PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE – ‘Mission is in our Midst!’

Dear Friends

              Mission awareness manifests itself in myriad ways, supported by the strong teachings of the Second Vatican Council, one of which was the important role of the Church in the Modern World. The Church ‘belongs there’ – not ‘world’ in the fickle, superficial sense but the world of goodness and human experience which was embraced by Jesus and where the majority of people find meaning as they read the ‘signs of the times’.

At this time, I’m sure that many are asking serious questions as communities face often extreme hardship caused by the floods in many centres. In the Northern Rivers, Lismore readily comes to mind where so many people are still in temporary accommodation and it is now likely that most of the Catholic schools in the area will need to be rebuilt on new sites so that they can obtain insurance cover and be registered as educational institutions.

The floods in Northern Victoria strike a chord with Augustinians as many served in the areas affected, particularly Rochester and Echuca, and formed close links with Catholic communities in other centres such as Shepparton. Time and again, we see communities rally to support one another, to build levies, to accommodate the homeless, to rescue those in trouble. These ‘signs of the times’ sound very like ‘mission’ to me – not in their minds perhaps but in reaching out to those in need. Where is ‘church’? In surprising places, surely as close to us as this total self-giving – so let’s name it – ‘Mission is in our midst!’

Continuing that theme, the seeds of mission are being sown in our schools as student leaders are elected for the coming year and are reminded of the mission, charism and core values that define each school’s identity. In recent weeks, I have been involved in Year 12 Graduation activities at St Augustine’s and Stella Maris and in the induction of new leaders at the latter. Mission ideals are very evident in our Catholic schools and in the amazing work of our catechists in government schools – our ‘local’ missionaries.

Our Parish Community lives mission in explicit ways. This weekend is the Catechist Recruitment Drive in North Harbour – an invitation to be involved in this important ministry as part of the Church’s mission. The 2021 Catechist video of Pope Francis being screened at all Masses contains great wisdom as the Pope centers his message on the ministry, mission and vocation of catechists, thanking them for their enthusiasm in transmitting the faith, and encouraging them to proclaim the Gospel with new languages and in new ways.

No matter what path we choose to live the Gospel, we need right thinking so that our hearts will be properly focused too. Taking the catechist vocation as an example, Pope Francis recognizes their work as an authentic mission and ministry at the service of the mission of the Church. He points out that it’s truly a vocation, since being a catechist means that youare a catechist’, not that you ‘work as a catechist.’ The Pope’s Motu Proprio - Antiquum ministerium, issued in May 2021, formally instituted the lay ministry of catechist.

In fact, the vocation or mission of the catechist is a very ancient ministry. The Church’s calendar of saints contains many catechists among its ranks. Several are martyrs, such as in Korea and Japan where the early Christian communities often had no experience of priests and lay catechists kept the faith alive.

‘Mission is in our midst!’ So what then is our personal call?    Fr Dave