Seized by Christ

They are experiencing Christianity as joy and hope, having thus become lovers of Christ.

Tag: Gratissimus Sane

  • Walking with Every Man:

    Toward a Synod on Subsidiarity

    In his first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, Pope John Paul II made the striking claim that “every man is the way of the Church.” Christ entrusted the Church with the salvation of every person, which means the Church’s mission is always to walk with each man and woman and lead them toward Christ.

    Later, in Gratissimus Sane, John Paul II extended this truth to the family: every family, too, is the way of the Church. The family is the first place where a person’s character and uniqueness are formed, and it becomes the path along which the Church walks with individuals.

    But in the last fifty years, families have been shaken. Divorce has left many children without fathers. Mobility and smaller households have weakened extended family ties. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life within families — once a source of everyday moral and spiritual guidance — have greatly diminished. Today, with one priest often serving 4,000 parishioners, how can the Church realistically hope to walk with every individual, let alone every family?

    Learning from the Military’s Hierarchy

    Years ago, I compared the Catholic Church’s pastoral structure with the military. The military has developed, through centuries of experience, an efficient hierarchy that provides support at every level: no soldier is left without a small team, and every team has a leader to turn to.

    Here’s a simplified comparison:

    MilitaryNumber of PeopleChurch Parallel
    Region / Theater1,000,000+Diocese
    Army Group250,000Deanery Group
    Army60,000–100,000Deanery
    Corps30,000–80,000Sub-deanery
    Division10,000–20,000Parish Group
    Brigade2,000–5,000Parish
    Battalion300–1,000Priest Group
    Company70–250Deacon Group
    Troop25–60Small Community
    Patrol8–12Faith-sharing Group
    Fire Team4Prayer Partners
    Soldier1Parishioner

    The point is not to militarize the Church, but to recognize that the Church could learn from this structure of care. Subsidiarity — the principle that decisions and responsibilities should be handled at the lowest possible level — calls us to build up the Church at the smallest, most personal groups.

    A Call for a Synod on Subsidiarity

    The Church has already held Synods on Youth and on the Family. Perhaps the time has come for a Synod on Subsidiarity — especially on the sub-parish level. Such a synod could explore how the Church can better accompany individuals, families, and small communities, ensuring that no Catholic is left without support.

    Religious orders could play a vital role in this renewal. Catechesis, new models of pastoral care, and creative small-group structures could allow the Church to “walk with every man” as Christ intended.

    Today, there are about 1.16 billion Catholics in a world of 7 billion people — roughly one Catholic for every five people on earth. That ratio is strikingly close to Christ and the twelve apostles. If the Church could rediscover the art of subsidiarity, empowering Catholics at every level to care for one another, then we could truly begin to live out John Paul II’s vision: the Church walking with every man, in love.

    Edited with assistance from ChatGPT-5

  • From Redemptor Hominis to a Synod on Subsidiarity

    In Redemptor Hominis, one of the first encyclicals of Pope John Paul VI, he made reference to the fact that every man is the way of the Church. This statement is to imply that Christ has entrusted to the Church the salvation of every man, so it is the duty of the Church to reach out to every man, and show them the way to Christ.

    In Gratissimus Sane, Pope John Paul II makes reference to the fact that every family is also the way of the Church.

    In addition, he said that the Family is the way that the way that the Church walks with every individual, because every person starts out as a member of a family that establishes their character, and makes them a unique person.

    However, in the last 50 years, the family has disintegrated, with more than 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce, and many children growing up without fathers. This actually creates more people with additional needs, and poorly formed character.

    100 years ago, before mobility was so common, more people lived with extended family, that provided the moral and spiritual support of an individual and of a family. It could to some extent pick up for broken family situations, but that is generally no longer the case.

    Even nuclear families are much smaller, so that is so much less the local support and council available.

    And it was typical for a family to have within it, an uncle or child or cousin that was consecrated to the priesthood. Or sisters or aunts that were consecrated. One of the most devastating effects of the reduction of the priesthood was the loss of their  moral and spiritual guidance of the family.

    With one priest for 4000 parishioners, substantially reduced family and reduced extended family, how can the Church realistically expect to walk with every family, much less every individual?

    Many years ago, I compared the organization of the military with the Catholic Church.

    In the military hierarchy, every group of 2 or 3 has a higher level to go to for support.

    Military                       # of Individuals            Catholic Church

     

    Region / Theater         1,000,000 +                       Diocese

    Army Group                    250,000                         (Deanery Group)

    Army                                   60,000 – 100,000        Deanery

    Corps                                   30,000 –   80,000        (Sub Deanery)

    Division                              10,000 –    20,000       (Parish Group)

    Brigade                                 2,000 –      5,000        Parish

    Batillion                                   300 –      1,000        (Priest Group)

    Company                                   70 –         250         (Deacon Group)

    Troop                                          25 –          60          (Small Community)

    Patrol                                            8 –          12          (Fire Patrol)

    Fire Team                                     4                          (Fire Team)

    Fire & Maneuver                         2                          (Prayer Partner)

    Soldier                                           1                          Parishioner

    I believe that the military has through many thousands of years developed the optimal efficient hierarchy structure, to provide support from the top, and successful execution from the bottom.

    For sake of reference, I added in parenthesis suggested groups where groups do not, or do not seem to exist in the Church.

    I am not suggesting that we imitate the Military, but I would like to suggest that we could do better than we are now.

    I have heard, for example, a deacon mention that there is discussion of housing priests in parish groups or subdeaneries so that they can have appropriate support and fellowship.

    I am focused on the lower levels from the deacon group and down. That is why I am working to assemble a “catechesis” related to providing support to the individual, the family, and to small communities. I’m not trying to make up anything. I am going to try to gather from the teaching from the Church. I will also make reference to articles that support it, that appear all the time in the media.

    On the other end, I am trying to inspire a Synod of Bishops to discuss Subsidiarity in general, and the sub-parish level in specific. Synods on Youth and Family  have established ongoing research of those topics. It would be worthwhile to define a starting point for developing a catechesis of Subsidiarity.

    I believe that it could, for example, lead to new projects for religious orders.

    I believe the current shape of the Church has everything to do with the resources available to work with. One can consider how many more resources would be available if the Church figures out how to walk with every man.

    Sometimes I think about the fact that if there are 7 Billion people in the world, and 1.16 B Catholics, then there are 5 persons in the world for each Catholic. That approaches a manageable group size, comparable to Christ and the 12 apostles. If only we knew how to carry that out, then we would really be able to have the Church walking with every man, in Love.

    Regards
    Tom Neugebauer
    Seized by Christ