OUR VISION
We see our parish as:
and we have committed to:
A detailed explanation to assist in the understanding of our vision is below:
In developing our Parish Vision we were driven by the Divine Renovation framework for bringing parishes from focusing on maintenance to focusing on mission.
Watch the video below for some background on this framework.
In our Parish Vision the following key elements emerge:
“A family of diverse communities” – COMMUNITY connection and belonging.
“United as one in faith” – WORSHIP and Prayer (the Sacraments and Scripture).
“Leading others” – Servant LEADERSHIP (ministry, service, and mentoring).
“To Encounter Christ” – EVANGELISATION and spiritual renewal.
“So they may be empowered” – Ongoing FORMATION and accompaniment.
“To walk with us in His ways” – MISSION and witness in everyday life.
When we implement actions to advance our parish vision we also follow a common set of values:
OUR PARISH DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY
To advance our parish vision we have prepared our Parish Discipleship Pathway to help us understand more fully the journey we must take in following Jesus, both personally as individuals and communally as a Parish, and the corresponding actions that are needed to be undertaken within our parish.
This Discipleship Pathway diagram (below) is the outcome of our desire to best understand how we can most fruitfully fulfil our Parish Vision and Mission while also being faithful to the call of Christ on the Church in the Great Commission.
The principles, concepts, and terminology used in our Parish Discipleship Pathway are not new, nor is what we are proposing breaking new ground in the Church. However, this is certainly new for our Parish.
The Foundation Stones
In learning to understand our Parish Discipleship Pathway model we need to start with the foundation stones, the steps along the pathway to discipleship.
The key areas of focus that arose from our Vision were reordered to reflect a more practical and theologically sound pathway, and they became our 6 FOUNDATION STONES. These are the ‘steps’ of the journey. However, rather than see each step as an isolated moment to reach and then leave behind, these steps build on each other and are connected to each other. Hence, they lay a foundation in our lives of discipleship of Jesus and serve an ongoing purpose. These Foundation Stones will be underpinned by a variety of goals, actions, and ministries.
The 1st Foundation Stone of Evangelisation is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented theological and ministerial principles in all of Catholicism. Yet, it is also one of the most fundamental and consistently used terms by the Church, from the Second Vatican Council and every Pope since. For example, Pope Paul the 6th wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi (‘On Evangelisation in the Modern World’, #14): “We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. […] Evangelising is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelise”. Pope St John Paul the 2nd wrote even more often about Evangelisation. For example, in a discourse with a Plenary gathering of clergy in 1984 the Pope said: “Evangelization is the cornerstone of all pastoral action, the demands of which are primary, preeminent and preferential”.
Suffice it to say – it is essential, irreplaceable, and unavoidable for all people of faith to evangelise. But what is it? Simply put – Evangelisation is the joyful act of a faithful Christian sharing with another person the love of God we have encountered personally in Christ Jesus. It is not bible thumping street Evangelism, or Billy Graham style preaching crusades. Pope Francis put it perfectly when he wrote in Evangelii Gaudium (#121): “each of us should find ways to communicate Jesus wherever we are. All of us are called to offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord, who despite our imperfections offers us his closeness, his word and his strength, and gives meaning to our lives. In your heart you know that it is not the same to live without him; what you have come to realize, what has helped you to live and given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others”.
The Foundation Stone of Evangelisation is an area of Discipleship that requires us all to bring others into an encounter of and friendship with the person of Jesus Christ. As such it is essential that we provide inquirers with an experience of invitation, welcome, hospitality, a safe space to ask questions, to discover about the faith, and to encounter Jesus Christ as we share the Good News of the Gospel with them. As a current example of this in our Parish we host the Alpha program at least twice a year. Alpha is a tool of evangelisation that shares the fundamentals of the Christian faith, offers radical welcome and hospitality, is a safe space for sharing one’s journey and asking questions, and provides the opportunity for encountering Jesus in the community. So many of those who undertake the Alpha journey, either as cradle Catholics or those distant from the faith, find it a transformative and lifegiving experience. We have seen so much fruit born of this program in the lives of people who come alive in the faith of Jesus Christ. It is a joy to behold!
