Many of us have seen the increasing news coverage regarding the intense housing shortage in our Province. In response, Archbishop Dunn named homelessness as one of our four diocesan pastoral priorities. This priority asks all of us to do what we can to combat homelessness and housing insecurity at every level and encounter the Lord Jesus in the those who do without (cf. Matthew 25:45). To that end, Archbishop Dunn invites parishes to consider supporting an emergency tiny shelter.
Sunday School is a familiar to term to many of the faithful. It is in this setting that we have traditionally done, catechesis, that is, the passing on of the faith. This task is essential to the growth of our Church universally and locally. For Archbishop Dunn this is a priority - a pastoral priorities. In his January letter to the faithful he said:
Knowing who you are is important. As followers of Christ, we know we are sons and daughters of Christ, individually. Yet we live our faith communally as part of a parish. What is the identity of your parish. In the last 18 months, the parishes of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth have not only lived a new reality in light of a global pandemic but ALSO as new parishes.
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”
