1. No category

EXPLANATORY NOTES:
Out come 1 – Building welcoming, inclusive parish communit ies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
See Our Pr of ile, p 22.
Select ing specif ic t imebound pr oj ect s can har ness t he commit ment of t he communit y and pr ovide a gr eat er chance
of success. The end of a specif ic pr oj ect signals a t ime f or r eview and r ecommit ment t o a new st age of
development .
The connect ion of welcoming, inclusion and belonging t o ot her element s of t he f ait h communit y is vit al – leader ship,
lit ur gy, spir it ualit y, ongoing f ait h development .
Educat ion, t r aining and ongoing suppor t of leader s ar e key f act or s f or ongoing success.
Out come 2 - Support ing minist ry of past oral leadership:
5.
6.
7.
8.
Rit e of Chr ist ian I nit iat ion of Adult s.
Roles of var ious ar chdiocesan bodies is summar ised in Our Pr of ile, pp21, 22
A new vocat ion cent r e has been commenced in Canali House at St Pat r ick’s, For t it ude Valley.
Pr ayer FI RE is t he name of t he ar chdiocesan pr ayer net wor k t o suppor t all aspect s of t he lif e and mission of t he
Ar chdiocese of Br isbane. I t was commenced by Ar chbishop Bat her sby at Set t ing Hear t s on Fir e, 25 J uly 2000.
9. Policies ar e: Appoint ment of Par ish Past or al Minist er s: Pr inciples, Policy and I mplement at ion Guidelines; Guidelines
f or Lay Leader s of Lit ur gy; Guidelines f or Ar chdiocesan Lay Par ish Past or al Dir ect or s.
10. The posit ion of t he lay par ish past or al dir ect or will be incor por at ed int o t he next phase of past or al planning. See
not e 16.
Out come 3 – Small group models:
Out come 4 – Parish and school:
11. Changing t imes and st af f t ur nover make it impor t ant t o do t his r egular ly.
12. I n par t icular , par ish needs t o f ind ef f ect ive ways t o out r each t o school par ent s who ar e not par t of t he par ish
communit y, connect ing t hem wit h a r ange of r elevant init iat ives, eg sacr ament al pr ogr am, Ret ur ning Cat holics
pr ogr am, f ait h development and spir it ualit y init iat ives, ot her r elevant and pr act ical init iat ives. This needs t o happen
f r om t he par ent s’ ver y f ir st cont act wit h t he school/ pr eschool. Tar get new par ent s, par t icular ly pr eschool, Year
1…(I t is of t en t oo lat e by t he t ime t he childr en ar e in Yr 6, 7 because pat t er ns ar e set .) The par ish becomes r eal
f or people by being pr esent t o t hem. At t he same t ime t he school needs t o welcome par ish connect ion and
pr oact ively seek oppor t unit ies.
13. Somet imes, ‘smaller ’ may achieve mor e t han ‘lar ger ’. The past or and pr incipal r egular ly co-host ing a meal f or a dozen
people f r om acr oss par ish and school can be a ver y ef f ect ive r elat ionship builder and open many door s. Or a car d
night or a t ennis night et c. That is not t o say t hat t he bigger occasions do not have t heir impor t ance, but over t ime
t hey become mor e ef f ect ive as st r onger bonds ar e made bet ween individuals.
Out come 5 – Assist ing Cat holics t o reconnect wit h t he worshipping communit y:
14. Pet r ie Par ish is conduct ing t he Cat holics Ret ur ning Home pr ogr am and has t r ained people f r om sever al ot her
par ishes t o conduct t he pr ogr am.
Addit ional archdiocesan inf ormat ion:
15. J esus ( embr acing J esus and his vision) , Communion (building communion wit h God and ot her s) , Mission (going out int o t he
wor ld) ar e t he t hr ee vit al signs of a vibr ant communit y of f ait h ident if ied by Ar chbishop J ohn Bat her sby as key element s in
t he vision t o t ake t he Ar chdiocese f or war d in t he new millennium.
