Missionary Parish Symposium

Shalom, thought I'll share this for World Mission Sunday.

Pastoral Conversion for Our Parishes is Essential 

When I was installed as the Ordinary of the Diocese 12 years ago, I proposed this vision for the Archdiocese, “To build a vibrant, evangelising and missionary church”. But we cannot achieve this vision if parishes themselves do not undertake pastoral conversion. What do we mean by “pastoral conversion”? It refers to the way a parish functions and forms her parishioners for the work of evangelisation.

It is important to ask ourselves, are our parishes places of evangelising presence, formation and witness? If we are not, how do we get there? 

~Firstly, our parishes need to cultivate a culture of encounter. A parish is a community of communities. It is the first place where people encounter Jesus through the body of Christ. Do our parishes currently provide the space for our people to be spirit-filled and build relationships? 

~Secondly, a parish is where people grow in faith, from conversion to maturity to mission. It is where people receive lifelong formation, to be trained and be equipped to become evangelisers. Our parishes need to be places of ongoing and lifelong formation, so that our people can become missionary disciples.

~Thirdly, a parish must have a presence in its neighbourhood and beyond. It is important that a missionary parish exists not only for its members, but for the larger community and the world. 

~Lastly, parishes need to help each other. We need to look beyond our own parish and reach out to other parishes across the diocese. We are all on one mission. It is not about my church, it is 𝙤𝙪𝙧 church. We need to build each other up, to collaborate and synergise with one another, to work towards the same goal.

Although this journey is filled with struggles, I believe the Holy Spirit is at work.

....Let us journey together so that every parish can be a place where Christ is encountered and shared.