H

THE  EIGHTH    SACRAMENT

FOREWORD

In 1979 I was asked to accommodate for a night Archbishop Thomas Winning of Glasgow, Scotland. He had come to our town, Port Hedland, as part of the 150^th Anniversary Celebrations of the State of Western Australia. The Archbishop and two other senior Clergymen, one Anglican and the other Uniting, were visiting a number of towns courtesy of the Government and giving public addresses as part of the programme. Next morning I hosted an ecumenical Pastors’ breakfast for the six Pastors in the area. We were having an informal chat after the breakfast and each asked the Archbishop in turn ‘how are things going in Scotland in our denomination?’ He responded to each and gave basically the same reply. ‘I’d like to have a good report for you but honestly you are not doing too well. Our Catholic parishes however seem to be flourishing and more vital. The difference and the reason seem to be that our priests are good at visitation, especially among the migrant workers from Ireland and elsewhere. They visit and get close to the people in their daily struggles and it seems to be really working. We call VISITATION the “Eighth Sacrament.” This made a lasting impression on me and my future priestly strategies.

The Archbishop was later made a Cardinal which made me feel quite important! I had the happy experience, twelve years later, of spending ten minutes with him in Lourdes shortly before his death. He was just walking around the pilgrim’s route like everyone else. He bore no external indications that he was one with such awesome responsibilities; he was humble and natural without ‘airs or graces’. He was indeed a “Peoples’ Priest”.

In the three Seminaries where I was trained Visitation was always encouraged: “Avoid being a Sacristy Priest! You can’t wait for the people to come to you, you have to go out to them” etc. At St Charles’ Seminary, Guildford W.A., where I began my journey to Priesthood in 1961, there was a Prefect two years my senior by the name of Geoff Aldous studying for the Archdiocese of Perth. We both received more formation by the Vincentian Fathers in Adelaide, S.A. He was ordained a Priest on the 3^rd of July 1965. I thank God for my ordination for the Geraldton Diocese two years later. Now after 42 years of priestly service in the Archdiocese of Perth Fr Geoff has volunteered to help out in our Diocese for three years. He is currently Administrator of the Cathedral Parish in Geraldton. He has thrown himself energetically into Visitation as I expected he would during this his first year. A few months ago I felt inspired to ask him to share his experiences by way of a paper or booklet.

I figured others might be inspired in their calling to be good ‘shepherds’ to their people, Seminarians especially might learn something for their future ministry and at the same time I could learn more from his experiences.

So I feel indeed privileged to write this introduction and I hope that many read these reflections. May the Kingdom of God and the Church be enriched in her “preachers and teachers” and visitors!

-Fr Brian Ahearn, Parish Priest of Dongara, W.A. on the 2^nd of April 2008.

P.S. Today just happens to be the 3^rd Anniversary of the death of the late, great Pope John Paul the Second, now Servant of God. And what a VISITOR was our late Holy Father! He made 104 trips outside Italy, the equivalent of going around the globe 49 times! What a role model! May Our Lord and Our Lady who were visitors ‘par excellence’ bless all who read Fr Geoff’s words of wisdom. On your behalf I thank him for taking the time to produce this paper.

Acknowledgments:

BRUCE McCLEARY

for his patient typing of the manuscript.

FR. BRIAN AHEARN

for encouragement and proof-reading.

HELEN LONG

for layout and final draft.

 PREFACE

          This is a personal reflection drawn from my own experience in pastoral ministry, so it refers primarily to parish visitation by the priest. It is not meant to downplay, in any way, the role of all the faithful to reach out to their neighbour, or the many other ways of being Christ to the world. It just happens that I had a very positive introduction to this aspect of ministry when I was a newly-ordained priest, and at a time when it was still a very important part of Catholic parish life in Australia. It’s something that I’ve always found fruitful and has made sense to me, so I’ve kept it up for over 40 years of priestly ministry.