The 2nd Foundation Stone of Community is all about the experience of belonging in meaningful community. We are called to be in communion with one another as disciples called by Jesus and to share the joy of this common faith with others. In the previous era of the Church, it was expected that for someone to belong to a church community they automatically believed specific matters of faith and they behaved in a certain virtuous way. These days the dynamic is reversed. People are desiring to belong first; to feel connected, known, and loved, long before they can be drawn into a deeper understanding of the tenants of our faith. Moreover, all this must happen before they can then be open to hear and respond to the loving challenge to change their lives in fidelity to the teachings and ways of Christ, and to be supported by us in this.
An example of true Community in our Parish currently is that of our Passionist Family Groups. Family Groups are an experience of authentic Christian community founded in the simplicity of Christians caring for one another and sharing life with one another in a social setting. They are not prayer groups, but they are encouraged to pray together. They are not faith formation groups, but they are encouraged to grow together in their discipleship of Jesus. Anyone can join a Family Group, whatever your age, stage of faith, or situation in life (single, married, with kids, single parent, divorced, widowed etc.). Family Groups provide a safe place for members of our parish community to experience the love, support, care, and fellowship of a ‘family-style’ group.
The 3rd Foundation Stone of Worship flows out of this experience of community. Worship is where our burgeoning faith, having been planted and supported by evangelisation, and nourished and encouraged in community, is now finding its true supreme focal point, and that is our prayer to and worship of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship is about the encounter with God’s living presence, love, and mercy in the Eucharist (the Mass) and all the other Sacraments. Worship reorients us in mind, heart, body, and soul toward the Almighty in the various forms of our prayer and devotions.
This Foundation Stone reminds us that once we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we must never fail to nurture that relationship by spending time connecting with and speaking to Jesus as a friend and also thanking and praising Him as our Lord and Saviour. Worship is an experience of regular Mass attendance, of personal and communal prayer, of reading the Bible, of Eucharistic adoration and other prayer styles and opportunities.
The examples of Worship in our Parish are manifold. Our weekend celebrations of the Mass are the primary way we gather to worship. However, we also have multiple opportunities for Scripture prayer in small groups (i.e. Lenten and Advent groups), Rosary prayer groups throughout the week, post-Alpha Discipleship Groups, Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and Christian Meditation on Fridays. This is in addition to the opportunities for all other Sacraments that are regularly celebrated, like Confession or Baptism.
The 4th Foundation Stone of Formation calls for live-long learning as we desire to know more about and from Jesus Christ. As I have said many times, the original Greek word for ‘disciple’ means one who learns; one who is taught by another. A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who is learning not just about Him but is learning from Him. A disciple of Jesus is one who not only spends much time with Him but who also grows to become more like Him. “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master.” (Matt 10:24-25a)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes St Pope John Paul II when it acknowledges that “quite early on, the name catechesis was given to the totality of the Church’s efforts to make disciples” (CCC #4). We know of course that the formation and education of people in the tenants of the faith is incomplete in its ability to ‘make disciples’.
The Catechism goes on to address this stating:
“While not being formally identified with them, catechesis is built on a certain number of elements of the Church’s pastoral mission which have a catechetical aspect, that prepare for catechesis, or spring from it.
They are:
- The initial proclamation of the Gospel [Kerygma] or missionary preaching to arouse faith;
- examination of the reasons for belief;
- experience of Christian living;
- celebration of the sacraments;
- integration into the ecclesial community; and
- apostolic and missionary witness.”
(CCC #6 Emphasis mine)
It is upon this Foundation Stone that one grows in faith, holiness, and understanding, which enables them to know Christ better and live their discipleship more fully. The foundation stone of Formation is an experience of commitment to ongoing faith development, bible study, catechesis in the Catholic faith, spiritual reading, and the cultivation of spiritual disciplines/habits. A current example of this in our Parish is the ‘Catholicism’ Series that is being offered every Sunday morning in Tewantin for 10 weeks. This digital series of videos created by Bishop Robert Barron and Word on Fire Ministries is a presentation of different elements of the faith, allowing participants to go deeper in their understanding and appreciation of the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Catholic faith. It is offered with small discussion groups to unpack and share in a safe space.
The 5th Foundation Stone of Leadership is the call for us all to use our given gifts in service of others. As much as the term ‘evangelisation’ has the potential for misunderstanding or misrepresentation, so too is the term ‘leadership’. And we are not talking about the ministerial priesthood here. The Senior Leadership Team were clear on the need for us to retain the term Leadership, rather than ministry or service, because there is something very important at stake here. Yes, we will always need lay men and women to fulfil a variety of ministries in the Church and to serve their brothers and sisters in a variety of ways. But even more necessary at this time in our journey of parish renewal and discipleship is that of lay leadership.
