Archdiocese of Lipa

ARCHBISHOP’S PASTORAL VISITATION 2018

The Archdiocese of Lipa has entered a new stage in its Journey of Faith as it walks with and under the
servant-leadership of the Most Rev. Gilbert A. Garcera, D.D., the 6th Archbishop of Lipa. This new
beginning will be highlighted by the forthcoming Pastoral Visitation that will coincide with the Year of
the Parish as Communion of Communities in 2017 and the Year of the Clergy in 2018, and in view of
the 50th Anniversary of the Archdiocese in 2022. This will help us respond to the challenge of the
CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on the Year of the Parish: “to more deeply discern not only the structures
of governance of our dioceses and parishes but also of the quality of faith life in the parish, the
fellowship, belongingness, and participation experienced by its members.” Starting in January 2018,
the Archbishop will visit parish communities. This is kairos, an event of grace

I. BASIS OF PASTORAL VISITATION 2018

The Pastoral Visitation of a bishop finds its origin and basis in God’s word as it comes to us
through Sacred Scripture and the Magisterial teachings of the Church.

A. Scriptural

In the Bible, God “visits” people, sometimes, in order to test and to punish, and, at other
times, to bless. The Hebrew verb paqad is used a number of times in the Old Testament to
signify God’s “visitation” and “providential care” and “watchfulness” which shows His
compassion and loving kindness when He comes to visit and to see the condition of His
beloved people (cf. Genesis 50:22) or individual persons (cf. Job 10:12).

In the New Testament, Luke 1:68 is a classic example of God’s coming to visit people (using a
Greek word originating from episkeptomai, which conveys the basic meaning of visiting
someone in order to see how he is and to help him: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He
has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people." The coming of Jesus Christ is the
ultimate visitation of God in history; God sent His Son for a paqad. Thus Zechariah, the father
of John the Baptist, proclaims: “Because of the tender mercy of our God…the daybreak from
on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our
feet into the path of peace” (Lk 1:78-79).

In the light of this simple biblical theology of visitation, we understand the Pastoral Visitation
as God’s coming to various communities in the archdiocese in and through the Archbishop
who serves as the visible representative of the Lord, the Bonus Pastor. We trust, even as we
prepare and pray for it, that God’s visitation will be a blessing for everyone. What the
Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops says in no. 220 reflects that same biblical
understanding of visitation: “For the communities or institutions visited by the Bishop, it is an

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 event of grace, reflecting in some measure that great visit with which the ‘chief Shepherd’ (1
Pet 5:4) and Guardian of our souls (cf. 1 Pet 2:25), Jesus Christ, has visited and redeemed his
people (Lk 1:68).”

B. Magisterial

Church documents present Pastoral Visitation as a canonical imperative and a serious pastoral
responsibility given to bishops for the well-being of God’s People.

1. The Code of Canon Law requires that a Bishop make a Pastoral Visitation of his diocese:
“The Bishop is bound to visit his diocese in whole or in part each year, so that, at least
every five years, he will have visited the whole diocese, either personally or, if he is
lawfully impeded, through the coadjutor or auxiliary Bishop, the Vicar General, an
Episcopal Vicar or some other priest” (Canon 396 # 1).

2. The Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops [2004], echoes the same canonical
provision: “A Bishop is obliged to visit the diocese annually, either in whole or in part, so
that he visits the entire diocese at least every five years either personally or, if he has been
legitimately impeded, through the coadjutor Bishop, an auxiliary, Vicar general, episcopal
Vicar, or another presbyter…It is an opportunity to invite the faithful to a renewal of
Christian life and to an ever more intense apostolic activity” (no. 220).

II. OBJECTIVES OF PASTORAL VISITATION 2018

The Pastoral Visitation is a God-given and Church-mandated activity that shows a bishop’s CARE
as a shepherd and father for God’s flock and family. Its objectives are the following:

A. To CONVERSE with the faithful

The Pastoral Visitation is an opportunity to meet, interact and dialogue with priests, deacons,
religious, and the faithful in general, and to foster among everyone a sense of belonging to
the Archdiocesan Family. The Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops says: “The pastoral
visit is one of the ways, confirmed by centuries of experience, through which the Bishop
maintains personal contact with the clergy and with other members of the People of God”
(no. 220).

