Diocesan Pastoral Planning meetings sound like the kind of thing that would easily put on to sleep. But, it need not be so. Here is a link to some videos of talks at such a meeting in the Diocese of Spokane, which has gone through the pain of bankruptcy proceedings. Bishop Blase Cupich's opening remarks show him to be the kind of bishop who understands that we must make room for the Spirit in our planning, and that we must, repeat must, listen to the people of God to find how the Spirit is already moving within them and within the Church in ways that surprise us. And, there are not many bishops who would say that they stayed out of some of the meetings precisely so that the Spirit could be discerned by the people of God, not merely wait for the bishop to tell them what to do. I confess my bias, but talks like this confirm it: Bishop Cupich is one of the outstanding bishops in the United States today.
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