His Excellency Ryan P. Jimenez, DD will begin visitation of all parishes of the diocese this weekend by conducting listening sessions with every group of each parish. “I would like to meet as many groups as possible and I wanted to listen as much as possible,” says Bishop Ryan. He will spend the whole weekend with the parish of San Roque from Friday until Sunday.
In his December meeting with the clergy, He already stressed his desire to visit the different parishes and to listen to what people may have to say as a ground work preparation for a possible Diocesan Synod which he desires to have in the near future. In the last clergy meeting last Tuesday, he explained to the clergy the three main purpose for this visitation.
First, the bishop wanted this visits to be a listening session. “I wanted to listen to the people of the diocese.” This visit is an opportunity for parishioners or the different groups of each parish to contribute positively by giving their inputs relative to the situation of their parish or the diocese as a whole.
Second, Bishop Ryan wanted to take opportunity of these visits and sessions to find out what are the pastoral needs of the diocese as well as the needs of the individual parishes. Parish visitation will give the bishop a first hand and close experience with the people and the parish and thus he will have a better sense of the actual situation of each parish.
And finally, through these parish visitations and listening sessions, Bishop Ryan wants to find out what he can do as a Shepherd to the people of the diocese entrusted to him.
To achieve all these three goals, Bishop Ryan will have guide questions prepared. He will also be accompanied by facilitators who will take notes. The actual schedules and organizations of each parish visit is left to the discretion of each pastor.
This weekend, the bishop will be in San Roque; next weekend from January 27-29 he will be in Santa Remedios and on February 3-5, he will be in the parish of Kristo Rai. Other parish schedules will be publish in the future.