          With some reluctance initially, I’ve been persuaded by a brother priest to put down these thoughts that may be of some help or encouragement to others. We can take for our model and inspiration the role of the Good Shepherd, expressed in the words of the prophet Ezechiel and fulfilled in Jesus:

       “For the Lord says this: I am going to look after my flock

        myself, and keep all of it in view… I will look for the lost

        one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the

        weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a

        true shepherd to them.”                               (Ezek 34:11-16)

1.     VISITATION – the tradition

       The Ministry of Jesus

        The ministry of visitation has a solid foundation in the Gospels, beginning with Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb, visiting her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of John the Baptist.(Lk 1:39-56)

        In His public ministry Jesus is often found in the homes of the people he reached out to, beginning with his presence at the marriage feast of Cana, the occasion of his first miracle. Other miracles too were worked in homes, as in the cure of the paralytic let down through the roof and the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law at Capernaum. Amongst the excavated ruins of this town, not far from the remains of the ancient synagogue, there are the foundations of a house that is said to have been the setting for this miracle. The interesting feature is that the foundation stones are arranged in concentric circles. The story is that this was the place of an early Christian home church, and that as the numbers grew they extended the walls to take in the increasing congregation. However, whatever we might like to make of this, the Gospels indicate several times that Jesus went into a house in Capernaum – it provided a sort of base for his ministry in northern Galilee.

        Perhaps even more significant is the fact that Jesus accepted invitations to meals in the homes of the Pharisees, those who were generally resistant to, or at least sceptical of, the ministry of Jesus. This is featured particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, who shows Jesus as reaching out to the ‘outsider’ or those who were alienated in any way. In one case the meal was the occasion of accepting and forgiving the woman ‘who had a bad name’ (Lk 7:36-50).  At other times, (Lk 11:37; 14:1) it was the opportunity for teaching and challenging the host and the other guests at the meal. In a different and very beautiful vein we have the picture of Jesus visiting his special friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus in their home at Bethany, just a few kilometres out of Jerusalem. We might like to think of it as the place where Jesus ‘felt at home’, a place he could drop in to for the equivalent of our ‘cuppa’ and ‘clean up’, especially on those long trips along the dusty road up to Jerusalem. Meals at Bethany were also the occasion of the ‘listening and serving’ story (Lk 10:38-42) and perhaps the anointing of Jesus before his death (Jn 12:1-8). It is quite likely, too, that Jesus spent the nights at Bethany during his last week in Jerusalem. (Mk 11:11ff)

 The ministry of the disciples

                                          The first mission that Jesus gave to the apostles was to go out on ‘visitation’ (Mt 10:1-16; Mk 6:7-13; Lk 9:1-6). They were to proclaim the ‘Good News’ of the Kingdom, heal the sick and cast out devils (signs that the Kingdom had   come in the person of Jesus). They were to go out two by two, indicating a certain accountability to each other,   and to rely not on material resources, but to trust in God’s providence. If they were to enter a house, they were to  stay there if they found someone who was trustworthy. This initial mission was not to pagan areas, but rather to   ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’, and while some would accept them, others would not. For ‘the twelve’ was good preparation for their future mission – to proclaim the Good News to the whole world. Luke’s Gospel  also gives an account of Jesus sending out seventy-two others to go before him, as a sign that the ‘Kingdom of    God is very near’. (Lk 10:1-12) They came back rejoicing in how the Lord

Sts. Peter and Paul and ministry in the New Testament

   In the early days, of course, there were no church buildings as we have them today. The early Christians ‘ met in their   houses for the       breaking of bread’ (Acts 2:46), as we might have a ‘home Mass’ today. The Acts of the Apostles record   how Peter visited the homes of the faithful, such as Simon the tanner (9:43), Cornelius (10:23) and the mother of  Mark (12:12).

 It was St. Paul, on his great missionary journeys, who really got around to establish Christian communities throughout the Greco-Roman world. These communities were initially fairly small and probably were able to meet in the larger homes of middle-class citizens (e.g. Aquila and Priscilla, 1 Cor 16:19; Nympha,  Col 4:15). As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul visited and stayed in the homes of the faithful (e.g. Lydia 16:15-40; Jason 17:7; Justus 18:7).

 To more recent times

        So I’m sure visitation has always taken place in some form or another. Priests have always visited hoes of the sick. In cultures where traditional village life prevailed, the local Pastor would probably have known everyone in the town. He could do his normal ‘visitation’ just by walking down the main street. Then there was (and in some places still is) the tradition of the home visit for the Easter blessing. And in the less-established, ‘frontier’ or missionary areas of the Church, priests would have had more direct contact with people where they lived and worked. Not to speak of the ‘persecuted’ Church, where priests might have had to seek refuge in the homes of the faithful (e.g.  during the persecutions of the English Reformation).

The Australian tradition

        Some of the above have relevance to the situation of the early Church in Australia. Most of the Catholics were Irish and had come from a background of poverty and oppression in their home country. When priests came (mostly also Irish) they would have been very close to the people. They were also very few and far between, so before the establishment of churches and presbyteries they would have moved around from house to house or farm to farm, offering Mass, hearing Confessions, baptising and giving rudimentary catechesis to the children. In country areas, especially, this form of mission would have continued for some time. So from early days the practice of home visitation has been well grounded.

        Later generations of Catholic migrants from England came from a church culture that was very Irish and were used to their priests visiting their homes. People from other European countries (e.g. Italy, Poland) were used to the priest’s visit for the blessing of a home or the traditional Easter Blessing. In more recent times, Catholics from Asian countries, too, speak of their familiarity with their priests, who, they say, always seemed to be ‘dropping in to their home’ (I don’t know how they got around to so many families!)

        All these factors have contributed to the development of a strong, healthy tradition of parish visitation in the Australian Church over the last 200 years. Those who were ‘good’ or committed Catholics expected a visit, as did also, but for different reasons, those who were somewhat ‘lapsed’ or ‘careless’. If they’d been away from Mass, missed out on their ‘Dues’ or were sending their children to the ‘State School’, the Parish Priest would soon be around on their doorstep!

  The situation today

        Priests still visit parishioners in their homes for many different reasons. However, the practise of regular or systematic visitation seems to have declined greatly over perhaps the last 40 years (since the Second Vatican Council).

        There could be many reasons for this. With bigger parishes and increasing demands, both administrative and pastoral, many priests would say they just haven’t got the time or energy to go out visiting. Perhaps it is the prevailing culture, with the ever increasing pace of life- everybody’s too busy, they’re never at home! So it’s easy to say ‘you’re wasting your time knocking on doors’.

        Another factor could be the culture of suspicion and lack of trust in the Church and Church personnel, in the wake of scandal and abuse so highlighted in the media. So priests are reluctant to visit where they might find a woman or children at home by themselves. Others just might lack social confidence in venturing into unknown or unfamiliar territory, particularly in cases where the priest comes from another culture.

        Whatever the reasons, it’s mainly the older people who remember the priest’s regular visits. Most will say “We haven’t seen a priest in our home for donkeys’ years.”

2.         PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

      My home parish

       Without realising it at the time, I grew up in a very strong Catholic parish, in what some have called the ‘golden years’ of Catholicism in Australia (post – World War II, i.e. the late ‘forties’, ‘fifties’ and into the ‘sixties’). Moreover, it was a new parish in the days of my childhood, so I can remember Sunday Mass in the home ‘over the road’ and in the local tennis club, fundraising through ‘House Parties’ and the ‘Block Collection’ and serving at the opening Mass of the new church. Looking back, it was a very Irish parish, with a very popular Irish P.P., Fr. John Brosnan. He was my first mentor in the way of priestly ministry. I can’t remember him doing systematic visitation, although he probably did in the earlier days. In his latter years, when I used to drop in to see him when I was home on holidays from the Seminary, I can remember him standing outside the presbytery in Cambridge St. about 5:30pm (on the pretext of collecting the ‘Daily News’ paper) and waving to the driver of almost every car as they passed by on the way home from work. Some of them would stop for a ‘visit’ to the church and a chat with the P.P.; that was his way of keeping up with his parishioners. He must have known just about everyone in Floreat Park and what they were up to. If someone was sick or had a bereavement he was invariably the first one to appear on the doorstep. It was something my own mother never forgot, and it has stayed with me too.

  Seminary days

        In my 7 years of priestly formation we had very little pastoral training. The only time we heard about parish visitation was in the ‘Spirituality’ course, where it was presented in a very positive and definite way. In fact it suggested that “a curate should do several hours of visitation, at least 4 days a week” (quite a tall order!). Looking back over my old notes, some of the admonitions seem quite quaint, for example, “Visit all houses in the parish (excepting, of course, those that are notoriously bad)”; “If you must go early in the day, beware of embarrassing people by finding them ‘deshabille’”; “For good, regular Catholic homes, 10-15 minutes should suffice for a visit”. Not all the advice given nearly 50 years ago would be relevant today, but the spirit of the exercise was certainly there.

 As a curate – my first parish

       After a brief spell at the Cathedral, my first appointment as an Assistant Priest (‘curate’ in those days) was to the inner-city parish of Victoria Park, with an old campaigner, Monsignor Tom Lenihan, as my parish priest. It was here I did my apprenticeship in parish visitation, under a wonderful master of the craft. The ‘Mons’, as he was affectionately known (although he had a few other nicknames as well!), was a man of very poor health at the time. He used to say he wasn’t much good at anything else, but he could still knock on doors. And he did – systematically (after his ‘cuppa’) from 10am-12noon, 3-5pm and often after tea from about 6:45-8pm (to get people home in the ‘flats’). And I could see the results. Many a young couple came along to the presbytery for the required number of ‘lessons’ to get their Marriage ‘validated’ (he’d met them in the flats).

Mons. never told me how to go about it or checked on how I was going. He just said, “You can do visitation as well”. So I did! I divided the parish into areas, with a little booklet for each (which I still have), with the street lists and names and ages of all family members. It was a long curacy (5 years), so I had a very solid and thorough initiation into pastoral visitation.

‘Specialist’ ministry

       Any priests working in ministry other than parish used to be called ‘specialists’, and were often looked down upon by their brother priests who were doing ‘the real work’. Anyway, after my time as curate I found myself in full time ‘specialist’ ministry in an area that was broadly referred to as the ‘lay apostolate’. It encompassed such things as Y.C.S. (Young Christian Students), Y.C.W. (Workers), Catholic Nurses Guild, Christian Life Groups and Catholic Social Apostolate. For a time I was looking after part of a parish that had its own ‘stational church’. In this capacity I knocked on every door in the area and managed to get a few little pastoral groups going. It was a good exercise in ‘keeping my hand in’ and keeping me in touch with grassroots parish life. For another period of 2 or 3 years I was chaplain at a large Tertiary Institute. ‘Visitation’ in that situation was just moving around and being present to the whole campus, then getting together with groups of Catholic students and staff where I could. For the other apostolic Movements, visitation was mainly to the homes of the ‘key leaders’, getting to know them better and often working through what was happening and supporting them in their spiritual formation.

  Out on my own

        After 6 solid years in these areas of ministry I was ready to move out – and the opportunity came in a very wonderful and challenging way. I was given ’pastoral care’ of an area (a big area, though only about 100km away from the City) comprising an Agricultural Boarding School (where I resided), an R.A.A.F. Base, 2 little country towns and 4 fishing/holiday villages on the coast. I feel these have been the best years of my life, so far!

        The Airforce Base was just like a big factory, so my ministry there (2 days/week) was a bit like at the Tertiary Institute, moving all around the place and having access to personnel at every level (an advantage was that I had a pushbike to get around on – the “Chaplain’s Chariot”). After a while things really happened in that community, involving Service people and their families as well as people from the surrounding area.

        As regards the ‘country’ or rural sector of the parish, over the 7 years I managed to knock on the door of just about every house in the whole area. Once I got to know who the Catholics were, I was able to get back to them and visit on a more regular basis. It was a wonderful experience, getting to know the history and tradition and really ‘getting the feel’ of the place. And because there was very little other church ministry in most of the area, many people who were not Catholic turned to me in times of trouble or bereavement.

       Back to the City

        All good things come to an end (at least in this world) – so it was back to the city, in 3 parishes over the next 18 years. They were all very different. The first was large and very multi-cultural (60-70 nationalities), with lots of flourishing parish activities. The second was smaller and close to the city (I had some other diocesan responsibilities as well). The third was a very large (‘macro’) parish in the rapidly developing northern suburbs, also with a wide range of apostolates. In all cases I was able to keep up regular visitation, which I found most helpful, if not essential, to the development of the pastoral life of the community. In the largest of the parishes it was a fairly daunting task. It took about 3 years to visit all of the known Catholics (about 3000 families). In the first two of these parishes, visitation, after a while, became connected with a pastoral strategy know as ‘Neighbourhood Meals’. The parish was divided into areas of about 30 Catholic families. All in a given area were visited and invited to a Friday evening meal held at, or connected with, the presbytery. It took about two years to cover the whole parish, but was of great benefit in beginning to develop a sense of neighbourhood church.

 The country calls again

        Over the next 4 years I accepted the challenge of working again in the country, in two parishes that between them covered about 20 different communities or Mass Centres, over a greater part of the Central Wheatbelt. Again I loved visiting, not only in the towns – but even more so in the scattered farming areas, in some cases, knocking on all doors and invariably getting a very good reception.

        About this time, too, I took some holiday time (and it was a good holiday!), doing a Nullarbor mission, in conjunction with an Anglican minister who did the run once or twice a year. It meant going cross-country (pretty rough in parts) and visiting Stations, Road-houses and a few other isolated posts, between the ‘Trans’ railway line and the Great Australian Bight, as far out as the South Australian border. On a subsequent trip ‘across the Nullarbor’ I made contact again with a number of these people I had met previously.

  Heading north

        Over the last year I’ve been in a different situation again – ‘on loan’ to the diocese of Geraldton for three years, and based at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. The parish takes in the greater part of the city of Geraldton-Greenough as well as the surrounding countryside, with an outreach to some of the more outback mining towns (up to 1,000 kms away). So, pastoral visitation takes on another challenge, which I’m still in the process of working out. At this stage it means trying to develop a census of the Catholics in the town area and perhaps getting around the ‘hobby farm’ area that is developing to the south of the city.

3.     WHY PARISH VISITATION – the rationale

  The mission of the Church

        The mission of the Church is the mission of Jesus. Jesus reached out to everyone (cf. Lk 4:43). He cared for people in their needs (the sick, the hungry) and was interested in their lives (e.g. the Samaritan woman at the well). He came as the Good Shepherd, to ‘lay down His life for His sheep’ (Jn; 10:15). But there were other sheep as well (v.16). He reached out to the gentiles, as well as the Jews. But it was for ‘the lost’ (Lk 19:10), the poor, the little people that He had a special concern. So these must also be the concern of the Church (Vat. II, The Church in the Modern World, par.1), and for the priest as ‘a sign of the Church’.

   Particular benefits

        1) ‘G.T.K.’

When I was involved in the youth apostolate many years ago, Y.C.S. and other Christian Living Camps invariably began with a ‘Getting to know you’ session, known as ‘G.T.K.’. This was regarded as essential to the spirit and development of the whole experience. This was the way of Jesus, as the ‘Good Shepherd’. He said, “I know my own and my own know me” (Jn 10:14). The sheep only follow if “they know His voice” (vv. 2-5). I believe this is also the way it is in pastoral ministry. Unless you know people in their family, work, interests, gifts, and difficulties, it’s not so easy to call or involve them in the pastoral life of the parish. And what better way to get to know them than in visiting their homes.

        2) Developing trust

It may not be as easy as it used to be, but it’s still true that a priest has a very privileged access to the Catholic home. In some cases, particularly when they’ve been away from the Church, people may initially be a bit wary when a priest knocks on the door. But if the priest is not ‘pushy’ or authoritarian, this can very quickly break down, particularly with subsequent visits. Once a priest has been welcomed into the home a special relationship is established, which helps to dissipate fear and build confidence and trust for the future.

