Imagine that you are now the ArchBishop of your diocese. What are the top things that you would change about it?

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I loved reading the similar thread for Pastor, so I thought what would people here say if they were the Bishop of their respective diocese.

I eliminated Top 3 as that can limit what a poster really wants to say.
 
  1. Please, please, please–have all the parishes be true to Redemptionis Sacramentum and not just have them “do their own thing”–so as to give the Mass their “own special flavor”. (I end up going to Mass at different parishes in the diocese, and this “special flavor” is driving me bonkers with people standing/sitting or even kneeling/not kneeling at different times.)
  2. Have all parishes in the diocese have the Tabernacle front and center and not allow different ones to have one (or not!) in various ways.
  3. Have all parish staff and educators take a loyalty oath to the Holy See.
and as one person said, since this is a fantasy:
  1. Insist on returning reverence and “edifying” architecture
  2. Insisting that many of his parishes have the Extraordinary Form of the Mass
  3. Oh and how about a diocese-wide program on the correct changes of the New GIRM and the history of the Church
 
  1. we now, thanks to the synod and the particular law enacted, have uniform rules about sacramental preparation of children, now can we please have a universal policy about RCIA–length of catechumenate, what must be taught, which rites are mandatory and which optional, which require a priest or deacon, timing of rites, reception of baptized non-Catholic children older than age 7 and timing of their confirmation, reception of baptized non-Catholic adults, timing–Easter or other time. Preparation of RCIA team and catechists. and so forth.
  2. I know this is in the works and this bishop will have it completed by the time he retires, but should be on any bishop wannabee’s list: complete audit in every parish of finances and also sacramental records, and of diocesan finances and records, make sure record retention and archiving policies are followed.
  3. the other thing in the works, finally, that we have updated guidelines on religion textbooks grades K-8, is approved texts for HS religion instruction and Confirmation.
 
childofmary1143 said:
I loved reading the similar thread for Pastor, so I thought what would people here say if they were the Bishop of their respective diocese.

I eliminated Top 3 as that can limit what a poster really wants to say.
Click to expand...
I would visit every church in my diocese and find out if every priest (especially priests who have settled into a “routine”) was serving the community as a priest should.
Adherence to the liturgy; a conspicuous program for confession; available for blessings of homes, visits to the hospitals, charitable needs of the less priviledged in the community; youth and adult programs in the church; endorsement of approved spiritual movements as requested or needed in the congregation such as John XXII, Cursillo, Charismatic, Marian, Rosary, Eucharistic adoration…etc etc etc. I would sit “incognito” during mass to hear what type of sermons my priests are delivering. Monthly or every other month - meeting with my priests to discuss ecclesial and spiritual matters as they pertain to current trends and to ensure that the basic priestly duties are being done to the fullest. To love and serve the Lord and His people.

That’s just for starters 🙂
 
I would promote and encourage eucharistic adoration in all parishes by asking each and every parish to create an account if short of finance to make this a reality.

Encourage more prayers for the sanctification of the clergy and for vocations for the priesthood and religious life in each and every parish. This would be done by praying a prayer for this intention at each and every mass on Sunday either when intercessory prayers are said (after the sermon) or after communion.

Instill more discipline and order among the clergy in the way mass is celebrated in the exact correct way and in the way they dress and also the way they spend their day by visiting each and every parish.

Create/found a group (open to lay, clerical and religious) that visits all catholic households encouraging them to recite the daily roasary.

Order all priests and religious to pray a daily prayer asking God to help/intercede for the archbishop of the arhdiocese and also for his sanctification.
 
Do away with the seven year switch for pastors.

Send all seminarians to St Charles Borromeo in Philly. (as little as 20 minutes from my diocese)

Require all priests to learn the Gregorian Rite. Test all priests in the rubrics and language of both Missals. 😉

Phase out Altar girls, instituting something else (I don’t know yet, perhaps having them take over the Altar & Rosary).

Establish guidelines for construction and renovation of churches including the Tabernacle behind the altar, a raised sanctuary, altar rail, the altar positioned so that Mass can be said in either direction.

Revamp diocesan paper.
 
Is there going to be “Imagine that you are now the Pope…”? Because I really, really hope not. It’s far better to trust in the judgments of Church authorities and pray for them every day and night than it is to say " ‘I would do this’ or ‘I would do that’ if I was a Deacon/Priest/Bishop".
 
Nickkname said:
Is there going to be “Imagine that you are now the Pope…”? Because I really, really hope not. It’s far better to trust in the judgments of Church authorities and pray for them every day and night than it is to say " ‘I would do this’ or ‘I would do that’ if I was a Deacon/Priest/Bishop".
Click to expand...
👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍
 
Nickkname said:
Is there going to be “Imagine that you are now the Pope…”? Because I really, really hope not. It’s far better to trust in the judgments of Church authorities and pray for them every day and night than it is to say " ‘I would do this’ or ‘I would do that’ if I was a Deacon/Priest/Bishop".
Click to expand...
Wow Nickname, you are such a kill joy. Not only after doing “Imagine that you are now the Pope” I was thinking of doing “Imagine that you are now God…” Tsk tsk. [/sarcasm ended]:rotfl: :rotfl:
 
I personally don’t think I would make a very good ArchBishop … Good thing I’m female, so I don’t ever have to worry about it, and neither does the Church. 🙂

~~ the phoenix
 
Since we have a very acute priest shortage in our diocese, I would move some of the priests from positions of school principal, office jobs, etc, and get them out among the parishes where they belong. I would also bring in priests from other parts of the country that have more than they need, and bring them to our diocese. We’re all one church, right? We have been closing,twinning and tripling parishes all the time.
 