B. To ASCERTAIN pastoral situation

The Pastoral Visit will give the Archbishop a fuller pastoral picture of the archdiocese and
better acquaint him with the effectiveness and efficiency of current pastoral programs and
the overall functioning of the parishes and institutions in the archdiocese as well as reality of
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 the environment and the socio-economic condition affecting the people. The Directory for the
Pastoral Ministry of Bishops says: “The pastoral visit helps the Bishop to evaluate the
effectiveness of the structures and agencies designed for pastoral service, taking account of
the circumstances and difficulties of the task of evangelization” (no. 220).

C. To REFLECT prayerfully on the pastoral data obtained

The Pastoral Visit is a time and opportunity to discern what the Lord will us to do and to be
open to where the Holy Spirit is leading us in order to move forward in our Faith Journey as
God’s people. The Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops says that the Pastoral Visit
helps the Bishop and the diocese “to determine more accurately the priorities and the means
required for overall pastoral provision” (no. 220).

D. To ENLIVEN pastoral activity

The Archbishop’s coming in order to be God’s loving and saving presence among His people is
a clear and effective sign of the Archbishop’s accompaniment as shepherd of his flock and
father of his children. The Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops says that the Pastoral
Visit “is an occasion to rejuvenate the energies of those engaged in evangelization, to praise,
encourage and reassure them” (no. 220).

III. PROCESS OF PASTORAL VISITATION 2018

This ecclesial event of grace of the Archbishop’s Pastoral Visitation will go through the P.A.V.E.
process consisting of Preparation, Archbishop’s Visit, and Evaluation.

A. PREPARATION

The parishes will prepare for the Archbishop’s Visit through the I.P.R.E.P. steps (Information;
Prayer; Reports and Questionnaires; Education and Catechesis; Preliminary Visit and
Validation).

1. Information

a. As overall in charge of the Pastoral Visitation, the Chancellor will inform Parish Priests
about the rationale and procedures of the Pastoral Visitation, and he will explain the
preparatory activities to be done prior to the actual visit of the Archbishop.

b. The Archbishop will issue a Pastoral Letter announcing and explaining the Pastoral
Visitation.
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 c. The people, particularly the officers of the Parish Pastoral Council and Ministry
Coordinators/Heads, will also be oriented about the Pastoral Visitation.

d. Tarpaulins are to be placed/hanged in strategic places in the parish, and Radio

information will be utilized.

e. The Parish Priests will make a Parish Information drive in all the barangays of their
respective parish communities to make the people know and understand the Pastoral
Visit.

2. Prayer

a. The Archdiocese will pray for a successful and fruitful implementation of the whole
process of the Pastoral Visitation. In compliance to Circular No. 1 of 2017, the Prayer
for the Journey of Faith will be recited in all Sunday Masses and barangay Masses to
ask the Lord to bless the Archdiocese as it goes through the different stages of the
Pastoral Visitation.

b. The Ministry on Prayer shall prepare the thematic reflections and prayers for the
Pastoral Visit to be used for the Novena that shall be held in the parishes nine days
immediately before the Archbishop’s actual visit to their respective parishes (see B.3.a
below).

3. Reports and Questionnaires

a. The Chancellor will send to the Parish Priests a CD containing the instructions about
reports that need to be prepared and the questionnaires that they and selected lay
leaders must accomplish. The parishes will print the questionnaires and distribute
them to the designated persons.

The following are the reports and the questionnaires to be accomplished under the
close direction and supervision of the Parish Priest:

a.1 Profile Reports – To be accomplished by the Parish Pastoral Council in four copies

i. Profile of Pastoral Agents (Names; Birthday/Age; ID Pictures)

 Parish Priest/Parochial Vicars/Guest Priests
 Parish Pastoral Staff
 Convent Household Personnel
 Parish Finance Council Officers
 Parish Pastoral Council Officers
 Chairpersons and Members of Parish Ministries
 Officers and Members of Religious Organizations/Movements
 Names of Barangay Pastoral Coordinators