This Foundation Stone is about servant leadership and implies that all who are called as Disciples of Jesus, with whatever gifts you have, in whatever stage of life you are, with whatever time you have available, and in whatever circumstances you may find yourself in daily life, you are to ‘lead’ others to Christ. Leadership is the ability to influence, serve, and move people toward the work of building God’s Kingdom.
So many good, generous, hard-working, and faithful lay volunteers in our Parish will be only too happy to serve in one or a multitude of ways, but if asked to consider taking on a leadership role, they would be the first to say, “Not me, I am not a leader!”. Yes, there will be some lay folk who may have certain giftings and capacities that lend themselves more so to a ‘leadership’ role (such as the ministry lead of a lay ministry team), but everyone in some way is meant to lead others. They do this by their words, by their example, by their accompaniment, by their encouragement, by their sharing what they know and modelling best practice in their ministry, by their raising others up in service of Christ and His Church, and by inviting them to join in the Mission.
The 6th Foundation Stone of Mission is the call to go out and invite others to come to Jesus Christ. When Pope Francis was elected Pontiff, he made it his goal to move the Church into a more missionary epoch. In fact, his foundational testimony to this, the Apostolic Exhortation ‘The Joy of the Gospel’, uses a total of 137 explicit references to the Mission of Christ, His people, and His Church. Of course, this should come as no surprise, not merely because of who Pope Francis was, but also because he stood on a solid foundation set by the Second Vatican Council’s Missionary Decree ‘Ad Gentes’, which references Mission 161 times, and the Encyclical of St Pope John Paul II ‘Redemptoris Missio’ which references Mission a staggering 532 times! I think it is safe to say that the Mission of Christ as embodied in the Mission of the Church and it’s people is vitally important!
Pope Francis quoted St John Paul II in Evangelii Gaudium when he wrote: “Indeed, “today missionary activity still represents the greatest challenge for the Church” and “the missionary task must remain foremost”. What would happen if we were to take these words seriously? We would realise that missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the Church’s activity. Along these lines the Latin American bishops stated that we “cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings”; we need to move “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry”.” (EG #15, emphasis mine)
Pope Francis went on to explain that this task is for every Christian, to go out in a missionary spirit and make disciples by sharing their faith amongst the changing scenarios and challenges of daily life. “Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the “peripheries” in need of the light of the Gospel.” (EG #20, emphasis mine) Pope Francis stated further: “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries”, but rather that we are always “missionary disciples”.” (EG #120)
So, what does this mean for us in the Noosa District Parish? To be people on Mission involves building the capacity and willingness to share our faith with others, to invite them to consider a relationship with Jesus, to go out into our daily lives and witness to Christ with courage and compassion. The Foundation Stone of Mission is seen in an experience of consistent invitation and hospitality, the warmth of Christian love, goodness in charity, and fidelity to Christ and His Church. A disciple on Mission is someone who is outward looking, willing to share their faith story, and who cooperates with the Holy Spirit to bring others into an encounter and friendship with Jesus Christ.
In many respects the Foundation Stones of Mission and Evangelisation go hand in hand. One flows organically into the other. So where do we see the work of Mission in our Parish? We see Mission in the apostolic works of mercy and justice undertaken by members of the St Vincent de Paul Society. We see Mission in the outreach of those who take Holy Communion and offer pastoral care to those who are sick or infirm in Aged Care. We see Mission embodied by faithful families who create in their homes an experience of the Domestic Church, and who bring the good news of the gospel to their children and their extended family. Mission is not an optional extra.
Returning now to our Parish Discipleship Pathway diagram we move to the outer blue circle. The outer BLUE CIRCLE represents the discipleship journey along the pathway of the Foundation Stones. While each person in our Parish might find themselves at different points of this circle at any given time on their faith journey of following Jesus, the 6 Foundation Stones sequentially follow one another, beginning at the top with the primacy of Evangelisation. For example, if you were a person starting out from a point of no knowledge nor experience of faith, or of the Church, or of Jesus Christ, then being evangelised is where you would start. From there the arrows point in the direction of the journey you would take.
At the centre of our Parish Discipleship Pathway diagram is Jesus Christ.