AMDGtoo said:
  1. Please, please, please–have all the parishes be true to Redemptionis Sacramentum and not just have them “do their own thing”–so as to give the Mass their “own special flavor”. (I end up going to Mass at different parishes in the diocese, and this “special flavor” is driving me bonkers with people standing/sitting or even kneeling/not kneeling at different times.)
  2. Have all parishes in the diocese have the Tabernacle front and center and not allow different ones to have one (or not!) in various ways.
  3. Have all parish staff and educators take a loyalty oath to the Holy See.
and as one person said, since this is a fantasy:
  1. Insist on returning reverence and “edifying” architecture
  2. Insisting that many of his parishes have the Extraordinary Form of the Mass
  3. Oh and how about a diocese-wide program on the correct changes of the New GIRM and the history of the Church
Click to expand...
:yup:
Plus mandatory homilies about confession along with making confession available to everyone in the archdiocese (taking gasoline prices into account), mandatory perpetual Adoration available at most every parish, and insisting on vocations/chastity catechesis as a whole section of every teen-age CCD (along with homilies on vocations and chastity).
 
I would spend a great deal more time (prayer and planning) and money on identifying and grooming men for the seminary.
 
childofmary1143 said:
I loved reading the similar thread for Pastor, so I thought what would people here say if they were the Bishop of their respective diocese.

I eliminated Top 3 as that can limit what a poster really wants to say.
Click to expand...
The first thing I would do is fall on my knees and pray for patience – I’m going to need it!

Then I’d establish diocesan norms for just about everything! One of the problems with this diocese is that there are no norms so every pastor does what he wants and that causes any number of problems.
 
I WOULD DO WHAT FABIAN BRUSKEWITZ AND RAYMOND BURKE ARE DOING

Because whatever it is… IT IS WORKING for them!!!

Their CHurches are full and so are their seminaries.

Bruskewitz’s seminary is BURSTING at the seams…Gee and he forbids female altar servers.
 
We just got a new bishop who seems promising, so the following are in no way a critique of him.
  1. Fire the entire staff of the Diocesan paper and completely reformat it.
  2. Get all “nuns in civvies” out of the chancery. Encourage them to find new “ministries” outside the Diocese.
  3. Require the Seton School texts in Catholic schools in the Diocese, beginning with the religion texts. Teachers would be required to follow the Seton program.
  4. Dedicate all resources formerly dedicated to endless seminars and “encounter” sessions, and then some, to supporting vocations.
  5. Personally visit with the boys in every Catholic school in the Diocese to encourage vocations. Appoint the most charismatic priest in the Diocese to keep it going.
  6. Personallly visit with the girls in every Catholic school in the Diocese to encourage vocations. Find a holy and charismatic sister somewhere and recruit her to follow up continuously.
  7. Find out who the SSPX priests are all over the place and personally recruit them to “come over” to my Diocesan staff of priests. Not every one of them can be happy with Fellay.
  8. Start a really good radio “talk show” in my Diocese and assign the (new) Director of Religious Education to haunt the Catholic colleges for scholarly and orthodox guests, as well as Catholic business, professional and government people to give their “testimony” about their faith.
  9. Instruct the Catholic principals that every school morning had to start with a prayer for vocations.
  10. Require that all plans for new churches be drawn by Henry Menzies or Adam Stroik.
  11. Put Henry Menzies or Adam Stroik on retainer to visit the Diocese and present plans to “retrofit” every modernistic church in the Diocese.
  12. Put on a “dinner dance” once/month for all singles in the Diocese, with a dinner speaker selected from #8 above.
  13. Have every pastor put in the bulletin once every six months at least, an invitation to confession and Benediction, presided over by me, with priests hearing confessions that nobody knows, and in regular confessionals.
  14. Invite all the wealthy people in the Diocese (everybody knows who they are) to a very nice dinner with wine, to institute a new Catholic high school. Recruit retired Catholic college professors to teach there.
 
Our bishop has already done so much of what has been recommended on this thread. Each year in Lent he has introduced a special initiative to bring adult Catholics back to the sacraments–first communion, confirmation, confession so far, and marriage convalidation will be the next. He has also started a diocesan wide evangelization program, Disciples in Mission, which has a high percentage of parishes participating. We are entering into the third year for that and the door-to-door phase is beginning.

He revived the lay ministry institute with uniform mandatory training for EMHCs and other lay persons active in ministry. We do not have a lot of the craziness in liturgy I have witnessed in so many other parts of the country. And he revived the diaconate formation program. And, tah-dah, crowning his efforts, has established a diocesan seminary. Thank you, Bishop Pena.

Oh and he has also started building a new Catholic high school in the mid–upper valley, not to mention several new parishes established, and parishes building new churches.
 
My bishop has a good staff, a great newspaper, one of the best vocation programs in the country, religious sisters and brothers who do a great job with or without habits, two cloisters, a singles’ program, a teen program without Life Teen, orthodox schools without Seton thank you very much, and is a canon lawyer. He needs my prayers, but he does not need my opinion to run his diocese. He already does a good, orthodox job.
 
I live in a huge diocese, so it is hard to imagine what changes I could make that would fix any problems here. Our Archbishop does a pretty good job, considering the media here really beats up on catholics in general. I think a nice start would be a weekly or even monthly column in one of the secular newspapers that could reach out to catholics and non catholics. I would also want to make sure the pastors are actively involved in their parishes, spiritually and financially. There could be a team who go from parish to parish to do general audits and recommend changes.
 
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