16. A pr oposal is being developed at t he r equest of t he Ar chbishop by t he Commission f or Evangelisat ion and Past or al Planning
(CEPP) about t he next phase of past or al planning t o suppor t par ishes and deaner ies. I t is pr oposed t hat deaner ies (possibly
modif ied in t er ms of composit ion) become t he basic clust er of par ishes, super ceding ‘past or al ar eas’ (used in t he Shaping
and St af f ing Our Par ishes pr oj ect , 1995 - 2001). Deans and deaner y past or al councils, wit h mor e suppor t , would have
enhanced r oles wit h r espect t o past or al planning in t he deaner y, as would t he auxiliar y bishop in t he r egion. The pr oj ect
await s t he out comes of Synod bef or e f ur t her development int o a pr oposal f or discussion wit h st akeholder s.
NB: The
pr oj ect is out lined in Our Pr of ile, p22 .
17. Cler gy Allocat ion Schedule: Cur r ent ly, t he number of pr iest s (diocesan and r eligious or der ) available f or f ull-t ime par ish
minist r y is 135. The aver age age (not count ing r et ir ed cler gy) is ~62 year s. The of f icial r et ir ement age is 70 year s. I n
eight year s t ime (2011) t he number of available pr iest s will be 77. I t needs t o be point ed out t hat t he 77 pr iest s in 2011
ar e going t o be, on aver age, older and mor e t ir ed t han t he 135 pr iest s available t oday. By 2011, allowing in t he 77 f or some
assist ant past or s and senior pr iest s who will not want t he r esponsibilit y of r unning a par ish, t her e will be about half t he
number of par ish pr iest s t hat ar e available now.
Cost Est imat es and Timelines:
The Synod Pr epar at or y Commission pr oposes t hat cost est imat es and t imelines be developed af t er Synod subsequent t o
t he decisions of t he Ar chbishop as par t of mor e det ailed planning.
Sample Br oad Act ion Pr oposal: Building Communit ies of Fait h
Key Concerns raised by t he Synod Consult at ion
Fr om t he r ange of needs ident if ied in t he Synod consult at ion, t he f ollowing wer e dist illed by Synod Member s as key concer ns:
x
x
x
x
x
Build a great er sense of welcome, inclusion and belonging in parishes
Support , resource and promot e t he minist ry of past oral leadership
Encourage small groups on a broad scale
St rengt hen relat ionships bet ween parishes and schools
Assist Cat holics t o reconnect wit h t he worshipping communit y.
These element s ar e now developed int o a sample Br oad Act ion Pr oposal in t he pages f ollowing.
I n developing t he sample Br oad Act ion Pr oposal over leaf , t he wr it ing t eam was awar e of t he f ollowing key issues:
Welcome, I nclusion and Belonging
The need f or par ish communit ies t hat ar e welcoming and inclusive and in which people have a sense of belonging was t he single most
suppor t ed message f r om t he consult at ion and f r om Synod member s. I t would seem self -evident t o t ake J esus as our model her e.
I n a r eligious and social or der in which so many wer e declar ed ‘out ’, J esus said by wor d and deed t hat all wer e ‘in’. To t he scandal of
many he engaged wit h ever yone, even his enemies. Because of his ef f or t s t o make genuine connect ion wit h people, t housands wer e
dr awn t o him. I f t he Chur ch, t hr ough t he qualit y of it s par ish communit ies, is meant t o be t he same sign of t he r eign of God t hat
J esus was, t hen it is dif f icult t o over est imat e t he vit al impor t ance of building welcoming, inclusive communit ies. A secr et of r enewal
may well be t he imit at ion of J esus in t his single r espect .
Small Groups
Small gr oups in a Chur ch cont ext come in many var iet ies. Gener ally, small gr oups of f er Cat holics t he chance t o discuss f ait h and lif e
in t he light of t he Gospel, t o pr ay t oget her , t o suppor t one anot her and t o deepen t heir under st anding of what it means t o f ollow
J esus in dif f er ing lif e cir cumst ances. Small gr oups of f er Cat holics t he chance t o connect in a mor e per sonal way t o t he lar ger
par ish communit y. A couple of year s ago a lar ge st udy of US Cat holics f ound t hat par t icipat ion in a small gr oup was t he most
ef f ect ive way f or or dinar y Cat holics t o pr epar e f or and be suppor t ed in t heir mission in t he ever yday wor ld. Small gr oups ar e used
ext ensively in many Chr ist ian Chur ches t hat ar e exper iencing gr owt h.
Ordained and Lay Minist ry
The place of ordained minist ry is vit al f or t he lif e and mission of our Ar chdiocese which is making st r enuous and cr eat ive ef f or t s t o
pr omot e vocat ions t o pr iest hood. At t he same t ime, it is clear ly evident t hat we do not have and will not have t he number of pr iest s
t o which we have been accust omed. See explanat or y not e 13. The Ar chdiocese has a mult i-f acet ed r esponse t o declining cler gy
number s: pr omot ion of pr iest ly vocat ions; openness t o of f er s of cler gy f r om r eligious or der s and ot her dioceses who ar e commit t ed
t o t he spir it of Vat ican I I ; a pr ogr am of f or mat ion f or t he per manent diaconat e; development of lay past or al minist r y, including t he
posit ion of par ish lay past or al dir ect or . The availabilit y of t he pr iest f or past or al r oles r at her t han f or administ r at ive t asks is a
clear desir e f or many. The pr omot ion and development of lay minist ry was a st r ong message coming f r om Synod Member s who
called f or t he widespr ead implement at ion of ar chdiocesan policies alr eady in place. Meet ing t he cost s of f or mat ion and
r emuner at ion of lay minist er s will be an ongoing challenge.
Past oral Leadership
I n our Ar chdiocese t her e ar e many in leader ship r oles. Ther e ar e leader s of par ishes, schools, minist r ies, healt h car e f acilit ies,
welf ar e wor ks, diocesan agencies et c. I n t imes of gr eat change t he impact of past or al leader ship on t he f ait h communit y is even
mor e signif icant . ‘What sor t of Chur ch do we need t o be f or t hese t imes’ and ‘what st eps do we need t o t ake t o be t hat Chur ch’ ar e
cr it ical challenges f aced by past or al leader s. The leader set s t he t one and t he dir ect ion. The leader must car r y t he vision and
encour age ot her s t o t ake t he j our ney. I n t he pr essur e of ever yday r esponsibilit ies t he char ism of leader ship can be swamped by
t he ur gent . But now mor e t han ever it is vit al t o pr omot e a cult ur e of good leader ship f ocused on under st anding what leader ship is
and how t o exer cise it so t he communit y of f ait h f lour ishes. Even in dif f icult t imes t he seeds of a vibr ant f ut ur e ar e wit hin t he
communit y. A cr it ical t ask of past or al leader ship is t o f ind and f or m ot her s who can lead in dif f er ent aspect s of t he f ait h
communit y’s lif e and mission.
Parish and School
I n many places, t he par ish communit y and t he school communit y have become incr easingly dist inct . Ther e was a st r ong call in t he
consult at ion and Synod Member r esponses f or st r engt hening t he bonds bet ween par ish and school.
Reaching out t o Cat holics
The Ar chbishop has r ecent ly called f or measur es t o r each out t o t hose many Cat holics who ar e not par t of a wor shipping communit y.
I n t his Ar chdiocese t hat is 87% of t hose who ident if y t hemselves as Cat holic – well over half a million people. To connect wit h
Cat holics who do not go t o Chur ch is a challenging t ask r equir ing new at t it udes, skills and ener gy. However , commit ment t o such a
mission would challenge and r enew t he f ait h communit y.
The sample Broad Act ion Proposal f ollowing is t he st art ing point f or Synod Members t o discuss what recommendat ions
t hey will make t o t he Archbishop in t his area. I t is a sample f or discussion purposes put t oget her in light of t he
consult at ion and Synod Member f eedback. Ult imat ely, Synod Members will endorse it , change it or replace it and
make t heir recommendat ions t o t he Archbishop.
