Providing support makes people feel welcome
This is an excerpt from a speech given during the fifth annual Archbishop’s Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in October.
I wish to share with you some of my hopes for working together in the coming years to accomplish the evangelizing mission of our local church. I equate these with our four major “priorities,” which will focus our efforts in several pastoral areas.
These priorities concentrate on specific areas of our mission, but in no way do they replace the initiatives being carried out in service of the wider community.
Our first priority is the very centre of Catholic life: the Eucharist, the time when we come together at Mass. For most Catholics Sunday Mass is their principal point of contact with the Church. That’s why it’s important that priests and lay faithful alike to strive to “Make every Sunday matter.”
First of all, that the celebration of Sunday Mass must be reverent and beautiful, but also that those of us who preach must work harder to be truly relevant to our parishioners’ daily lives, proclaim the core of the Gospel message, improve our public speaking; and find ways to get effective feedback on our homilies.
This priority entails being more welcoming to those who are new to the faith or are infrequent visitors to our churches. It is also an appeal to pay more attention to the quality of music in our liturgies.
Since our goal as Christians is to grow in friendship with the Lord, the second priority states: “Get closer to Jesus.” Many are looking for ways to encounter Him in a more intimate and personal way.
To help in this search, we are encouraging proved programs of evangelization, such as Alpha, and CCO’s Discovery series, as entry points into faith formation programs in our parishes, schools, and associations.
Others in their spiritual life are looking for ways to deepen their discipleship, especially our young people.
Among the initiatives planned is encouraging young adult Catholics to spend a “gap” year with a national or international organization, such as NET ministries, Catholic Christian Outreach, or the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, which offer discipleship formation, community life, and active service of others.
Because of the focus on the family at the recent Synod of Bishops and the subsequent apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis: The Joy of Love, our third priority is to “Strengthen marriages and families.”
To accomplish this goal we are offering programs for parents, grandparents, and educators who are looking for practical tools and strategies which address their “felt needs,” such as how to deal with Internet safety, drug and alcohol use, dating, the influence of social media, and so on.
We also recognize a call to meet the particular needs of separated and divorced Catholics in our parishes, to improve our marriage preparation program, and to help connect parishioners with counselling services that address their challenges.
Our last archdiocesan priority touches directly upon our parishes: to “Develop parish leadership and support.” Parishes thrive when their pastors are given the tools to delegate and share leadership responsibilities with evangelized and prepared religious and lay people.
Many instruments are available to help in this endeavour of heightening the awareness of co-responsibility for the parish and the Church’s mission, such as the Evangelium program and others currently in use elsewhere.
All these initiatives are directed at making our parishes increasingly mission-minded, with an engaged laity which accepts responsibility for the spiritual and apostolic life of their communities.
These priorities, I firmly hope, will foster the Church’s evangelizing mission which the Lord has entrusted to each one of us.
Before concluding, it is necessary to say a word about the allocation of the funds raised by tonight’s Dinner. In keeping with the spirit of the Jubilee of Mercy, this year they are being designated for Catholic Charities’ Shelter Services, which includes both the Door Is Open and the Men’s Shelter, critical ministries of mercy.
As some of you know, the Men’s Shelter, at 150 Robson St., will need to move to another location, which was a condition of the sale of the property. Although we are still uncertain about the exact location of a new facility and the precise nature of the services it will provide, we do know that we will be responsible for many of the expenses involved in any move.
This will be very costly, but necessary, if we are to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for those seeking shelter, whether short-term or transitory. Here I would like to add that, in the new facility, we foresee including services for women in difficult situations.
