Visitation and Pastoral Follow-Up
Visitation and Pastoral Follow-Up
Pastoral follow-up is one of the most important elements of the priest’s ministry.
It is evidence of his concern for every member of his people, his inquiry about them, and his reassurance regarding their well-being. Many often complain, saying: “Years have passed without any priest entering our home to ask about our circumstances!”
And sometimes the priest enters the house without actually doing pastoral follow-up!
Because there is a great essential difference between a visit and pastoral follow-up…
A visit—mere visiting—without any spiritual work cannot be called pastoral follow-up.
We mean the priest’s visit to a family where he speaks about any subject without touching on spiritual matters, without asking about the spiritual life of the family in general, and of each member individually. This visit is not pastoral follow-up.
Pastoral follow-up by the priest is that he visits the family and brings the Lord with him. The family feels His presence, and the priest leaves Him there…
Pastoral follow-up must include an appropriate spiritual word, whether directly—such as giving a spiritual topic—or indirectly, where spiritual teaching is woven into his conversation without appearing as a sermon.
Pastoral follow-up means reassurance regarding the spiritual life of the home, and connecting all its members to God, to the Church, and to the various means of grace.
He reassures himself that they attend church, its liturgies and meetings, that they confess and partake of Communion, that they read the Bible at home, that they fast and pray, and that they have a good relationship with God and with one another.
And if they have problems, the priest contributes to solving them.
For better translation support, please contact the center.
