In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis exclaims: “In our day Jesus’ command to ‘go and make disciples’ echoes in the changing scenarios and ever new challenges to the Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of us are called to take part in this new missionary ‘going forth’. Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel.”
How will we respond at Cathedral? How about being part of the Alpha ministry? Alpha is a perfect place to get acquainted with others in and outside of the parish around a shared meal and discussion. The ministry is one tool we are using to move our parish from maintenance to Mission. Alpha transmits the faith through initial proclamation, in language any person, even unchurched, can understand and encourages us to go off the church campus to invite others to consider Christianity.
Think about the many ways you can participate in the life of the parishserving at Mass, joining a Bible Study or Book Club, joining the Knights of Columbus or helping the Cathedral Council of Catholic Women (CCCW). Increased opportunities both during the day and in the evenings for adult faith formation is helping parishioners and guests to continue to be formed in the faith. All of this missionary movement is to help people become intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. And we will continue to seek ways to form and accompany parishioners as they discern their unique way to make Christ known in the world.
The list below outlines the differences between a parish in maintenance mode and one that is in mission mode. Bobby Vidal, who is the Director of Evangelization and Lay Formation at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Santa Clarita, California wrote the first seven and the eighth was provided by Sherry Weddell, author of the book “Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples.”
Reflect on these differences with us. When ready, think about your answer to this question: How will you continue to help the Cathedral move from maintenance to mission?
If you are interested in any of our ministries at the Cathedral or for more information about the next session of Alpha starting on June 10th, please reach out to Vicki Compton at [email protected] or 522-3342.
