On Friday, September 2, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) released a media statement about our national response to the Synod, as requested by Pope Francis. The message reads in part:
We all know people who would benefit from encountering the risen Lord and experience the peace, joy, and purpose that a relationship with Christ brings. However, it can be intimidating to try to reach out and start a conversation about God, or invite friends and family members to an event at your parish.
This weekend we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost – the birthday of the Church! To celebrate, Archbishop Dunn invited all the faithful to help our Church grow by inviting others to know Christ – just as the Apostles did that first Pentecost! In his message to the faithful he offered greetings but also an invitation:
Priority - Parish Identity
“Every one of our new Parishes needs to commit to developing a new Parish identity that is positive and united, regardless of the number of people or number of buildings. The focus must be on the whole community of the faithful that makes up the parish, rather than particular groups that gather at individual churches. Doing so will require fostering healthy relationships and new understandings of Parish life and roles.”
Priority - Homelessness
“While many are without homes in Nova Scotia, many more are presented with the impossible choice of whether they spend what little they have on shelter or food. I realize that many of our Parishes have ministries dedicated to these and other social issues, e.g., food banks, various kinds of outreach, etc. This can provide a variety of opportunities where we can collaborate with our brothers and sisters of other Christian denominations. Our new Parishes have many properties, some of them surplus, and I ask Parish leadership to consider whether some existing resources can be diverted for the service of the homeless in some way.”
Priority - Evangelization
“Evangelization – proclaiming the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – is the primary activity of the Church. Each new Parish must have a plan for evangelization with a commitment to a particular program of evangelization. Significant time, energy, and resources should be invested in reaching the various audiences of the new evangelization: those who have never heard the Word of God, those who have heard the Word of God but fallen away, and those who have heard the Word of God yet require ever deepening conversion”
