Archbishop Porteous’ blueprint for modern-day missionary disciples
By Catherine Sheehan
Throughout his ministry as a priest and bishop, Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous, has always had a strong focus on mission and evangelisation.
He has written several books on the topic and last year launched the Evangelium Project, which drew 250 people from around Tasmania. The program invited participants to develop and nurture their faith through a personal relationship with Christ, and then to become agents of evangelisation themselves.
The success of Evangelium provided the inspiration for his latest book, Becoming Missionary Disciples, which encourages Catholics to take seriously their baptismal calling to bring others to Christ. The book outlines the necessary steps involved in becoming a missionary disciple.
“The popes in recent years have been very strongly advocating the idea of the Church being more missionary oriented,” Archbishop Porteous said. “And this doesn’t just apply to bishops and priests and religious.”
“Certainly, Pope Francis has emphasised this a great deal. It was his term ‘missionary disciple’, which he spoke about in Evangelii Gaudium, that really inspired me to use that term myself, to say to ordinary Catholic people that this is how we should see ourselves. We should see ourselves as missionary disciples.”
Following the format of the Evangelium Project, the book focuses on three main aspects of becoming a missionary disciple which involve the heart, the head, and the hands.
The ‘heart’ aspect focuses on the transformation that takes place within ourselves when we encounter Christ and the need for conversion. The ‘head’ refers to our identity as Christians and coming to know the kerygma—that God loves us and Christ saves us and calls us into relationship with him through the power of the Holy Spirit. And finally, we use our ‘hands’ as missionary disciples, taking action and carrying Christ to others.
“I emphasise in particular that we just need to be willing to be witnesses,” Archbishop Porteous said.
“It’s not so much that we have to have theological expertise or high levels of training and formation to be missionary disciples. We just have to be ourselves and allow our own faith to shine forth and not to be afraid of actually sharing our faith.”
One powerful way of sharing the faith with others is through personal testimony, Archbishop Porteous said. In the book he relates his own testimony of how he came to be a priest. As a young boy attending primary school he was praying in the school chapel one day when he heard in his mind the words “one day you will be a priest”.
“It was completely unexpected as I had not been thinking about the priesthood,” he writes in the book. “However, from that day on the idea stayed with me throughout my remaining schooling years.”
Everyone has a testimony, he said, which they can share about God’s action in their lives. He encourages the faithful to not be afraid to share their testimony with others, no matter how simple or seemingly unextraordinary it might be.
“Everybody has a testimony. If you are a person of faith, you’ve had a relationship with God, there have been moments of grace in your life.
“It doesn’t have to be some great, powerful experience, like St Paul on the Road to Damascus where you’re knocked off your horse. But all of us, if we reflect on our life, will be able to identify times when God has moved in our life. We’ve sensed the presence of God or the grace of God working. That’s what we can share.”
In order to become missionary disciples, the faithful also need to free themselves from the misconception that faith is a private matter, Archbishop Porteous said. Taking a more positive and proactive approach, such as inviting others to attend a Mass or learn more about the faith, was vital, he said, even though it may uncomfortable at first.
“When people tell me they’ve decided to become Catholic I often ask them, ‘Well, why did it take so long, because you’ve been thinking about it or you’ve been involved with the Church in one way or another for a long time?’ And they say, ‘Because nobody ever asked me’.
“So there has to be a change in mentality… all of us can see opportunities through our relationships with people, if somebody is going through a difficult time or trying to find their way in life. These can be moments where if we’re willing to invite or engage with them, can be moments of grace that lead to them coming to Christ.”
Archbishop Porteous said he hoped his new book would encourage and inspire Catholics to take up the challenge of evangelisation.
“I’m hoping that people might read it and say, ‘This is who we are as Catholics, this is what is expected of me. Now as a Catholic I can’t just be satisfied with living a private faith but I do need to become a missionary disciple’.”
Becoming Missionary Disciples can be purchased for $24.95 from Connor Court Publishing: https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au
Watch the exclusive interview with Archbishop Julian below: