Print friendly
At last weekend’s Parish Renewal Conference in Sydney, New Zealand’s Bishop John Adams (left) spoke of the wisdom he gained after his parish was all but destroyed during the Christchurch earthquakes.
Adams was a special guest speaker at the weekend conference which included discussions, workshops and inspiring testimonies.
Transforming parishes
The conference organisers aimed to equip participants from dioceses in Sydney, New South Wales and even New Zealand to transform their parishes into vibrant hubs of faith and service.
Sydney’s Archbishop Anthony Fisher (middle) challenged participants to “rise to the occasion” in renewing their parishes.
“Creating communities of the faithful requires concerted effort by all if parishes are to be powerhouses of evangelisation” he said.
Adams’ contribution
In his session, Adams spoke of leading his parish through Christchurch’s post-earthquake trials and recovery.
Participants saw images of his beloved church reduced to rubble.
They heard how the seven-year trudge after the earthquakes saw his parish descend into a “dull pessimism” and his flock “masquerading in their faith”.
He offered some practical advice based on his successful parish renewal experience which included fostering an atmosphere of spiritual growth and community engagement.
Inspiring a faithful fusion of clergy and laity, of vision and mission, to work together to foster a culture change in his parish needed fundamental change.
They started with creating 20-strong parish “project teams” he said.
The teams met weekly to begin the process of parish renewal.
He also created “leadership pipelines”. The purpose of these was to identify parish leaders.
Another group encouraged parents of children preparing to receive the sacraments to complete the Alpha programme.
Deeper conversions occurred in a re-engaged parish that “became truly Catholic”.
Baptisms grew from 30 to 90. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults groups began to flourish.
Adams discussed energising parishes and initiating renewal in more detail at other workshops.
Participant responses
” As Bishop Adams so eloquently shared, we all have a part to play in fostering a welcoming and compelling environment in which Christ’s love is personally encountered” said the Director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation.
“It will be good to incorporate all the things Bishop John mentioned to open the doors and explore other ways people can come to church” a participant said.
“There is a real culture change … a little bit of revolution in our faith to reach out to our young people and older people to bring Christ to absolutely everyone. As people, not projects. And I learned that today.”
A young woman was encouraged to see so many young people in attendance.
“We are the future of the church, and it’s we who need to lead renewal in our churches, to experience the Eucharist and the joy of Mass … after today, I am more confident to be what my parish needs me to be.”
Bishop Richard Umbers thought it was an enriching day for everyone.
“Today people were very raw and real about sharing what they believe and that’s what is missionary. There’s a solidarity in that, in the mission. We’re all in it and today has been a real sharing of faith.”
Source
Related Posts:
News category: New Zealand.
