Koinonia a nowa ewangelizacja

Abstract

To formulate the problem concisely it can be said that for John Paul II New Evangelization is the same as making communion real (NMI 42-43). In its first part the article shows how Rev. F Blachnicki understood making the Church “the home and the school of communion” in the parish. Part II shows the issue in the context of appeals for New Evangelization contained in the resolutions of the Second Polish Plenary Synod that were implemented in 2001. For Rev. F Blachnicki it was elear that on the basis of the Council vision of the Church it is possible to introduce a comprehensive and organic conception of the pastorate that should be understood as the process of building the Church in the local community. The process of building the Church starts with evangelization that initiates liberating processes in people and in the given circle. The next stage is initiation – through catechumenal formation – to life in the ecclesial community. Visible elements can be reduced to three ones; martyria, leiturgia, and diakonia. Martyria is the testimony in which the Word of God is accepted with faith, and the response that is given by means of prayer and life formed by the Word. The life of the community that is established in this way is concentrated around liturgy that reveals and forms the Church. The third stage in building the ecclesial community is connected with diakonia, as the only way to join the community is by actualization of one’s own charismas. A parish built on such a model of the ecclesial community is not divided into an active element and a passive one, as it is contrary to the concept of community. Moreover, such a parish induces other ones, even if they are situated outside its visible structure, to grow. This results from the principle of love – love always gives life. Hence the main conclusion from the fact that the Church is realized in actual, local communities was for Rev. Blachnicki the postulate that the whole pastorate should be restructured in such a way that it could serve formation of the basic communities of Christian life within the parish. The Light-Life movement founded by Rev. Blachnicki can be a great help here. Its action is practically focused on the three basic tasks: education of the “new man”, establishing retreat “oases”, and serving in local communities in order to build the ”new Church”. On the basis of a selection of the Second Polish Plenary Synod documents it was tound that the Synod, on the basis of the Council vision of the Church, unambiguously postulates that dynamic parishes, based on the model of a community of communities, should be built. This is closely connected with a strongly emphasized need of constant formation of laymen. Hence one cannot overestimate the role – shown in the Synod documents – of properly formed priests and the significance of movements and communities that are experienced in realization of the community model of the parish. However, realization of this model requires respecting the strictly defined stages conditioning the growth, both qualitative and quantitative, of parishes. A lot can be learned here from the experiences of the post-Council revival movements in the Church and from the actual projects of parish renewal being carried on. Hence an urgent need is seen for the existence in each diocese of a strategic plan or a project of realizing the community parish model, as well as of professional teams undertaking evangelization actions in parishes.