archdiocese’s stated policies, it would have tragic consequences. We cannot let that happen again. If we can save just one child from being abused, we will have done the work of the Lord. We will have saved a life that otherwise would have been frayed or broken.
    Did you also discuss sacramental records and the use of technology in the parishes?
    Yes. We may not realize it, but sacramental records, especially baptisms and marriages, are extremely important church and even legal records. Sometimes these records are referred to 20, 50 and 100 years later, so they need to be carefully recorded. In terms of technology, the latest phone answering systems are wonderful, but I want to make sure the technology doesn’t replace the human touch. Sometimes the people on the other end have just lost a spouse or had a son commit suicide, and they need care. The other aspect of being that first contact with another person is that sometimes we simply don’t know the answer to a question, so we should just say so and not guess. Then we can find out the correct information and call the person back.
    Is the archdiocese looking for ways to standardize the way in which the preparation for the sacraments is handled from parish to parish?
    The Presbyteral Council is looking at that right now, and the first sacrament we are examining is baptism. From parish to parish – even within the same deanery – the guidelines vary as to what is expected. Some parents will show up and say they want to have their baby baptized, and they show up on a Sunday and the baby is baptized. I would call that the minimalist approach! Then there are other parishes that might say the parents have to show up for this and this and this. Sometimes, that’s too much. I’d like to do this in a unified way, for two reasons. You don’t want people “shopping” for the minimal requirements, which is the course of least resistance. But we also want to provide real opportunities for religious growth. Whatever parishes can do to promote religious education, especially for adults, will be well worth it.
    Later this month (Aug. 28-30) you will host your second annual convocation for all priests. Can you talk about that?
    That will be a very sacred and important time for our priests, because it will be a time for their continuing education and formation. During those days, most parishes will have Communion services, and the parish staff will have additional responsibilities.
    Anything else on the horizon?
    We all know that the national, state and local elections are coming up in November, and it seems as though elections are becoming nastier and nastier. We must be sure as ministers of the church not to stoop to those depths. We as a church do not speak for or against any specific candidate. The U.S. bishops have issued “Faithful Citizenship,” which parishioners can use to compare the platforms of the various candidates. Also, no candidate for public office can speak from the pulpit or in any of our church facilities. I don’t know how other denominations get away with it, but we cannot do that. We have designated next year – from January to December 2013 – as the Year of the Catholic Family and Faith. We will be preparing a lot of practical information about strengthening family life. I’m also very excited about the relatively new Catholic marriage and family counseling program that is now operating under the auspices of Mario Sacasa of the Family Life Apostolate. Counselors are seeing people right now in Metairie and on the northshore, and we hope to expand it next year to more areas of the archdiocese. Couples or families can come for counseling and pay whatever they can afford. We know there is such a tremendous need for marriage and family counseling. We need to support people in times of challenge, and we will be doing more.
    Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].