Reimagining the Local Church in Melbourne

Reimagining our Church – Mission and Structure

Archbishop Peter Comensoli invites engagement in

‘Take the Way of the Gospel’

How might our local communities of faith continue to address the missionary call of the Gospel into the future?  

This question is at the heart of Archbishop Peter Comensoli’s recent Pastoral Letter at Pentecost entitled, ‘Take the Way of the Gospel’ and his recent meetings with clergy and lay leaders from parishes across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.  In writing to those who attended, the Archbishop encouraged local communities, together with their clergy, to enter into a period of discernment and discussion about reimagining our local Church as mission communities.

“Let me reiterate to you what we are striving to accomplish overall:

I am calling us all, as God’s people, to see how we might identify and arrange the Archdiocese into Mission locations, each comprising a family of communities:

This is not about parish amalgamations or closures, nor the grouping of parishes into already prescribed boundaries.

There are no pre-determined models or propositions at this stage: 

Only some data and logic that may provide food for thought as we work through our conversations at local levels.

There will be places that are ready to embrace a Mission quickly, and others that will take time: 

This is not a race, but a way to build up our communities of worship and faith for our children, and their children.

Our task now is to see what our faith families might look, feel and live like:

What gifts our communities can bring to each other’s lives, before questions of the number of parishes or communities within each Mission might be properly asked.

The pathway ahead will be a time of prayerful discernment: 

And an openness to building towards a deeper encounter with Christ within local circumstances.”

Archbishop Peter Comensoli (10 June 2021)

Find ways that you can engage in ‘Take the Way of the Gospel’.  Visit the Archdiocesan website for resources and to participate in any of the planned activities:

• Regional Gatherings are taking place in early August for local communities to come together to discuss how we might respond to this missionary call. 
• Together we Pray is an invitation to pray for our Archdiocese during this time of discernment, and call on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.  Join weekly online prayer via Zoom (the same session will be run twice):-
  • Wednesdays 7.30 pm to 8.00 pm: 16, 23, 30 June and 7 & 14 July
  • Thursdays 12.30 pm to1.00 pm: 17, 24 June and 1, 8 & 15 July
• Beginning the Journey workshop is an opportunity to ponder how each of us is being called by the Holy Spirit into a renewed way of belonging in our local Church. 
• Provide your feedback or ask a question about plans for Church renewal across both the Archdiocese and our parishes by visiting the parish website.

By Tricia Norman