Sample Broad Act ion Proposal: Building Communit ies of Fait h
See back page f or
explanat or y not es
Aim: To build vibrant communit ies of f ait h which nourish Cat holics f or t heir mission of f ollowing J esus and t ransf orming t he world
What I mproved
out come do we desire?
What is essent ial t o achieve
desired out come?
1A
Develop and value a vision
1.
Parishes are welcoming,
inclusive communit ies in which
people have a st rong sense of
belonging
1B
Evaluat e, plan and act
1C
Commit t o cont inuous improvement
1D
Find and f orm leaders
2.
Past oral leadership is
promot ed, support ed, and
resourced at all levels
2A
Develop an archdiocesan st at ement
on past oral leadership
How will we do t his?
ƒ Par ishes develop and value a vision of what it means t o be a welcoming, inclusive communit y by:
Holding a coor dinat ed awar eness-r aising t ime in t he par ish t o addr ess t he call t o value and be a welcoming and inclusive
communit y - incor por at ing homilies, pr ayer , newslet t er f ocus, addr ess by a par ish past or al council member et c, and pr esent ing
t he r esponsibilit y, challenges and benef it s of developing as a welcoming and inclusive communit y. Ref er t o element s in t he
Synt hesis (p.8) Building Communit ies of Fait h, St r at egy 1.
Using a par t icipat or y pr ocess t o f or mulat e it s vision of what it is t o be welcoming and inclusive. I nt egr at e wit hin t he J esus
Communion Mission f r amewor k 15 .
ƒ Par ishes may f ind it helpf ul t o have r ef er ence mat er ial (eg pr ovided by t he Ar chdiocese or ot her sour ces) out lining t he scr ipt ur al,
t heological basis f or welcome, inclusion and belonging, and ident if ying essent ial component s.
ƒ Based on t he vision above, t he par ish devises and conduct s a welcome, inclusion and belonging ‘audit ’ of it self using a var iet y of
met hods, eg conver sat ions, sur veys, f ocus gr oups.
ƒ I n light of t he audit , t he par ish develops a Plan f or Welcome, I nclusion and Belonging, summar ised, eg as a ‘checklist ’, t hat all can use
as a key r ef er ence. I nclude in t he plan key pr inciples (eg Building an inclusive communit y is a t ot al communit y r esponsibilit y and not
t he t ask of a f ew) and specif ic pr oj ect s t o f ost er welcome, inclusion and belonging (see next point ).
ƒ Select specif ic pr oj ect s wit h t imef r ames2 t o develop impor t ant aspect s of welcome, inclusion and belonging.
ƒ Tar get specif ic gr oups (young, new par ent s at t he school/ pr eschool; new par ishioner s; sacr ament al par ent s; people wit h disabilit y,
t he sick; t hose f or whom English is a second language; t he aged...) at t he r ight t ime (t ime of f ir st and/ or signif icant cont act wit h
par ish or t r ansit ion t imes pr e-school/ Yr 1, Yr 7, illness, deat h of f amily member …) and make a place and a space f or ‘people’s st or y t o
be hear d’. Keep it simple.
ƒ Sunday Euchar ist is t he pr ime exper ience of welcome, inclusion and belonging, and t her ef or e f igur es pr ominent ly in any plan.
ƒ Lear n f r om ot her s who ar e good at welcome and inclusion. Visit par ish communit ies who have developed t his gif t . Consult helpf ul
r esour ces. Avoid complacency and f alling int o t he t r ap of t hinking ‘we’ve done t hat ’ . I t is hoped and is likely t hat some par ishes, in
t aking up t his challenge, will become places of excellence in r espect of welcome, inclusion and belonging. The ‘r est of us’ need t o
r ej oice in t hat and lear n f r om t hem.
ƒ Par ish leader ship makes it a pr ior it y t o link people int o meaningf ul, r elevant development exper iences - f ait h educat ion, spir it ual
gr owt h, j ust ice act ion, small gr oups et c. A sense of belonging and ident it y ar ises f r om t he awar eness t hat ‘I have a valued place in
t his communit y’. This is gener ally connect ed t o people’s act ive par t icipat ion in t he lif e and mission of t he par ish and is most of t en
expr essed t hr ough involvement in communit y act ivit ies and init iat ives3 .
ƒ I dent if y t hose people who have t he gif t s of hospit alit y and welcoming who can animat e t he par ish communit y in t aking up t his
minist r y. The past or or ot her par ish leader s have a pivot al r ole in calling f or t h f r om t he communit y people wit h t he gif t s and
commit ment t o dr ive such a pr oj ect . Pot ent ial leader s may need educat ion and t r aining, and will cer t ainly r equir e ongoing suppor t 4 .
ƒ Develop a vision f or past or al leader ship in par ishes, deaner ies, and t he Ar chdiocese, f or or dained and lay minist er s.
Est ablish a t ask gr oup t o dr af t t he vision st at ement wit hin t he f r amewor k of J esus Communion Mission.
Tap t he r ichness of exper ience in past or al leader ship in t he Ar chdiocese.
Dr aw on under st andings of past or al leader ship f r om ot her dioceses bot h nat ionally and int er nat ionally.
2B
Provide f ormat ion in leadership
ƒ Give pr ior it y t o f or mat ion and in-ser vice (annually) f or past or al leader s, based on t he ar chdiocesan st at ement above, f or t hose in
posit ions of past or al leader ship in par ishes, deaner ies and t he Ar chdiocese, ie bishops, deans, pr iest s, deacons and seminar ians;
past or al dir ect or s, past or al associat es and past or al minist r y coor dinat or s (eg leader s of sacr ament al t eams, RCI A 5 , r et ur ning
Cat holics pr ogr ams, ….); pr incipals and administ r at ion t eams of Cat holic schools, campus/ yout h minist er s.
ƒ Develop a pr ocess t o assist past or al leader s t o ident if y t heir own gif t s and t he gif t s of ot her s, and t o use t hose gif t s f or t he ser vice
of t he communit y and f or building ef f ect ive past or al t eams.
2C
Promot e and f ost er vocat ions t o
priest hood
ƒ Cont inue t o suppor t r ecent new init iat ives t o pr omot e and f ost er vocat ions at an ar chdiocesan level 7 .
ƒ Those in f or mat ion f or pr iest hood have ‘a f ace’ in t he Ar chdiocese t hr ough par ish visit s on a number of weekends t hr ough t he year ,
and ar e exposed t o t he spir it of t he Ar chdiocese t hr ough visit s t o t hose par ishes. This could include invit at ions t o at t end par t icular
occasions eg yout h gat her ings, par ish picnic or f et es, celebr at ions of t he sacr ament s of init iat ion….
ƒ Dur ing Vocat ions Week have seminar ians t ake a much higher pr of ile in par ishes. Use Vocat ions Week t o educat e all Cat holics
r egar ding t heir vocat ion and bapt ismal r esponsibilit y t o live and pr omot e f ull Chr ist ian lif e.
ƒ Vocat ions t o pr iest hood ar e a specif ic f ocus wit hin t he Pr ayer FI RE8 campaign f or use in f amilies and f ait h communit ies.
Who leads t he
implement at ion?
ƒ Past or , past or al st af f and
past or al council
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning 1
ƒ Past or , past or al st af f and
past or al council
ƒ Team leading t he pr oj ect in t he
par ish
ƒ Past or and past or al council
wit h ar chdiocesan suppor t if
needed
ƒ Ar chbishop wit h t ask gr oup
ƒ Ar chbishop, Dir ect or f or
Cont inuing For mat ion of
Past or al Suppor t , Council of
Pr iest s , Ar chbishop’s Past or al
Council (APC)6
ƒ Bishops in t he r egions, deans
and deaner y past or al councils
ƒ Past or s and past or al councils
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning
ƒ Seminar y leader ship
ƒ Vocat ions Week or ganiser s
2D
Promot e and f ost er lay past oral minist ry
3A
Develop archdiocesan policy
and guidelines
3B
Pilot an archdiocesan model
3.
Small group models are widely
used t hroughout t he
Archdiocese t o nurt ure and
support Cat holics in t he t hree
vit al areas of Christ ian lif e
3C
Promot e small groups widely
3D
Train and educat e small group leaders
3E
Provide archdiocesan resources
4.
Enriched by each ot her’s
gif t s, parishes and schools
work closely t oget her t o
serve t he mission of t he
Church
5.
All parishes t ake seriously
t heir responsibilit y t o develop
at t it udes, skills, programs,
resources and cont act point s
t o assist Cat holics t o
reconnect wit h t he
worshipping communit y
4A
Est ablish a common underst anding
4B
Connect t he people
5A
Find ways f or Cat holics t o reconnect
5B
Welcome and involve
Cat holics want ing t o reconnect
5C
Find and t rain leaders
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Fur t her develop, pr omot e and implement ar chdiocesan policies on lay past or al minist r y9 .
I dent if y, out line and publish t he var ious lay past or al minist r y r oles oper at ing in t he Ar chdiocese.
Adver t ise and pr omot e exist ing sour ces of f or mat ion f or var ious lay past or al minist r y r oles.
Develop ‘essent ials-t ype’ f or mat ion models f or pot ent ial lay past or al minist er s t hat can be deliver ed at deaner y or r egional level.
I mplement t he posit ion of lay par ish past or al dir ect or in t he next phase of past or al planning in t he Ar chdiocese10 .
ƒ Develop an ar chdiocesan policy and guidelines on t he r ole of small gr oups in t he local Chur ch.
ƒ Pr epar e a paper on small gr oup opt ions; dr aw on t he exper ience of small gr oups alr eady in t he Ar chdiocese.
ƒ Of f ice f or Lay Past or al
Minist r y
ƒ Bishops in t he r egion, deans
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning1
ƒ Ar chbishop, Commission f or
Evangelisat ion & Past or al
Planning
ƒ Commence a pilot pr oj ect t o develop an ar chdiocesan model of small gr oup oper at ion in t he lif e of t he local Chur ch. The model
suppor t s member s t o live out J esus Communion Mission. I nvit e par ishes t o par t icipat e in t he pilot .
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning and
ar chdiocesan r esour ce per son
ƒ Pr omot e t he r ole and value of small gr oups in t he past or al lif e of par ishes.
ƒ Hold seminar s f or past or al leader s on small gr oup models and t heir implement at ion – hold at deaner y and/ or r egional level.
ƒ Pr epar e pr omot ional mat er ials (f or use by par ishes) communicat ing t he r ole and value of small gr oups t o t he lives of individual
Cat holics and t o t he Cat holic communit y.
ƒ Af f ir m and suppor t exist ing small gr oups and suggest ways t o link wit h t he J esus Communion Mission f r amewor k.
ƒ Local past or s, past or al st af f ,
past or al councils
ƒ Bishop in t he r egion, deans and
ar chdiocesan r esour ce per son
ƒ Ar chdiocesan r esour ce per son
ƒ For past or al leader ship t eams in par ishes/ deaner ies: Develop and hold t r ain-t he-t r ainer t ype pr ogr ams on developing and sust aining
small gr oup leader s.
ƒ For small gr oup leader s: Develop and hold t r aining pr ogr ams on leading small gr oups.
ƒ Pr oduce a simple, user -f r iendly, pr act ical handbook.
ƒ Ar chdiocesan r esour ce per son
ƒ Appoint a small gr oups r esour ce per son at ar chdiocesan level.
ƒ Pr oduce pr omot ional and educat ional mat er ial f or each phase of small gr oup development .
ƒ Pr ovide and f acilit at e ongoing suppor t and t r aining f or long t er m oper at ion and development of small gr oups in t he lif e of t he
Ar chdiocese.
ƒ Ar chbishop appoint s t he
r esour ce per son
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning and
ar chdiocesan r esour ce per son
ƒ Est ablish, communicat e and maint ain acr oss t he Ar chdiocese a common under st anding of t he r elat ionship bet ween t he par ish and
school wit hin t he mission of t he Chur ch. This is done at :
ar chdiocesan level t hr ough t he Br isbane Cat holic Educat ion Council (BCEC) and t he Ar chbishop’s Past or al Council (APC) and/ or
Council of Pr iest s
‘on t he gr ound’ at local par ish and school level wher e dif f er ent under st andings of t he r elat ionship can oper at e11.
