Parishes with a Missionary Focus

On many occasions Pope Francis has reminded us that the Church is missionary by nature. He wrote in 2022, “Dear brothers and sisters, I continue to dream of a completely missionary Church, and a new era of missionary activity among Christian communities”.

With his emphasis on synodality, the Pope has encouraged priests and lay people to work together in close collaboration. Addressing a conference in Rome he said, “Sharing in mission brings pastors and laypersons closer together; it builds a unity of purpose, manifests the complementarity of the differing charisms and thus awakens in all the desire to move forward together. We see this illustrated in Jesus himself, who from the beginning surrounded himself with a group of disciples, men and women, and, with them, carried out his public ministry. Never alone”.

The Pope is right! The mission of the Church involves both clergy and laity working together. This is an expression of synodality.

This year in the Archdiocese our particular pastoral initiative has been to encourage every parish to develop a Parish Mission Plan. Such a plan will be realised as priests and parishioners work together.

Becoming a missionary parish cannot be left to the priest to come up with some outreach initiatives, it needs the whole parish to develop a culture of outreach.

I have encouraged parish pastoral councils to devote some time at each meeting to the question of how the parish can become more missionary. Indeed, this can be a very practical way in which we become a synodal Church here in Tasmania.

Being missionary can seem a daunting challenge. However, it is a challenge that lies at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus sent his disciples out. He expects the same of us. The phrase used by Pope Francis is very appropriate. He said that we cannot just be disciples, but we must become ‘missionary disciples’.

Next month (Saturday, 3 August) we will be conducting our fifth Evangelium Conference. It is to be held at Sacred Heart School in Launceston. The Conference will feature Deacon Peter Pellicaan, Executive Director of Evangelisation Brisbane, the Archdiocesan Agency commissioned to work with, inspire and empower parishes and communities to encounter Jesus and live the joy of the Gospel.

We will also have Stephen Kirk lead us in prayerful worship through his inspiring music. The conference will include a number of workshops offering some more practical information about how we can become a missionary parish community.

I encourage all parishes to be involved in this conference and I have encouraged priests to ensure that some representatives from the parish participate in the conference.

Returning then to the parish, working in collaboration with the clergy, the parish will find ways to reach out with the message of the Gospel.

I believe that the call to become missionary is vital for the Church in our time. I recommend the Evangelium Conference to all who are actively involved in their parish and long to see their parish alive and active. Pope Francis has often commented that when a parish becomes truly missionary, the community comes alive in its faith and community life.

Let us, as an Archdiocese, become a truly missionary Church.