       3) Affirming vocation

Having had a very positive experience of working with people in the lay apostolate, I find visitation is a great opportunity for talking to people about their family, work, social activities and all the little things that make up the everyday life of lay people in the world (Vat.II, ‘The Laity’, par.2). In this the priest can affirm them in their vocation, helping them to see the good things they are doing and the value of their daily work in extending the Kingdom of God. There may be an occasion too when the pastor can point to something that is not quite right and where the Gospel can help to ‘purify the culture’ in which we live. It’s really an informal application of the ‘Review of Life’ method that was learned in Y.C.W. and other similar Movements.

        4.) Encouragement

Where people start talking about their daily lives, the priest can be a source of encouragement when things are not going so well. Sometimes people are trying to do too much, and the priest can help them ‘feel not so guilty’ about giving something up. This could mean dropping out of some ecclesial or parish activities, in order to give more time to one’s lay responsibilities. As much as we need people involved in the Church, we must never forget that the primary vocation of lay Christians, as ‘lay’, is to be a ‘leaven’ in the world, “seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God” (Vat.II, ‘The Church’, par.31; cf. ‘Christifideles Laici’, par.15).

       5) Challenge

Having said the above, parish visitation may be an occasion when people can think more about what they’re doing, or not doing, in the life of the Church. Many people (in fact perhaps most) are slow to respond to a general call or invitation, but they can be helped to discern their gifts and respond to the movement of the Spirit in the deeper ‘desires of their hearts’. Many times on visitation I’ve seen people come to a decision to get involved in some ministry. It could be as simple as putting their name down on a roster (e.g., Readers, counters, cleaners), or in some cases it’s meant taking on a complete new ministry in the parish. Often people will say, “I’ve been thinking about that, but just haven’t got around to doing something about it.”

       6) Formation

On-going support and formation is important for the laity, as it is for priestly and religious vocations. I’m reminded of the words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah: “I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong”, but also “I shall watch over the fat and healthy, I shall be a true shepherd to them” (Ezech 34:16). Sometimes we take for granted the ‘good’ parishioners and stalwarts of the parish. We have a special responsibility for our collaborators in ministry. While there may be formal courses, training days and so on available in the parish or diocese, we can also do a lot to help them at the personal level. Parish visitation provides an opportunity to do this.

        7) Preaching

It’s been said that a good preacher has a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. In other words we have to know both the Word of God and the culture in which it is to be lived. I’d say that we also have to know the lives of the people who live in and are affected by that culture, if we are going to help them make the connection between faith and their daily lives. So what we pick up or learn while on visitation can be very helpful in our homilies. Of course you have to be careful about using real-life examples, but I’ve found that invariably the Readings of the Day have something to say to what’s happening in the local community. In fact, the more you get to know the congregation, preparation for the homily becomes easier and more satisfying.

  8) Building community

Visiting in a given area can be a great help in building a sense of Catholic community in the neighbourhood. How often do we hear it said something like: “I didn’t know there were any other Catholics in this street.” With due discretion, the priest can help put Catholics in touch with each other or perhaps facilitate little acts of pastoral care, e.g., dropping in to see someone who is housebound or offering to take someone to Mass. Visitation can also be an opportunity for people to ask or express a concern about something that is happening in the parish. A satisfactory ‘on the spot’ answer can often ‘nip in the bud’ the spread of rumour, misunderstanding or unrest that can otherwise simmer and begin to erode the solidarity of the community.

   9) Church Law

        This is not a heading that I would normally want to choose or go into in a paper such as this. However, because of its benefits, values and blessings, it is not surprising that parish visitation has found its way or been encoded into Church law.

        The decrees of the Fourth Plenary Council for Australasia, 1937, require a complete visitation of the parish to be made by the P.P. or his Assistants every year. They state in detail what should be done at such visitation, such as reconciling lapsed Catholics, urging the faithful to send their children to Catholic Schools, recommending to them the pious associations of the parish, dissuading families from reading unwholesome literature and introducing them to good reading-matter, enquiring about their frequentation of Mass and Sacraments, gathering other necessary information, etc. While these regulations are somewhat dated and not likely to be carried out in today’s Church, it is legislation that has never been rescinded.

