Defining Pastoral Care And Liturgical Renewal

Pastoral care is often thought to involve one-on-one listening and counseling. Yet this is only one setting where pastoral sensitivity and guidance may be shown. For genuine pastoral care involves living and expressing God's presence in all aspects of life, including pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, and liturgical ministry. Worship leaders can effectively develop their pastoral sensitivity by considering themselves pastoral care-givers. Whatever work we do in liturgy, we must begin to identify it with the work of pastoral care. Whether we are a leader of renewal, a member of the assembly, or a servant of it-presider, music minister, eucharistic minister, cantor, hospitality minister, altar server, environmental minister, lector, cross-bearer-we are involved in pastoral care. In all these roles, we will accomplish nothing if we are not first and always centered in God. A look at pastoral care will provide us with the framework to do just that. In whatever we do for and with…