29th August 2010

In spite of making announcements at all Masses last Sunday about the importance of sending in nominations for the next PPC exco members of our Parish, I did not receive any nomination.  I would like to think that we need more time to reflect on the suitable nominees before submitting them.  I hope I am right. However the worse scenario is when such poor response points to the unwillingness of our Parishioners to show the needed interest to shape our Parish future.  I don’t believe this is the case.  I am hopeful that we will get the needed five or more nominations.

While our revised Constitutions (recently approved by the Archbishop) allow the Parish Priest to appoint a maximum of three persons, we need at least 5 elected persons on the PPC exco.  This ratio is healthy as it ensures that the majority of the exco members are elected and not appointed by the Parish Priest.  No one can say that the Parish Priest has his “yes men/women” on board to “advise” him; worse still “rubber stamp” his proposals.  In this context, I would strongly urge all of you to take this responsibility of sending in your nominations seriously.

The structure of all Parishes in the Archdiocese and indeed in the whole Catholic Church is clear.  The Parish Priest shoulders all the responsibilities of the Parish and is solely answerable to the Archbishop and his Religious Superior (in my case my Jesuit Superior).  When he delegates, he does not and cannot “wash his hands” from his responsibilities; he is still answerable.

This is a healthy approach and this Parish structure is not about the lack of trust of anyone. It is the Church’s way of ensuring that the Parish is shepherded by an identifiable, authorised and ordained person, who does so with the parishioners’ needs and the overall good of the Parish in his heart, and more importantly, with Christ at the core of everything.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Philip Heng, S.J.

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HOMILIES WRITTEN BY FR PHILIP HENG,S.J.