Transcript Reimagining the Archdiocese – a Future Full of Hope

Reimagining the Archdiocese
– a Future Full of Hope
Message from Archbishop John Dew
Thank you one and all for the prayerful and spirit-filled way in
which you’ve participated in the consultation phase of the
Reimagining of the Archdiocese and the feedback you’ve
given me.
I could see the energy and passion which are wonderful gifts to
the life of our Church.
This is the first step and the journey will continue as parishes
bring to life these changes over the coming years.
Change is in the very nature of things. Growth through change
honours the people of our Archdiocese who’ve gone before
us.
With deep personal gratitude, every blessing and my prayers for
you all.
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Message continued...
•
Hundreds of people have taken part in discussions relating to the Archbishop’s
proposal document “A Future Full of Hope” and he has expressed his gratitude for
the deep reflection and fervent prayer evident in the results.
•
The Archbishop has said that it is very clear that the discussions were
accompanied by a sense of excitement, joyful hope and great energy and passion,
which are wonderful gifts to bring to the life of the Church.
•
This is not an easy time for the Archdiocese. We face unprecedented challenges.
We could ignore them and refuse to change but change is in the very nature of
things. Growth through change honours the legacy of priests, religious and laity
who’ve gone before us.
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Message continued...
“Be it in hard times, or in beautiful times, one
thing is always certain: the Lord is there. He will
never abandon His flock! Because the Lord, on the
day of the sin, the first sin, made a decision, He
made a choice: to make a history with His People.
God, who has no history because He is eternal,
desired to make history by walking alongside His
people. But even more than that, He decided to
become one of us, and as one of us, to walk with
us through Jesus.” – Pope Francis, 2013
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Message continued...
• Change which must happen if our Church is to grow and flourish
comes from the Spirit working among us. It will bring growth to our
parish and new opportunities to flourish.
• The discussions generated energy in our parish and our pastoral
area throughout the process that no doubt will continue.
• People want the best for our Archdiocese, we can all see and feel
the hopefulness sparked by the first seven months of Pope Francis –
joyful hope. We need to build on that too, here in our parish.
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Message continued...
• Our parishes are always about the mission of the
Church, that is what they exist for. Therefore in moving
forward it is necessary to focus on our mission
statement:
“We the Catholic People of the Archdiocese of Wellington,
challenged to follow Christ, are called to proclaim the
Kingdom of God, by
Celebrating God in our lives
Sharing our living faith
Growing in community
Working for Justice and Peace.”
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Message continued...
• Within this context we can see;
– In Pope Francis we’ve witnessed a renewed challenge to reach out to the
margins, the frontiers, the edges of society. So, this change brings a renewed
commitment to be at the service of the wider community in our local area and
to people who are alienated from the Church, or who have drifted away.
– Our call is to be people of prayer. Individually and as a parish community, in
formal liturgy settings, or informally, within our families, schools, committees,
and groups prayer is to be the foundation of everything we do.
– We are to be “formed” by the Word of God allowing this Word to both inspire
and disturb us. Commitment to the Word will encourage communities of
hospitality, giving welcome and acceptance to all.
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Message continued...
• Within this context we can see;
– We are called to “life-long formation” in our faith. Many have
expressed a desire for ongoing education in faith to assist
greater understanding and participation.
– Our parish community is called to be outward looking, a source
of support and a witness of love and hope for all those who
struggle with life. We remember that we have been entrusted
with the service of healing and reconciliation.
– We are called to live every day as disciples of Jesus, making
stewardship our special focus. Acknowledging that all we have
and are comes from God, making us caretakers of wonderful
gifts, we will show our gratitude by generously sharing in prayer
in action.
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Message continued...
• It is only when we remember and celebrate who we
are before God that our parish will be a true model of
Christian living.
• If at times it’s difficult for us to think of our new parish
and/or if we are challenged by some of the changes we
are called to face, please return to the words of Pope
John Paul II when he spoke of the wonder of the Trinity
dwelling in us and of the light of the Trinity shining in
the faces of our brothers and sisters. (see Novo
Millenio Ineunte – NMI 43)
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Message continued...
