How did parishes develop in the US? It was clear through the conversations that the influence of the Protestant church was evident in the model or style of parish. Dr. William Clark, SJ, of Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., spoke about the American parish and some possible images through the eras from the early days through today. He began with the parish as "ark" -- that place that preserves values and traditions. This parish model provided cultural protection in the early years to newly arrived immigrants.
His next image was that of "refueling station" where people go to church and there are served with efficiency, functionalism, and anonymity. Here people can receive support in the midst of life's demands. (This reminded me of an image I have been using -- that of hospitality -- where people go to be healed!)
And finally he spoke of the parish as an "engaged community" which interacts and dialogues with the large society of which it is a part. Our challenge, he believes is moving from the re-fueling station, Walmart sort of parish, redirecting our energy toward the common good and solidarity.
This brief description cannot do justice to his whole thought, but he engaged a concept that, we were to hear later, is a challenging one in the German lexicon - that of community. This is one of the words that we have invested so much in and yet it does not have an easy equivalent in the German language that conveys the same sense or meaning.
In a later workshop conducted by Rev. Bob Heidenreich - a priest and pastor of the Archdiocese of Chicago - laid out the differences he experienced between the two countries as he was involved in the Project. He indicated that in the German world church is 'top down' with God as transcendent being, finances coming from the state to the diocese to the parish. In this model the parishioners have been the audience and the pastor the chaplain. This was then compared to the observation that in America church is more 'bottom up' with God being seen as imminant, church and state are seperate, the diocese is downtown and the parish is the body of Christ. The role of the parishioner is stewardship with the pastor as servant leader.
Because of our development as church in a Protestant country rather than the other way around, the parish has become central to our practice. This is not necessarily true elsewhere. Participation in church in the US is about twice that of the German churches although neither statistic is to anyone's liking. This description - admittedly unable to capture all the nuances of parish life in either country - was the beginning of an interesting conversation about the gifts and strengths of each country that were helpful to the other.