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  Directory of Pastoral Agents (Name; Position; Address; Contact
Number/s)

ii. Parish Profile

 Date of Parish foundation/erection
 Complete Address and Contact Numbers
 Total Population and Catholic Population
 Number of Catholic Households and Families (Per Barangay/Parish Total)
 Significant events in the Parish
 Names of former Parish Priests and their tenure
 Names of Priests, Deacons and Religious from the parish
 List of barangay chapels/addresses and their patronal saints and date of
festivities
 Parish seal with explanation
 Schedule of Parish Services (Office Hours; Schedule of Masses and
Sacraments)
 Parish Map and list of bodies of water, mountains/hills, and other natural
resources within the parish
 Pictorial chronological pastoral report (2016-2017)

a.2 Reports on Programs, Ministries and Projects for 2016-2017:

i. Programs/Accomplishment of Different Ministries in the Parishes (Narrative

with Pictures) – To be accomplished by the respective Heads of parish
ministries in four copies

ii. Programs and Activities of Religious Organizations/Movements (with pictorial

reports) – To be accomplished by the respective Presidents/Heads of religious
organizations/movements in four copies

iii. Status of Buildings/Properties and Projects – To be accomplished by the

Parish Finance Council in four copies
 List and Status of recent and on-going projects
 Site Development Plan
 Plans for renovation or construction for the next 5 years.
 Status of church, convent, chapels and other structures
 Status of Parish Cemetery

a.3 Other Documents to Be Inspected – To be accomplished/prepared by the Parish

Office Staff and other persons designated by the Parish Priest

i. Parish Registers:
 Liber Baptismorum
 Liber Confirmorum
 Liber Matrimoniorum
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  Liber Defunctorum
 Liber Conversorum

ii. Other documents:

 Parish inventory of properties (with tags/stickers/marks) in 2 copies
 Liturgical inventory in 2 copies
 Printed Minutes of Meetings of Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Finance
Council, and Religious Organizations/Movements (2016-2017)
 Printed Financial Report of Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Finance Council,
Religious Organizations/Movements, and Barangay Pastoral Council/Core
Group
 Diocesan Circulars
 Chancery Bulletins / Pastoral Letters
 Parish Dry Seal
 Updated Financial Report of Income and Disbursements with bank
statement and certificate of bank book/s and signatories
 Photocopy of titles of donated land for church, chapels and cemeteries
 Parish Brochure, parish publication and other parish printed materials

b. The Chancellor will monitor the preparation and submission of the reports and
questionnaires with the help of the Archdiocesan Office for Research and Pastoral
Development (AORPD)

c. The responsible persons will submit to the Parish Priest the Profile Reports (List a.1
above) and Reports on Programs and Projects (List a.2 above) in four copies on or
before September 30, 2017. The Parish Priest will review and annotate the Parish
Reports. He will make his assessment of the Parish situation and make his
recommendations.

d. The Parish Priest will bring the Profile Reports and Reports on Programs and Projects
to the Vicar Forane for annotation. He will leave one annotated copy to the Vicar
Forane, and submit two copies to the Chancellor for his annotation – one for the
Archbishop and one for the Chancellor. The Parish Priest will retain for the Parish
Archive one copy of the reports duly annotated by the Parish Priest, the Vicar Forane
and the Chancellor.

4. Education and Catechesis

a. A Seminar-Workshop about the Pastoral Visitation, particularly about answering the

questionnaires and preparing for the Archbishop’s Visit will be held for the clergy and
representatives of parishes, religious communities and other institutions and offices in
the archdiocese.

b. A series of short bullet-form catechesis on the Pastoral Visitation will be given to the
parish community on four successive Sundays immediately before the actual visitation

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 to a particular parish community. At the same time, homilies related with the Pastoral
Visitation will be prepared which the priests may use.

c. The Ministry on Catechesis shall prepare lesson plans in view of introducing the
significance of the pastoral visit which will be used for school-based catechesis.

5. Preliminary Visit by the Vicar Forane

a. The Vicar Forane will review the Parish Reports submitted to him by the Parish Priests
in their vicariate, and he will make his own assessment and recommendations.

b. Three months before the start of the Archbishop’s Pastoral Visitation in a particular
vicariate, the Vicar Forane will make a preliminary visit of the parishes in their
vicariate. The date/schedule of the Vicarial visit shall be determined by the Vicar
Forane.

c. During this preliminary visit, the Vicar Forane shall meet the persons that the
Archbishop will meet during his Pastoral Visit. On the designated date and time, the
Vicar Forane officiates a Holy Hour, after which he conducts a meeting with the
participants of the Pastoral Visit. The Vicar Forane shall explain to the participants the
purpose, the pastoral mechanics and the spirituality behind the Pastoral Visit. The
Vicar Forane may entertain questions related to the submitted documents or other
concerns which may be relevant to the Archbishop's Pastoral Visitation.

d. The Parish Priest shall appoint a secretary during the dialogue with the Vicar Forane to
record the attendance and proceedings of the meeting with the Vicar Forane and to
take note of queries and suggestions. The minutes of the meeting and the official
documentation shall be forwarded immediately to the Chancellor and AORPD.

e. All reports shall be submitted to the Bishop through the office of the Chancellor on or
before December 15, 2017.

