Polish episcopate to launch parish renewal program on November 29 — Interia
In Poland, on November 29, 2026, the first Sunday of Advent, the year-long Polish Bishops’ Conference program “The Parish as a Missionary Community” will begin. It provides for greater involvement of laypeople in planning parish initiatives, catechesis and assistance to those in need, Interia reports.
By “missionary character,” the initiators mean not trips to other countries, but work with residents of a particular parish — including people who rarely attend Mass, are experiencing a crisis of faith, or contact the parish office mainly before a baptism, wedding or funeral.
Greater participation by laypeople
The program will cover preparation for the sacraments, prayer, proclamation of the Word of God, parish catechesis, charitable activity and a synodal model of governance. The latter entails taking parishioners’ views more broadly into account and jointly identifying local needs.
Pastoral and economic councils, liturgical groups, volunteers and laypeople who lead formation meetings may receive a greater role. At the same time, under canon law, the parish priest remains responsible for the parish, while parish councils have advisory status. The program does not expand their formal powers, but is intended to promote the practical use of existing structures.
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The episcopate also proposes catechesis for adults, married couples, engaged couples, parents of children preparing for First Communion, confirmation candidates and godparents. No single mandatory format is being introduced for all parishes: specific decisions will depend on dioceses and local communities.
Statistics and materials for the church year
The package for 2026–2027 will consist of six booklets: theological-pastoral, homiletic, catechetical, liturgical, Marian and statistical. The statistical section was prepared together with the SAC Institute for Catholic Church Statistics.
It contains an analysis of dominicantes indicators — the share of faithful present at Sunday Mass — and communicantes, meaning the number of people who receive Communion that day. In 2025, this count was conducted on October 19 in nearly 10,000 Polish parishes. The data are intended to help assess the difference between the number of residents in a parish’s territory and the number of those who actually participate in its life.
At the start of the program, the faithful may see changes primarily in sermons, catechesis and services devoted to shared responsibility for the community. The liturgical materials provide, among other things, for the blessing of a new parish liturgical team and prayers for pastoral and economic councils.
