Launching Connect Groups: Faith Shared, Lives Transformed

Over the coming weeks, our parish will be launching an important new initiative: Connect Groups. While small faith groups are not new to parish life—and many will remember family groups or similar initiatives from years past—this is not simply a rebranding exercise. Connect Groups represent a renewed vision for how we live, share, and sustain our faith together in this season of the life of our parish.

At the heart of Connect Groups is a simple but powerful conviction: faith grows when it is shared. For too long, many Catholics have carried their faith quietly and privately, often marked by what could be called a culture of silence—where struggles, questions, hopes, and even joys of faith are rarely spoken about with others. Connect Groups intentionally create space for connection in faith, and in doing so, they help break that silence open. When we speak about what God is doing in our lives, we discover that we are not alone—and that salvation is something God works out among us, not just within us.

This conviction is deeply Catholic. We are saved as a people. From the earliest Christian communities described in the Acts of the Apostles, believers gathered in homes, prayed together, reflected on the Word, and supported one another in daily life. Connect Groups aim to reclaim something of this early Church experience in a way that is realistic, structured, and sustainable for parish life today.

Providentially, this launch coincides with a significant gift to our parish. We have been given 100 free copies of the Wollongong Catholic Diocese’s Lenten Reflection Resource, which is sold to parishes across Australia and beyond. I was honoured to be invited to write all of the Sunday reflections for this resource, and it now offers us a wonderful, ready-made opportunity to gather, pray, and reflect together as a parish during Lent.

Lent, of course, is a season of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving—a time when many people feel drawn to recommit themselves to their faith. Traditionally, it is also a time when Catholics gather to reflect on the Sunday readings, examine their lives in the light of the Gospel, and encourage one another on the journey of conversion. For these reasons, Lent is an ideal time to launch Connect Groups.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on 18 February, and between now and then I am inviting parishioners to commit—at least initially—to being part of a Connect Group for the season of Lent. Some may choose to continue beyond Lent, but the initial invitation is intentionally simple and time-bound: journey together for these sacred forty days.

The long-term vision is bold but necessary. In a parish of our size, the days when there were enough priests to personally visit and pastorally support every parishioner are long gone—and they are not coming back. Rather than seeing this as a loss, Connect Groups invite us to rediscover something essential: pastoral care is the responsibility of the whole community. Over time, these groups will become the primary place of pastoral support, encouragement, prayer, and accompaniment for each person in our parish.

Each Connect Group will meet regularly, usually in one another’s homes, with members taking turns hosting. Groups will be empowered with a clear and simple schedule to keep the time of connection, prayer, and scriptural reflection focused and life-giving. This is not about long meetings or theological expertise, but about consistency, hospitality, and faith shared honestly. I invite every parishioner to respond in one of two ways:

a) Click HERE to register your interest, or

b) Call the parish office to have your name and details added to the list.

Groups will be formed according to locality, keeping travel times to a minimum and making participation as accessible as possible. This is an invitation to something more than another parish program. It is an invitation to belong, to be known, and to walk together as disciples of Jesus. My prayer is that Connect Groups will become places where faith comes alive, burdens are shared, and the joy of the Gospel is encountered—together.

With peace and love, Fr Josh