Of course, people of faith know that God is always doing a new thing with each day, with each season, in every person. And we also know that every new thing is consistent with what God has done in Jesus Christ. What a new thing that was. No one expected that God would come and dwell amongst us; that the promised Messiah would be born to a very young couple with literally no place to lay the baby’s head.
For years now, the Diocesan Liturgy Council, often in the good company of the Catholic Schools Office’s Religious Education and Spirituality Team, has been inviting communities of faith to ‘do new things’ and to ‘reimagine’ the things we think we know so well. One of the most significant challenges of such an invitation is imagining what a new thing or a reimagined thing might look like, be like, sound like, feel like.
Spring teaches us about imagining and reimagining. New life springs from seeds planted some time ago, and from plants pruned.
And so it is with the invitation to do new things and reimagine constant things in our liturgy, our prayer and our worship. New shoots emerge, enquiries and requests for accompaniment are made, new celebrations come to birth when the time is right and there is a readiness in the community.
It would seem that ‘readiness’ is in the spring air! To this readiness we can add the vision Bishop Michael Kennedy has begun to articulate, for a Church focused on mission and evangelisation, and for communities who celebrate good and life-giving prayer, worship and liturgy, and who are constantly engaged in faith formation.
I am feeling a synergy between vision and readiness, between hope and reality. So, if you think the Church is dormant, I invite you to ponder the following:
The Maitland Catholic Region has begun a focused journey into ‘Forming the Sacramental Life of the Church’. For months now, Fr Andrew Doohan and I have been listening to the comprehensive dream of the leadership team and we have shaped a formation pathway to respond to the needs and hopes they have identified. We began the journey with a foundational workshop that invited participants to reflect on our deep Catholic understanding of sacrament and liturgy. About 62 people participated in two workshops, and we are scheduling a third to accommodate those who couldn’t get to the first two. At the workshop, we joked about a ten-year journey that will unfold in response to need and interest, and will be paced to accommodate the busyness of people. The next step will be a formation retreat day called ‘Ministering at Two Tables’.
Some months ago, the Myall Coast Parish approached me with a similar need. I met a couple of times with an extended Leadership Team, sometimes with 12 or 15 people sitting around the table sharing their needs and reflections. From that, we shaped a Formation retreat day focused on ‘Forming the Liturgical Life of the Church’. We had about 20 people last Thursday, and there is an open-ended invitation for us to continue to develop further opportunities as needs and desires continue to emerge.
Several months ago, Singleton Parish requested Stepping Stones formation for new and existing bereavement ministers. The Maitland Catholic Region had a similar need, Muswellbrook Parish was invited to participate, and now Stepping Stones is being hosted by Singleton Parish with a mix of people from Muswellbrook to Maitland. Such a mix of participants enriches the formation experience for all. This group is currently in the midst of Stepping Stones formation component, We Grieve II.
In all three of these formation journeys parish communities are focused on refreshing existing liturgical ministers and forming new ministers in such a way that existing ministers become mentors for new ministers.
Formation for the ministry of Christian Initiation is both a huge need and an exciting space that the Christian Initiation Forum has been nurturing since 2019 when Nick and Diana from Team Initiation spent a day with us. Since then, lots of buds and new shoots have begun to emerge, including the development of a suite of Diocesan Resources titled ‘Come and See’. These provide practical support to parishes who feel ready to reimagine this ministry in accord with the vision, principles and practice of the Rite of Christian initiation of Adults (RCIA). All resources are available on the diocesan website. [Click on the ‘Reimagining …’ drop-down menu.]
Currently, the Christian Initiation Forum is excited to be accompanying the City Region as they embark on a formation journey focused on forming a new team and growing the whole community’s capacity to be an initiating and evangelising community. The Church says very clearly that both ministries – evangelisation and initiation – are the responsibility of the whole parish community. We are grateful to the City Region who are open to learning with us and for the sake of the whole diocesan community.
On Saturday, 14 September, the Christian Initiation Forum hosted its first diocesan formation day. These days are called ‘Tilling the Soil of Christian Initiation’. The first day titled ‘I call you friends’, dug deep into the soil of God’s invitation to friendship, our Catholic understanding of revelation and faith, and Mystagogical Reflection. Some participants went away to ponder how they might wake up their parish community to its responsibility for this ministry, and how they could ensure the ministry functions for the whole year. Both are big steps for parishes already hosting the RCIA.
With Bishop Michael’s vision for us to be a missionary and evangelising Church, perhaps the most exciting new shoot in the prayer and liturgy landscape is Sacred Heart Beat. Sacred Heart Beat is developing a range of pastoral music strategies to reach out to a wider cross-section of people than those who usually hang out in our parish communities and particularly our worship. Earlier in the year, we had our first go at a ‘Catholic Praise and Worship Liturgy of the Word’. Last Saturday, we had our first ever ‘Creation Sings’, which is a version of the popular community choir phenomenon. About 60 people participated and we are very happy with that start. We had a great time learning a song and then we prayed. The song we learnt was part of the prayer. We will have similar events over the next twelve months. ‘Sing to the Lord’ is our cantor formation process, and the first group of cantors is now well into their practicum. The Diocesan Choir invites the participation of all interested singers into the choir for our big diocesan liturgies and events. Currently there are about 70 people on the database. They participate when it suits them. Some will be part of the choir for the annual National Police Remembrance Service we are hosting in the Cathedral this Friday, 27 September. The Service starts at 10.00 am. Please come along and stand with our Police Officers as they remember their colleagues who have been killed in the line of duty or who have died.
This litany of emerging buds and shoots are just the highlights.
To go back to where I began: In part what we are endeavouring to do in diocesan ministry is help parishes and other faith communities to imagine what could be and reimagine what is. Some of the opportunities outlined above model what can be done. The invitation is always there to ‘Come and See’. We are more than happy to accompany and support any community who would like to give something a go. Everything we do is available to share.
This is an exciting time and an exciting space that prompts and invites much reflection and learning together. The journey also asks a lot from us:
To be committed to ongoing faith formation and to good and life-giving prayer, worship, and liturgy requires readiness. We are not all ready. Communities are different. It is important to invite everyone and to accompany those who are ready.
It requires that each of us keeps focused on the good of the whole community. I participate in formation because the community needs me to, and the experience would be lacking something if I excluded myself.
It requires an openness and humility to stand before the mystery of God, the mystery of our Catholic faith, the mystery of our prayer and liturgy, aware that I and we do not know and understand it all, and never will. I am always forgetting some of what I thought I knew. I can always learn and deepen my appreciation of anything to do with the mystery of God.
It requires that we remember that in the celebration of Sacraments, and particularly the Eucharist, we do what the books say, while making use of the inbuilt flexibility. The Sacraments celebrate and form us in our Catholic Faith, the life and mission of the Church. I stand humbly before that mystery open to listen and receive, and to engage in the ongoing journey of conversation which requires learning – unlearning - relearning.
‘See, God is doing a new thing’ in us and with us as we open ourselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit who is always calling us forward. Anything mentioned is available to any parish when you feel ready to explore possibilities. The great gift of being part of a diocese is that we lean into each other’s questions and strengths, and learn together. E: louise.gannon@mn.catholic.org.au
Diocesan Liturgy Council Update
To keep abreast of the work of the Diocesan Liturgy Council, click on the link and then the ‘Council News’ drop-down menu, where you will find the latest meeting Report.
Acknowledgements
Images: Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash
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