This blog page is published as a place to engage with the ongoing Archdiocesan plan to discuss the “Re-Imagining” of the Mission of the Church in Melbourne. A prayer card may be viewed here.

You will find a full presentation of the theme and various resources at the Melbourne Archdiocesan site here. 

September 17th 2021

BRIEFING OF PARISH COMMITTEES

In the past couple of weeks the four  major parish groups, Parish Council, Finance, SJOS and Liturgy , have been briefed on the Mission Renewal process at their regular meetings. Frustration has been expressed about the lack of a wider parish engagement with the issue, something that has been partly thwarted by the COVID restrictions and the suddenness of the process.   

Another issue that is emerging is the relationship of this process to firstly the Australian Plenary Council and the forthcoming  2023 Synod of Bishops in Rome on the theme of Synodality. Each DIocese is obliged to engage in a local process of discernment prior to wider consultation from the month of October prior to wider national and international consultation. 

Read more about parish mission renewal here.

September 12th 2021

PARISH REPS MEET AGAIN THIS WEEK

A number of parishes in our area met again online to discuss option for us in the ‘Mission’ process. Feedback from the recent Regional meeting was shared and possible paths forward explored in keeping with the Archdiocesan plan.

September 10th 2021

POSSIBLE MISSION NETWORKS IN OUR AREA

The Archdiocese has tentatively nominated two proposed “Mission Networks’ in our area which include five parishes with some demographic similarities and which include four parishes entrusted to religious congregations. View a map here. 

September 9th 2021

PARISH COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON “RE-IMAGINING OUR MISSION”

On Wednesday evening Sept 8th a major discussion item at the Parish Council meeting was the Archdiocesan process called “Take the Way of the Gospel” (Re-imagining the Mission of the Church in Melbourne).

Those who had participated in the recent Southern Region online event shared their reflections and reactions and some discussion ensued. The possibility of engaging with a number of neighbouring parish to explore what paths towards deeper collaboration might lie ahead  was endorsed and a request to the Archdiocese to provide a presenter to our forthcoming Parish Council Reflection Day was proposed.

September 8th 2021

Pope Francis poses four key questions we might ask of our local parish:

• Is it “in contact with the homes and the lives of its people?”
• Is it “an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration?”
• Does it “encourage and train its members to be evangelisers?”
• And is it “a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach?” (The Joy of the Gospel 28)