Bishop's Monthly Reflection

by Bishop Myron J. Cotta, D.D.  |  08/25/2024  |  From the Clergy

My Dear People of God,

Did you know that our Diocese of Stockton covers over 10,000 square miles and encompasses six counties stretching from Lodi to the north; Newman to the south; Mammoth Lakes and the Mother Lode to the east and Tracy to the west. Within these boundaries of our diocese, we have 35 parishes and 14 missions. Did you know that our diocese is divided into designated regions called: vicariates or deaneries? Presently, we have eight deaneries. The Deaneries are overseen by eight priests appointed by the bishop to serve as Deans. So, how am I, as a bishop, capable of accomplishing the responsibility to: govern, teach and sanctify over 300,000 Catholics? Did you know that each diocese has a structure, consisting of clergy and laity, that assists the Bishop in his duties as Bishop?

The Bishop has two instrumental groups that help him to achieve his pastoral duties: the Personnel Board and the Presbyteral Council. The Personnel Board is an advisory board of clergy and religious who assist me with the discernment of priestly assignments and appointments pertaining to parishes and diocesan positions. The board also assists in addressing personnel issues regarding clergy and those needs pertaining to the well-being of the clergy. The Presbyteral Council, also know as the Priest Council, serves as a means to advise and assist the bishop in governing, teaching and sanctifying God’s people. The clergy members of the Council assist in communicating the bishop’s vision to the clergy and laity throughout the diocese. Another important group within the structure of parish and diocesan life is the Pastoral Parish Council. In addition to the local councils, I see, in the future, the need to establish a Pastoral Diocesan Council; but now, attention and effort must be directed toward establishing, in every parish, a local Pastoral Parish Council. Below, I would like to present a brief overview of how this process works while stressing the importance of upholding: communication, collaboration, and co-responsibility. These three areas are at the heart of what we do as the Diocese of Stockton in working together in order to build up the Kingdom of God. As mentioned, one means of accomplishing this is through the establishment of our Pastoral Parish Councils. These councils are a representative group of fellow parishioners, a cross-section of the parish, consisting of a variety of cultures, different ages, varied skills and talents, all working in collaboration under the servant leadership of the pastor. The councils provide a means for the Bishop to keep the laity informed and to provide input from God’s people to assist him in overseeing the diocese. As is mentioned in: Becoming a Pastoral Parish Council: A Guide for a Synodal Church - “The fundamental to understanding the role of a Pastoral Parish Council member is embracing the idea that every person in the parish is called to do something and to place their gifts at the service of one another. These individuals need to see themselves as a neighbors. Pastoral Parish Council members need to constantly remember that at baptism every parishioner was called and gifted by God for a special purpose.” Evangelii Gaudium reminds us: “All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, our agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful will simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here, and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love, does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries,” rather that we are always “missionary disciples” (EG 120). The Pastoral Parish Council is “a faith-filled leadership group through which priests and people work together as co-responsible partners in furthering the mission of Christ in their own parish.“ (Code of Canon Law 1983), 208. In order to further the mission of Christ, we must approach it with a spirit of unity, working together within a given diocesan structure. It is a structure that flows in the following manner: As the Bishop shares his vision for the diocese, and requests input from the members of his Presbyteral Council, he then has the leadership of the Council meet with priests who serve as Regional Deans throughout the diocese. At their scheduled Deanery Meetings, the Deans communicate information with the priests representing parishes from within the region(deanery). Then, the priests take the information to their parishes and share it with the members of their local Pastoral Parish Councils who represent the voice of the parish community Once the Pastoral Parish Councils receive and discuss the topic of information, as they listen to one another and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, their input is conveyed by the Pastors back to their Deans. The Deans communicate the gathered input to the Presbyteral Council, who shares it with the Bishop in order to assist him in making important decisions for the good of the diocese. The key and success to all of this is to integrate this existing diocesan structure of communication between bishop, priest, and parish (laity) by listening, discerning and openly communicating with each other. All of this supports complements the three main characteristics of the Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission. If we, as a diocese, are willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit and openly communicate and collaborate, then, the Lord will give “success to the work of our hands!” Many thanks to all: clergy, religious and laity, who assist me in my duties as bishop. Included in all this is my diocesan team of leaders of our Pastoral Center who help to keep the diocese up and moving. God bless you for all you do! My friends, let us never forget that we are blessed as a diocese. Together, let us move forward as missionary disciples- disciples who are truly called by Jesus, and sent by Jesus!

In the Peace of Christ,

Bishop Cotta