St. Augustine’s renewal program ‘inspiring’: Archbishop

This is an excerpt of Archbishop Miller’s remarks during a visit to St. Augustine’s Parish Dec. 15. More information about parish visits, including photos of past events, here.

This visit has been a wonderful experience for me. Your team arranged that I meet with at least 35 different committees, groups, organizations and ministries that are actively engaged in the life of your dynamic parish family.

First of all, you are blessed, extraordinarily blessed, to have St. Augustine’s School as an integral part of your parish community. Your school is flourishing because of the extraordinary way in which it is carrying out its mission, under the outstanding leadership of your principal who is supported by an first-class staff, teachers and Parish Education Committee and parents.

Your Faith and Foundation Committee, the heart of which is prayer, deserves special recognition for its astute planning, stewardship, and determination. With you, I hope that in the next few years the new gymnasium and attendant facilities will be put in place.

Secondly, I remain impressed by how proud you are of your parish family, and how frequently you mentioned its welcoming spirit and sense of community. Unique to St. Augustine’s is the Oblate spirit, which of course gives you a particular evangelizing thrust, especially to the marginalized and neglected. 

This told me that as much as you value building up the community, that you do not want to become, as Pope Francis says, a “self-referential” or inward looking group. Your outreach to others – in charitable works, social justice initiatives and specifically evangelizing endeavours – bear witness to that. 

Thirdly, I have been inspired by the deliberative and intentional way in which you are going about parish renewal. Your listening circles begun two years ago, your formulation of a clear Vision Statement – “St. Augustine’s Parish is a vibrant Catholic community of faith and service living the love and compassion of Christ” – and your Mission Statement served as excellent preparation for the four pillars of focus identified and overseen by your Spiritual Renovation Leadership Team: faith formation, liturgy, social justice, and community life. What is most impressive is the spirit which carried this forward: prayerful, not rushed, but determined and practical.