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ALIVE IN CHRIST

Making Mission Possible in your Parish

“To the extent that we nourish ourselves on Christ and are in love with him, we feel within us the incentive to bring others to him: indeed, we cannot keep the joy of the faith to ourselves; we must pass it on.”

Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Address to Rome Diocesan Congress 2006.

These words echo the earlier words of Pope Paul VI “ It is unthinkable that having received Christ we don’t in turn share him with others” and those of Pope John Paul II “To evangelise is an obligation of love.”

This constant call to evangelise is not something optional, it is the very vocation of the People of God, which Jesus called us to in Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.” This mission can take many forms and it is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit who wants to work through us. Some of us might reach out in a practical witness of love and holiness by serving the poor and marginalised or by standing against injustice and creatively proclaiming the message of God’s love, or we may speak to our friends, relatives or colleagues about our faith and share how God is helping us in our everyday lives. But for many Catholics the first and easiest steps that they take as part of this mission are from within the parish community with the support and encouragement of their fellow Catholics.

Our parishes are an amazing gift not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and neighbours too. They are the centres where we are sent out after Mass to take the fruits of the Eucharist that we have received into the world around us and they can become vibrant places of God’s Kingdom, drawing people to come and experience the Living Water of God’s love.

The CaFE team has sensed that there is a growing need for parish communities to catch a fresh vision for evangelisation and mission and with the support and encouragement of CASE (the Catholic Bishop’s Conference Agency to Support Evangelisation) they are producing a practical and inspiring DVD that will be given free to every parish in England and Wales to coincide with Home Mission Sunday in the Autumn. It will help Priests, Catechists and lay leaders with ideas on how to be more outward looking in their communities and how to make the best use of the opportunities that are available to spread the Gospel.

The DVD will be sent out free to parishes and video clips will be available on our newly redesigned web-site. There will be short sections on Mission within the Parish (ongoing formation and catechesis), Mission Outside the Parish, Practical Steps to Mission, Mission to Young People, Mission Through Service and Mission Through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

We have filmed a number of testimonies and interviews with people actively involved in evangelisation and mission (Michelle Moran, Fr Richard McKay, Clare Ward, Clare Ford, Charles Whitehead, Emily Davis and others) and are currently editing the input. Please pray that their experience and wisdom will inspire many parishes.

For more information about this or any of the CaFE resources please contact:

Catholic Evangelisation Services
PO Box 333,
St Albans, Herts. AL2 1EL
Tel: 01727 823803/Fax: 01727 822837
Email: resources@faithcafe.org

Web-Site: www.faithcafe.org
(contains samples of all the CaFE resources)
and www.youthcafe.org

Catholic Evangelisation Services PO Box 333, St Albans, Herts. AL2 1EL Tel: 01727 823803/Fax: 01727 822837 Email: resources(at)faithcafe.org Web-Site: www.faithcafe.org www.youthcafe.org

David Payne interviews Charles Whitehead

Emily Davis talks about evangelising youth

Fr Richard McKay on Mission through Service

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These words echo the earlier words of Pope Paul VI “ It is unthinkable that having received Christ we don’t in turn share him with others” and those of Pope John Paul II “To evangelise is an obligation of love.” This constant call to evangelise is not something optional, it is the very vocation of the People of God, which Jesus called us to in Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.” This mission can take many forms and it is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit who wants to work through us. Some of us might reach out in a practical witness of love and holiness by serving the poor and marginalised or by standing against injustice and creatively proclaiming the message of God’s love, or we may speak to our friends, relatives or colleagues about our faith and share how God is helping us in our everyday lives. But for many Catholics the first and easiest steps that they take as part of this mission are from within the parish community with the support and encouragement of their fellow Catholics. Our parishes are an amazing gift not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and neighbours too. They are the centres where we are sent out after Mass to take the fruits of the Eucharist that we have received into the world around us and they can become vibrant places of God’s Kingdom, drawing people to come and experience the Living Water of God’s love. The CaFE team has sensed that there is a growing need for parish communities to catch a fresh vision for evangelisation and mission and with the support and encouragement of CASE (the Catholic Bishop’s Conference Agency to Support Evangelisation) they are producing a practical and inspiring DVD that will be given free to every parish in England and Wales to coincide with Home Mission Sunday in the Autumn. It will help Priests, Catechists and lay leaders with ideas on how to be more outward looking in their communities and how to make the best use of the opportunities that are available to spread the Gospel. The DVD will be sent out free to parishes and video clips will be available on our newly redesigned web-site. There will be short sections on Mission within the Parish (ongoing formation and catechesis), Mission Outside the Parish, Practical Steps to Mission, Mission to Young People, Mission Through Service and Mission Through the Power of the Holy Spirit. We have filmed a number of testimonies and interviews with people actively involved in evangelisation and mission (Michelle Moran, Fr Richard McKay, Clare Ward, Clare Ford, Charles Whitehead, Emily Davis and others) and are currently editing the input. Please pray that their experience and wisdom will inspire many parishes. For more information about this or any of the CaFE resources please contact: Catholic Evangelisation Services PO Box 333, St Albans, Herts. AL2 1EL Tel: 01727 823803/Fax: 01727 822837 Email: resources@faithcafe.org Web-Site: www.faithcafe.org (contains samples of all the CaFE resources) and www.youthcafe.org Catholic Evangelisation Services PO Box 333, St Albans, Herts. AL2 1EL Tel: 01727 823803/Fax: 01727 822837 Email: resources(at)faithcafe.org Web-Site: www.faithcafe.org www.youthcafe.org		David Payne interviews Charles Whitehead Emily Davis talks about evangelising youth Fr Richard McKay on Mission through Service