Passionist Planning for Ministry:
An Historical Perspective on the 1970s
Kaski Report, Province Task Force on Consolidation and the Stotts
Report
by Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
For a good many Passionists and laity gathered at Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania in May 2002 for the 46th Provincial Chapter for St. Paul of the Cross Province, the term "planning" might bring to mind the phrase "Déjà vu all over again." On the one hand, attention at a Provincial Chapter to implement a Province Pastoral Plan is as commonplace as prayer and the election of a Provincial. On the other hand, the planning process evokes for some the image of being on an endless treadmill. And for some others it serves as the elixir for ministry, service, and creativity to preach the Gospel in and to serve the Church.
As we Passionists and friends of the Passionists move into the planning process so necessary for the 2006 Provincial Chapter it may be helpful to appreciate several points. First, detailed planning on a regular basis may be seen as one of the many gifts of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Second, the Kaski Report, the Task Force on Consolidation, and the Stotts Report summarized in the following article are a reminder that the Passionists do have a history of planning. Third, common parlance often leads to the comment that these planning projects often "just sit on the bookcase or shelf." At the same time, if we are honest, we all need to be reminded that if the reports are on the shelf or bookcase it is we who can take them off. Fourth, we consequently consider re-visiting the contents of the reports. The information may offer us a helpful context as to how we have arrived at our present reality. Also, in my capacity as province historian such reports may be of educational importance for those who minister with the Passionists, are employed by the Passionists, or are part of the Mission Fulfillment Program or wish to participate in financial or development projects in the future.
Yes, Province Pastoral Planning is a thirty year old tradition in St. Paul of the Cross Province. Let us be mindful of this legacy.
During the 1970s many Passionist monasteries and retreats found themselves in a fight for their very existence. Not readily known to the general Catholic faithful, this fight developed after Vatican II. It came as a long term result of the Vatican request that religious congregations make the charism of their respective founders applicable to the modern era.
The Passionists, like other religious congregations, held a worldwide Extraordinary General Chapter in 1968 and 1970. The end product was the hotly contested Chapter Document: The Thirty-Ninth General Chapter of the Congregation of the Passion. It was a product of the April 28-June 19, 1970 gathering of the Passionist representatives in Rome. Compared to the previous Passionist Rule of Life which had directed their life, prayer and apostolate since 1720, the 1970 document lacked the traditional juridical and legislative tone. Instead, the 1970 Chapter Document employed Scripture and an historic understanding of Paulacrucian spirituality as a leaven to instill maturity in Passionist community life and the apostolate. Each Passionist province throughout the world was responsible for implementation of the document in their respective locales.
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