      The 1983 ‘Code of Canon Law’ is more relevant for today – and it’s eminently pastoral. It’s worthwhile quoting from Canon 529:

      “So that he may fulfil his office of pastor diligently, the parish priest is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care. He is therefore to visit their families, sharing in their cares and anxieties, and, in a special way, their sorrows, comforting them in the Lord. If in certain matters they are found wanting, he is prudently to correct them. He is to help the sick and especially the dying in great charity, solicitously restoring them with the Sacraments and commending their souls to God. He is to be especially diligent in seeking out the poor, the suffering, the lonely, those who are exiled from their homeland and those burdened with special difficulties. He is to strive also to ensure that spouses and parents are sustained in the fulfilment of their proper duties, and to foster the growth of Christian life in the family. He is to recognise and promote the specific role which the lay members of Christ’s faithful have in the mission of the Church …..”

In some ways, this is a beautiful summary of the whole section above – the purpose and value of parish visitation.

       4. METHOD OF VISITATION

 Door to door

        The most comprehensive form of visitation is the total, ‘door to door’ approach. Of course you’ll never find everybody home, whatever time of day it is. Where I’ve tackled this I’ve normally been satisfied with a ‘once off’ approach. Coming back a second or even a third time is not very productive – more often than not you still don’t find anyone at home.

        This method of visitation is time-consuming and not normally very practical, especially in bigger urban parishes. It can be very beneficial and rewarding in rural areas, although these days there’s very often nobody home.  It’s helpful to ask from farm to farm if the neighbours are likely to be in or if there’s anyone still living there (it can save a lot of unnecessary gate opening).

        For all of this and in spite of time constraints, there are benefits in the ‘door to door’ approach. You meet a great variety of people and it helps to giou in and like to have a chat. This is especially true of people who are involved in other churches and probably don’t get a visit from theirve one a ‘feel for the community’. It keeps the Catholic flag ‘flying’, and you meet a number of people who appreciate the visit, invite y own pastor. Then you’ll always pick up new people who acknowledge themselves to be Catholic. This extends the parish census and gives you a chance to visit again.

       One of the towns I’ve visited this way is Wundowie – like a little metropolitan suburb, but stuck out in the bush about 60 km from Perth and surrounded by State Forest – a town that is socio-economically very poor (the ‘little people of God’). It took me several months to get around, and most of the time I was wondering what I was doing and whether it was all worthwhile. However, sometime after I left the parish, my successor told me very happily that it had really ‘paid off’ – there were people asking for the Sacraments for their children and the little Catholic community (only about a dozen people) were feeling a real sense of confidence in themselves and their role in the town.

       Visitation of ‘the flock’

        This is probably what we think of when we use the term ‘Parish Visitation”. It’s the systematic visitation of all the known Catholics in the parish. These are normally recorded in the Parish Census. In some parishes today, particularly if they are newer or bigger ones, there may not be such a census, or at least a very adequate or up-to-date one. If that’s the case, visitation can go hand-in-hand with the development of the census. You’ve got to start somewhere! That could be with a list of names of Key people, parish rosters, families enrolled in Sacramental Programs and perhaps Catholic Schools (we have to be very careful here, with today’s ‘privacy of information’ laws – it’s best to negotiate this with the School Principal).

        If the visitation is to be systematic, it’s best to do it in an ordered way. I normally break up the parish into ‘Areas’ then get street lists and maps of each area. Computers are a big help in this regard. You can select and print out the information you want (e.g. children’s names and ages) as you go about the job.

        I would normally announce in the parish Newsletter that I’m about to visit in a given area. This means that at least those who are at Mass will have some expectation that you’ll be around – it sort of  ‘breaks the ice’. When I’ve finished in that area I’ll announce that if you haven’t been visited, perhaps you’re not on the list (please let me know!) or that you’re hard to find at home. If people are not in on the first round I’ll normally leave my visiting card, although if I’m unsure of the people I may not do so. I’d drop in a second time, normally a little later on, and preferably at a different hour when I was in the area again. I might go back a third time, but I’ve found that after that it’s hardly worthwhile - in many cases they could be away for an extended period of time.

       Often on visitation you pick up new Ca