fit for mission – NZ Catholic Newspaper

Projects exemplify Fit 4 Mission

Rowena Orejana — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 21:42:42 +0000

by ROWENA OREJANA Auckland parishes are struggling to find projects to undertake that fit the year-old Fit 4 Mission, Auckland’s diocesan pastoral plan. Parish and pastoral services group leader Pat Lythe told NZ Catholic they are not yet where they want to be, “but it’s not too bad”. “We are not as far as I

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Homily outlines missionary steps

NZ Catholic Staff — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:00:19 +0000

by NZ CATHOLIC staff
AUCKLAND — The parish priest of St John the Baptist Church, Parnell, Msgr David Tonks, suggests three steps for being missionary.
In his homily for Sunday June 15, reflecting on Auckland diocese’s Fitness for Mission plan, Msgr Tonks said those steps could be:
1. Treasuring the Lord within us. We commit ourselves to prayer, reflection on the words and stories of Scripture, participation in the life of the faith community and living the joy of the Gospel. Our fitness level rises. The Spirit of the Lord grows in us and spills
from us.
2. Then we open our eyes and hearts to others. Many parishioners already do this in wonderful ways: supporting a bereaved friend through kindness and prayer; treating graciously a difficult work colleague; affirming others for the goodness you see in them.
3. Finally, we try to put our faith into words related to the particular person’s
situation. This final step may be the hardest, because it exposes our own faith, he
said. But if we believe we have found a treasure, don’t we want others to share it?
We tell others about a good restaurant or gym — surely we can share can even greater treasure: The Lord!

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Far North parishes hear about latest plan

Michael Otto — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 00:00:23 +0000

by ANNE STEAD
KAIKOHE — Members of far-flung Taitokerau parishes assembled again this year in Kaikohe for the Bishop’s Forum, led by Bishop Patrick Dunn and his diocesan team.
Bishop Dunn said he sees the forum as a model for the diocese.
This year’s focus was the 2014 Diocesan Pastoral Plan, that seeks to implement the call of Pope Francis to mission — individual and collective. Bishop Dunn explained that whereas
previous plans focused on youth, evangelisation, and building strong parishes, “now it is time to make the 1950s model more mission-effective. Baptism calls us to be mission-minded, for example helping and engaging school families, moving forward rather than staying still.” He suggested renaming parish pastoral councils as parish mission councils, and using the two mission-focused Mass dismissals could sharpen the focus.
God’s chosen, not God’s frozen
Our responses should reflect social change and historical events, he said.
We are called to be God’s chosen, not God’s frozen!
A drive through Three Kings can cross 12 parishes in 10 minutes!
Christchurch lost one third of its churches.
How do we meet the needs of increasingly diverse ethnic parish communities?
Our school liturgies are now the only Church experience for many Catholic school students. How can we involve them, and therefore their families, in attending Mass?
Electronic communication is the key.
Bishop Dunn referred to the haka for the recent meeting of Oceania bishops on YouTube (13,000 hits) and the Eucharistic Convention website (1 million a year). Those relatively small examples are a fraction of electronic communications potential.
Bishop Dunn said the plan needs to be simple, concise, essentially portable to enable and enhance long-term implementation. Diocesan education initiatives are in place to support parish mission projects.
Ite missa est — the mission begins Parish groups discussed current and future initiatives. Their feedback reflects the challenges met by northern parishes of the diocese, in particular
the isolated, remote rural Far North communities.
Long distances across each Far North parish shape pragmatic responses characterised by the work of individuals and their families. Those range from focusing on Mass attenders and their
needs, tangi and unveiling ceremonies, supporting non-Catholics in the community, providing safe haven for those returning to rural areas, the gathering of food to give to a local foodbank.
Three Marist Brothers will soon trial a return to Kaikohe, based at St Anthony’s Church, to mentor secondary school students and work with at-risk teenagers. The three month trial will be reviewable.
Marist Sisters are moving from Waitaruke to Kaikohe to support the wives and partners of prisoners at Ngawha.
This complements the existing outreach to Northern Correctional Facility inmates through the work of Catholic chaplain Gwen Tahana, who found the forum exciting and uplifting.
Whangarei parish works on enabling parishioners to be part of parish vision, creating a welcoming Christ-centred community. Priorities include keeping its outlying parishes connected, empowering laity through a multiplicity of designated roles, and sustaining the
involvement of Catholic schools within the parish. The weekly distribution of lunches to low-decile schools, and food parcels and school vege garden produce to families in need, characterises practical outreach initiatives.
Collaboration through communication emerged as a key priority. The parish website is ripe for development and expansion. It has exciting potential, for example as an interactive parishioner forum re-engaging young adults with their faith.
Parishioners at the forum travelled from Kaitaia, Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, mid-North, Dargaville, Whangarei and Wellsford.

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Fit for Mission plan launched in diocese

Rowena Orejana — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 21:21:12 +0000

by ROWENA OREJANA
AUCKLAND — Parishes in Auckland started the launch of Fit for Mission, a grassroots diocesan pastoral plan, on Pentecost Sunday. The plan calls for Catholics to look outside their own
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