Embracing Change for a Future with Hope
We have an opportunity for Spirit-led consultation
Last week, I outlined for you a number of changes for our parish to prayerfully consider. Today, I’d like to provide further information about the consultation process and my hopes for a positive consultation which focusses on opportunities.
A reminder of the decisions we are considering:
- We will have 2 full-time priests in the parish from Jan 2025: Frs Josh and Gerard.
- Fr Terry, who is joining us in Jan 2025, and is semi-retired himself, will be exclusively responsible for retirement village ministry, assisted by Fr Joseph in retirement.
- Our Mass capability: 2 Saturday vigil Masses, and 4 Sunday Masses – one of which will be a Notre Dame family Mass.
Friends, these are the necessary parameters in which to conduct our parish consultation. My leadership team and I have arrived at this point after much discussion around the things we cannot change such as staffing numbers, capabilities, and pastoral priorities.
What will we discuss as part of the consultation?
Our consultation process addresses much more than the weekly Mass schedule because we need to discuss how pastoral ministry in a missionary key takes place in our whole parish – not just at Notre Dame College.
Fr Gerard and I cannot simply take up all of Fr Francis’ responsibilities. Our consultation, therefore, includes how both pastoral leadership and ministry take place in each community. We need to shift our thinking from the ownership of our own Mass community to the parish’s mission as a whole.
In the words of Pope Francis from Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel, which was published in 2013:
“Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says, ‘We have always done it this way.’ I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style, and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory” (no. 33).
Inspired, and perhaps challenged, by these words, we are called to be bold and creative in rethinking our approach to evangelization. All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal to avoid falling prey to ecclesial (church) introversion. To facilitate this time of consultation, we are offering 3 primary opportunities for contribution:
- ‘Conversations in the Spirit’ in each of our 11 current Mass communities with 8-10 parishioners from diverse backgrounds/age groups who are invited by community leaders.
- An independent, post-Mass community meeting in each community with a video from me, inviting positive suggestions and contributions.
- And finally, a post-Mass community meeting with members of the parish Senior Leadership Team
The goal will be to complete this process before Christmas and so your input will be invaluable as we strive to follow God’s will and embrace change. Amidst the challenges and opportunities ahead, may we take this journey together and commit to sensible, rational and respectful dialogue.
Peace be with you at this time. Fr Josh and the Senior Leadership Team