Diocesan department's mission is forming witness to Christ
By Chris Donahue
Staff Writer
PISCATAWAY — Through their baptism, all Catholics are called to build the kingdom of God. In the Diocese of Metuchen there are numerous ministries that help the faithful answer their baptismal call. Until recently many of those ministries were broadly grouped in the Department of Pastoral Life. This past spring, several joined together to become the Department of Formation and Leadership.
Father Robert W. Medley, executive director, discussed the establishment and mission of his new department.
“In light of the diocesan synod, we wanted to emphasize certain ministries and become more mission-driven,” he said. “The mission of my offices is to bring people into the church and once they are baptized to help them respond to their baptismal call.”
Included in Father Medley’s department are the Offices of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Parish Leadership and Formation, Evangelization and the Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Establishment of the Department of Formation and Leadership began in July 2007 when Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski appointed Father Medley interim executive director of the Department of Pastoral Life following the conclusion of Msgr. Raymond Cole’s term as executive director of the department.
Father Medley was charged with assembling and chairing a committee to examine the structure of the Pastoral Life Department and propose a plan to restructure that area of diocesan administration. One of the conclusions the committee reached was that the department had become too large, Father Medley said.
Father Medley said that he believes the restructuring will also produce greater collaboration among and between diocesan departments and parishes.
“We never become a faithful person for ourselves,” he said. “It is always to be a part of the Christian community and to share our gifts and talents in the way that God calls us to do so. All of us, no matter what our age or background, are ultimately called to be a part of the church, to share what we have and then lead by example.”
In addition to the Department of Pastoral Life and the Department of Formation and Leadership, the committee also suggested the creation of the Department of Diocesan Planning, which was approved by Bishop Bootkoski. That new department is scheduled to begin operating in September, Father Medley said.
“In Pastoral Life, there were numerous smaller ministries that did not have a full-time staff or a big budget and were kind of floating out there on their own. Most of those have been placed under the office that does a similar ministry or has a similar mission, and now they will hopefully work more efficiently and effectively.”
For example, Father Medley said the Office of Evangelization now oversees the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Catholic Daughters and Legion of Mary, which also used to be part of Pastoral Life. The moves, he added, should help them feel more connected and receive more guidance and support.
“All three of those groups, when we looked at them, at the core of what they do is evangelization, even though they might do it differently,” he said.
Another positive impact of the restructuring could be community building among departments and ultimately, the faithful, Father Medley said.
“We are hoping that with more collaboration some of our offices might do an event or programming together,” he said. “So we are also bringing people from different backgrounds together and where they overlap, it will broaden their perspective and maybe lead them to be more active in other areas.”
The restructuring also emphasizes the importance of leadership, whether it is a member of a youth group or someone who has completed RCIA formation.
“As a disciple of Christ we are supposed to give good witness to him and so by giving that good witness we are leading others to him,” Father Medley said.
