This week we celebrate Pentecost Sunday and welcome seven adults into full communion with the Catholic Church. As the Easter season comes to an end and the Paschal Candle is extinguished from the Sanctuary the flame of faith is passed on to the community of faith. It is indeed a wonderful feast to celebrate the initiation of new members into our community. Michelle, Martin and Chris will be welcomed and baptised at the Pentecost Vigil at Deepdene and Rebecca, Jaxon and Penny will be received into full communion with the Church through Confirmation and Eucharist at the same Mass. Carol-Ann will be received into full communion through Confirmation and Eucharist at Our Lady’s, Wattle Park, on Pentecost Sunday. We congratulate them all and thank them for their witness to the faith.
Pentecost is also a time for us to think about new beginnings, as we celebrate the birth of the Church, through the sending of the Spirit. So, today I would like to continue to reflect on the proposed amalgamation of our three Parishes and share with you the proposed vision and mission for our amalgamated parish. Our representative Parish Pastoral Council has been working hard and has developed a working vision and mission for us. The vision statement is: United, we welcome all to join us as we journey in faith with God’s grace. And our mission: Through worship, outreach and genuine connections, we aim to inspire, transform lives and spread Christ’s love, welcoming all into our inclusive faith-community.
The vision and mission for our amalgamated parish builds on the past and projects us into the future. We will be united as a parish. Unity is always more than uniformity. There is and will remain a diversity of expressions of faith, worship and outreach across our communities. At the same time, we are united in the faith of Pentecost. We are reminded in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that the newly formed Pentecost community gathered together and were united in four things: the teaching of the apostles, prayer, the breaking of bread and service. We too will be united in these things as we continue in line with the faith of the early Church. We too, like the early Church, will welcome all to join us as we journey in faith. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that each day new members were added to their number.
Our mission begins with worship. At its heart, our parish is a Eucharistic community, drawing life from the Eucharist and returning to the Eucharist for nourishment. The Eucharist sends us out. So, our mission moves from Eucharist to outreach and connections with those within our communities and beyond. We do indeed want to inspire people and see their lives transformed by the power of the Gospel of Christ. We also want to be an inclusive and welcoming community to all who pass our way.
Our vision and mission are in line with the proposed new parish name, Our Lady of Pentecost. The Feast of Pentecost will become a significant feast for our parish communities into the future. I invite everyone to come with us on this journey of new birth and new life inspired and guided by the Spirit. The Spirit, after all, will be the only one that can bring our vision and mission to life. Happy Pentecost.
Published: 17 May 2024
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