• When I published the document “A Future Full of Hope” I put forward
proposals for you to think about and I invited your feedback. I have now
reviewed the hundreds of suggestions. Not all of them focussed on the
future, not all focussed on the common good of the archdiocese but
instead on a particular parish.
• Some in their feedback have expressed that they want to retain the status
quo. Due to the raft of challenges we face, I as your Archbishop, have to
make decisions for the mission of the Church, knowing they will not please
everyone. This is a responsibility I cannot avoid.
• I am grateful to those who expressed their prayerful support for this
responsibility I carry and for the decisions I have to make. I ask that you
continue your prayers, individually, as families, and in your parish Masses
and all other gatherings for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for all of us.
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Message continued...
• Change is part of life. We know this when we look
back at the history of our Archdiocese and as we
look to the future. We stand here following in the
footsteps of those who have gone before us. They
too faced challenging times, and the need to
change. The wisdom they showed and the
decisions they made allow us to stand here,
firmly on these foundations looking forward with
joyful hope to the future.
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Message continued...
• Above all we remember that “God, who has no history
because he is eternal, desired to make history by walking
alongside his people. But even more than that, He decided
to become one of us, and as one of us, to walk with us
through Jesus.” It is now time to let God take up his pen
and write again our personal history and that of our
parishes.
• We know what the challenges are and we share in that
responsibility to do our part, as we work towards a future
in which our parish can effectively and faithfully live out our
mission.
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Message continued...
• Above all we remember that “God, who has
no history because he is eternal, desired to
make history by walking alongside his people.
But even more than that, He decided to
become one of us, and as one of us, to walk
with us through Jesus.” It is now time to let
God take up his pen and write again our
personal history and that of our parishes.
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What is known so far?
– What has happened so far in terms of
communication with parishes about planned
merger/amalgamation?
– What are people’s perceptions of what has
happened so far? This is important to check as we
can think we have communicated a particular
message only to find it has only been received in
part, or that there is some kind of distortion.
– Is there a shared understanding of what has got
each parish to this place?
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What is the vision for the future after
amalgamation?
• What is the vision for the shared community
that will be present after amalgamation?
• Who has been involved in creating that vision?
• If there is not yet a clear vision, how will it be
created?
• How can the parishes be engaged in
contributing to that vision?
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How will parishes move to the shared
vision?
– What form will the process take, and how will it
be described? Eg a dialogue which generates
practical actions.
– If a series of meetings is required, what is the
frequency of the meetings, and how will the rest
of the parishioners be kept informed?
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Who will take the lead in the process?
– Is the joint PPC/PFC a transition team? [Do they
have the right skills?]
– How might leadership emerge (and be invited to
emerge) from the parishes as they come
together? Will others form part of the team?
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Prayer
• We pray for Archbishop John Dew, our priests, our lay pastoral leaders, our
people and our community. Together may our hearts remain always open
to the spirit and your will for us as we discern our future with faith and
joyful hope.
• May we recognise Christ’s presence in one another, sharing our heritage,
embracing our diversity and the many unique gifts we bring to the table of
the Lord.
• During this time of significant change, give us the courage to let You write
our own history, and the history of the parish we call home.
• We pray that we are always mindful of our mission as a faith community,
to bring the message of Christ to others and be His presence in our world
today as a sign of His unfailing love.
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Prayer
• We pray for our young people, amidst the noise of the world today,
that they will hear clearly your call to their vocation, to marriage,
priesthood, religious or single life. That they will have the faith and
courage to respond wholeheartedly to your call throughout their
lives.
• For those who have gone before us from our Archdiocese, may they
enjoy eternal rest with you and may we honour the faith
communities they have built by striving for a future full of hope in
which the Gospel is lived and shared.
• We pray for the wider community, may we as Christians always be a
loving and joyful witness of God’s love and mercy, in our thoughts,
words and actions.
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