ƒ At local level est ablish a par ish-school t ask gr oup under t he auspices of t he par ish past or al council and t he school Par ent s and
Fr iends t o develop ef f ect ive ways f or par ish and school t o connect wit h each ot her 12 .
ƒ Ar chbishop’s Past or al Council
ƒ Past or s and pr incipals
ƒ Do simple t hings wit h t he common pur pose of having people meet one anot her , make meaningf ul connect ion, and lessen r isk of
misunder st anding and negat ivit y13 .
ƒ Est ablish r egular , good qualit y communicat ion init iat ives bet ween key per sonnel in par ish and school.
ƒ J oint ly pr omot e event s and init iat ives – shar ed newslet t er segment s.
ƒ Under t ake j oint pr oj ect s wit h mut ual benef it s.
ƒ Each par ish, alone or in collabor at ion wit h ot her par ishes, of f er s a pr ogr am t hat assist s Cat holics t o r econnect wit h t he wor shipping
communit y. For example, t he Cat holics Ret ur ning Home pr ogr am is alr eady in init ial implement at ion phase in sever al par ishes14 .
ƒ Find ot her ‘r econnect ing wit h Chur ch’ appr oaches t hat ar e available, wit h a view t o having opt ions f or dif f er ent cir cumst ances.
ƒ I nt egr at e t he J esus Communion Mission f r amewor k int o t he r econnect ion pr ogr ams.
ƒ Make invit at ions t o Cat holics at ot her key t imes of connect ion wit h Chur ch: pr epar at ion f or sacr ament s of init iat ion; illness and
deat h of a f amily member ; signif icant school event s. Pr omot e a new awar eness of r econnect ing oppor t unit ies, wit h par t icular
at t ent ion t o par ent s at sacr ament al pr epar at ion t ime. The impact of t he per sonal invit at ion is signif icant .
ƒ Review par ent mat er ial used in sacr ament al pr epar at ion pr ogr ams so t hat it is user -f r iendly and appr opr iat e f or long-t ime
unconnect ed Cat holic par ent s. Link such par ent s t o ‘r econnect ion’ pr ogr ams above.
ƒ The Ar chdiocese develops an ‘Ar e We Ready ?’ communit y development checklist t o help par ishes ascer t ain t heir r eadiness t o accept
r et ur ning and/ or new Cat holics. Par ishes use t he checklist t o pr epar e t he communit y. This is an out r each of t he ent ir e communit y:
signif icant communicat ion occur s wit h all t o develop a sense of owner ship and r esponsibilit y (bapt ismal r esponsibilit y).
ƒ Connect r et ur ning member s t o some act ivit y/ gr oup t hat is act ive in t he par ish, bef or e t he r econnect ion pr ogr am is f inished.
ƒ Develop a ‘r it e of passage/ welcoming r it ual’ celebr at ing t he j our ney back t o Chur ch.
ƒ I nt egr at e wit h st r at egies in # 1 on developing a welcoming and inclusive communit y.
ƒ While st r essing t he communit y’s r esponsibilit y f or t his out r each, par ish leader ship f inds and t r ains a small t eam of lay leader s t o
animat e t he par ish in t his pr oj ect .
ƒ Link wit h par ishes t hat ar e alr eady successf ul in t his and lear n f r om t hem.
ƒ Past or s and pr incipals
ƒ Past or al councils and school
P&Fs
ƒ Past or s and pr incipals
ƒ Past or al councils and school
P&Fs
ƒ Past or & past or al council
ƒ Dean & deaner y past or al
council
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning
ƒ The Lit ur gical Commission
ƒ Commission f or Evangelisat ion
& Past or al Planning
ƒ Past or s and past or al councils
ƒ Lit ur gy commit t ee wit h
r esour ces f r om The Lit ur gical
Commission
ƒ Past or s and past or al councils