Rebuilding Australian Parishes - Marita Winters and Dr John Francis Collins
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REBUILDING AUSTRALIAN PARISHES
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This workshop uses the three-part structure used by White and Corcoran in Rebuilt to investigate how the strategies used in Rebuilt might be applied in an Australian parish. White and Corcoran list Naming the Problem as the first of their three parts. Through interaction with participants the workshop will begin by identifying the major issues of concern in Australian Catholic parishes. The second part Finding a Way Forward will explore the process of creating a demographic profile of an “average” Catholic in the parish. This exercise is done in the understanding that a parish is defined as a geographical territory and includes all the Catholics who dwell within the parish boundaries. The third part Developing a Strategy for our Parish will model a method for developing practical evangelisation strategies particular to the parish. This part is informed by the major issues identified in part one and the profile of the “average” parishioner as identified in part two of the structure proposed in Rebuilt. Marita Winters is the Director of the National Office for Evangelisation – Catholic Enquiry Centre, the Executive Secretary of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation and the Convenor of PROCLAIM 2014. John Collins is a Projects Manager at National Office for Evangelisation – Catholic Enquiry Centre and an adjunct lecturer in theology at Australian Catholic University. see: www.proclaimconference.com.au/resources/item/80
Transcript of Rebuilding Australian Parishes - Marita Winters and Dr John Francis Collins
REBUILDING AUSTRALIAN
PARISHES
Whatever kind of parish you're in, whatever style church you're leading, whatever the culture of your community, you can grow a healthy parish. By looking beyond the people in the pews to the people who are not there, creating a path to help get them there, and leading both parishioners and newcomers to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. Rebuilt xviii
NAMING THE PROBLEM
Pope Francis on the ParishThe parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community.
The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers. Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium # 28
The Parish in Canon Law
Can. 515 §1. A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop.
The Great Command
The Great Commission
FINDING A WAY FORWARD
To Seek and Save the Lost
Lost people aren't evil or immoral or even bad. They're just mixed-up about God.
In one way or another, lost people (who may be no longer active in the church or unchurched people who never were) try to find a life outside a relationship with God. They miss out on God. And in the process and often their lives end up in something of a mess. Rebuilt 40
Reaching Tim from Timonium
•The authors of Rebuilt report that Matthew Kelly contributed the following process to reaching ‘Tim from Timonium’:
•Nurture friendship •Pray for the person you are trying to reach•Share your faith journey•Invite your friend to Church
Moving from maintenance to mission
•This is about our own conversion; we have to get out of ourselves as Church. Our attitude and orientation has to change; welcome and reach out to those who are within the parish boundaries but are not active in the Church.
•Change is hard, but necessary if we want to grow. The change is needed as a parish community and individuals within that community.
Reflection:
•In what way do I need to change to welcome those not active in the life of my community?
DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY
•Consider and mark off against each idea/strategy one of four possible responses: •Already doing this well•Great idea, let’s try it•Good idea, adapt it to suit•Give it some more thought
DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY
