Listening to the People of God: Closing, Rebuilding, and Revitalizing Parishes by Charles E. Zech and Robert J. Miller

book reviews 507 LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD: Closing, Rebuilding, and Revitalizing Parishes by Charles E. Zech and Robert J. Miller. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2008. The publisher promotes this brief volume as “a sociological study and a how-to guide merging parishes the best way . . . to achieve a positive result . . . .” (back cover). The authors use a survey method to glean insights from lay parish leaders who have participated in some form of restructuring process at the local level.The “how-to” is, as the title suggests, by Listening to the People of God. The fundamental operating premise appears to be, “Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus approbetur.” (p. 19). The language “contents” as well as the descriptions of new organizational forms of parish structure and staffing are brief, clear, and helpful. The text becomes a window into the world of restructuring by offering summaries of other works in the area. These resources are presented in book review or talking points drawn from the worlds of corporate experience as well as family dynamics. Guidance from the blended family metaphor (p. 24) is particularly insightful, since the goal of parish restructuring is to form a new parish community rather than to undertake a new “venture.” The endnotes and the bibliography provide starting points for diagramming the multi-faceted task of restructuring parishes. The authors form the discussion by way of their surveys for parish leaders covering the “Preparation and Planning” and the “Implementation ” phases of restructuring. Both phases question those surveyed about “education/communication, support, process, and leadership roles.” (p. 39). The “Preparation and Planning” phase survey also raises questions about “consultation.” Because the surveys question completed actions, they give some attention to the critical tasks of revisiting and revisioning pastoral planning. This volume is probably most useful in the remote planning of pastors with their parish leaders and other parishioners for the long and sensitive work of preparing a community for restructuring. While the text views the restructuring process through the prism of the parish, the authors employ the words of Pope John Paul II to the United States bishops in 2004, giving a perspective on the duty of the diocese while functioning “within a sound ecclesiology of communion,” to commit to “creating better structures of participation, consultation and shared responsibility. . . .” This survey and reporting-from-the-trenches approach obviously does not present the whole story of restructuring; but it offers a part that is often presumed or truncated in the perceived syllogism of parish “clos- ing, rebuilding and revitalizing.” That being said, this text is more of a list of ingredients than a recipe for success in the process of restructuring. While clearly not intended for those charged with the canonical implementation of parish closings, clusters, or mergers, this is a helpful tool for parishioners, parish planners and responsible diocesan personnel as they try to introduce the Christian faithful into the experience of belonging to a newly structured faith community. H. Roberta Small Chancery Diocese of Camden THE CONSECRATED LIFE: A COMPARATIVE COMMENTARY OF THE EASTERN AND LATIN CODES by Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv. Ottawa: Saint Paul University, 2008. Since the 1990 promulgation of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO), canonists have endeavored to ascertain the meaning of its 1546 canons and how they relate to the canons of the Latin code (CIC). Little attention has been directed towards the canons that govern the various forms of consecrated life in the Eastern tradition. In this commentary , Abbass approaches consecrated life from the perspective of the CCEO, while comparing those provisions with the applicable CIC provisions . His audience is canonists and leadership in religious institutes. The General Introduction indicates that the project begins with the CCEO canons, since they include the most recent formulations of the canons governing consecrated life (1–2). The General Introduction considers the CCEO preparation process and the basic differences between the two codes, and offers the general structure that Abbass undertakes (2–14). He indicates that he will discuss any provisions or sources that might have been included among the CCEO canons on consecrated life, and the interrelationship between the two codes. Abbass approaches his project according to the major CCEO divisions : monks...

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