B. Archbishop’s Visit

1. The schedule of the date and time of the Parish Visitation will be prepared before January
2018.

2. A week before the Archbishop’s visit to a particular parish or religious community, the
Chancellor and the Oeconomus will inspect the documents/items mentioned in III-A-3-a-
a.3 above. They will discuss any concerns about these documents/items and other
pertinent matters.

3. The following are the immediate preparatory activities:

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 a. It is strongly recommended that a Novena to the Holy Spirit be conducted nine days
prior to the Pastoral Visit of the Archbishop.

b. Streamers must be hanged in strategic areas of the Parish to inform and to seek the
prayer of the whole community for the said Parish event. The Parishioners must also
be informed during Sunday masses.

c. The Vicar Forane, Chancellor and the Oeconomus shall inform the Archbishop about
the results of their visit to the Parish.

d. The required documents in the preparatory process must be ready and properly
annotated by the Parish Priest, the Vicar Forane and the Vicar General. These official
documents must have been submitted and duly acknowledged by the Chancellor.

e. Prior to the day of the visitation, the Archbishop shall select several persons in the
parish to be visited whom he wishes to interview.

4. The following are guidelines for the day of the Archbishop’s visit:

a. Depending on the Catholic population of the parish, the proposed activities of the visit
may be conducted half day or the whole day.

b. Upon the arrival of the Archbishop and the visiting team, the church bells must be rung
to signify the official canonical visit of the Archbishop.

c. In order to properly stress the Archbishop’s Visitation as primarily a pastoral event, the
following should be avoided: motorcycle or police escorts from the Cathedral to the
Parish church where the bishop is scheduled to visit; the use of liturgical pallium;
fireworks; giving of flowers to the Archbishop; and social entertainments. Food,
whether snacks, lunch or dinner, must be simple.

d. Together with the Pastoral Council officers, the Parish Priest welcomes the Archbishop
and the visiting team. Only the Parish Priest and the Pastoral Council officers shall kiss
the hand and the ring of the Archbishop.

e. The Liturgical Ceremony at the main door of the Parish Church shall serve as the
official welcome of the Parish Priest to the Archbishop.

f. All the other participants and the people of God shall make the sign of the cross as the
Archbishop blesses them with Holy Water.

g. After the Eucharistic celebration, the expected participants for the dialogue shall
remain for the meeting. These include the Parish Priest and other priests as well as
deacons in the parish; the Parish Pastoral Council; the Parish Finance Council; the
Heads of the different ministries and Presidents/Heads of the religious

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 organizations/movements in the parish; Pastoral Coordinators of all barangays in the
parish; and the Municipal Mayor and Barangay Chairpersons when available.

h. This is the general flow activities of the Pastoral Visitation:

 Eucharistic Celebration
 General dialogue with the participants
 Personal interview of the Archbishop with the selected lay and/or religious
 Archbishop’s dialogue with the Parish Priest
 Agape
 Other possibilities: visit to cemeteries and/or barangay chapels, meeting with
construction committee, visit a poor family, encounter with the Youth, meeting
with government officials or any activities/program as the Archbishop wishes.

C. Evaluation

1. After the Archbishop’s Pastoral Visitation of a particular parish:

a. The Chancellor, the Archdiocesan Office for Research and Pastoral Development
(AORPD) will review and evaluate the conduct of the Pastoral Visitation to assess the
efficiency and effectiveness of activities done in connection with the visit.

b. The Chancellor will send the Parish Priest a copy of this review and evaluation for the
consideration of the Parish for its own review and evaluation.

2. At the end of the whole Pastoral Visitation:

a. The Chancellor, the AORPD and other key persons will make a general review and
evaluation of the conduct and proceedings of the entire pastoral activity.

b. The Archbishop will meet the meet the Vicar General, Chancellor, the Vicars Forane,
the Ministry Heads, and the AORPD OIC to review and assess the pastoral situation of
parishes and vicariates concerning parish administration and pastoral program
implementation based on the reports submitted and the findings from the actual visit,
and to make recommendations.

c. The Chancellor will furnish the Parish Priest and the Parish Pastoral Council
Coordinator a copy of the Parish Pastoral Visit Report and Recommendations.

3. By January 1, 2019, the Archbishop shall issue a Pastoral Exhortation on the Good
Shepherd‘s Visit to Parishes.