The inner Red Circle of the Discipleship Pathway Diagram, outlines the core elements of our Discipleship Relationships. This is fundamental in our journey of Christian Discipleship, because we know from experience as a Church, but also primarily from the teachings and example of Christ and His disciples, that the process of being called by, following in the ways of, learning from, listening to, and becoming like the Master – who is Jesus, cannot be done in a vacuum or lived in isolation. We must be in a relationship with the Lord and with those around us. It is the very fulfilment of the dual commandments of loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbour as ourselves.
The inner RED CIRCLE represents the fundamental components of our relationships along the journey of Discipleship. At the centre of the whole Discipleship Pathway is our most important relationship, our relationship with Jesus Christ Himself. He is at the heart of everything.
We see the importance of:
# being connected to Christ in daily prayer;
# inviting others – for example: to have a chat, or to share their story, or enter into a faith experience;
# accompanying those we invite; to walk with them in support, guidance, and encouragement; and
# equipping them with the skills, opportunities, and experiences to grow as Disciples of Jesus in the Church.
So what does this look like in the context of Discipleship?
JESUS CHRIST:
At the heart of the whole discipleship journey is Jesus Christ as Lord, saviour, and friend. Jesus is the one who calls us to be His disciples. Jesus is the one who graces us with His presence. Jesus is the one who blesses us with His gifts. With God the Father, Jesus is the one who empowers us through the breath of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the rock upon which we find assurance and strength in the faith. Jesus is our way, our truth, and our life. Without a personal relationship with Jesus and a communal relationship with His Body the Church, we are lost.
PRAY:
Prayer is how we communicate with and listen to the Lord. In our relationships with others, be they our family, friends, colleagues, faith companions, or strangers, we are called to pray for, with, and over our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to ‘pray constantly’ (1 Thes 5:17) taking to the Lord all our needs, desires, afflictions, challenges, and opportunities. St Paul wrote: “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints”. (Eph 6:18) Prayer must be part of every step and stage of this Pathway.
INVITE:
As Christ called us to come follow Him, aided by the witness and word of others, so too are we expected to invite others onto the journey with the Lord Jesus. We are called to invite people to ask questions in conversation, to learn more in formation, to share their story in witness, to grow in faith through prayer, to try new opportunities, to come to Mass, and to reach out to others in their lives.
ACCOMPANY:
We know that the journey with the Lord Jesus is never one undertaken in isolation. We must find ways to accompany others faithfully and fruitfully – that means to walk alongside them at their pace, in gentleness, patience, compassion, and with a listening ear.
EQUIP:
This final part of our discipleship engagement in relationship with others highlights the importance of encouraging and supporting other disciples with the tools necessary to grow in their faith, to deepen in their relationship with Jesus, to mature in their service of Christ through the Church, and to become evangelisers themselves who accompany others. To equip someone will mean different things depending on what part of the discipleship journey they are walking and what season of life they are in. By way of example, it could suggest opportunities for communal prayer or fellowship, assisting them to better understand the Mass, sharing faith development resources with them, calling them forward to serve and be mentored in a particular ministry, helping them to discern their own gifts, or supporting the formation of their personal faith testimony. The list goes on!
Finally, on the outer edge of the Discipleship Pathway diagram you will note 4 core Stages of Discipleship. These describe 4 different points of becoming and living as a Disciple. They are the Inquirer, the Intentional Disciple, the Maturing Disciple, and the Missionary Disciple. These are not intended as static states of being but are simply to offer a generic picture of a disciple at any given point of the journey.
The 4 Stages of Discipleship are those that we have narrowed down to be the key stages. However, as important as these are, they are not the most essential parts of the Pathway but are offered as a means of painting a picture of what a person’s faith-life might look like at different points of their journey in following Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. They are intended to help people conceive of whether or not they are a disciple at any given part of their journey.
This person has not yet heard the ‘Kerygma’ (the primary/principal proclamation of the Good News), nor intentionally chosen to follow Jesus Christ as a disciple. They most likely know only a little about the faith, if anything at all. This person also has not experienced true life and fellowship in the Catholic Church. Such a person makes a journey through what is known as the ‘Thresholds of Conversion’: 1. Building Trust; 2. Arousing Curiosity; 3. Openness to Change; 4. Serious Seeking; 5. Intentional Discipleship.
The framework for the ‘Thresholds of Conversion’ was articulated originally by Don Everts and Doug Schaupp in their 2009 book ‘I once was lost: What Postmodern Sceptics Taught Us About the Path to Jesus’. These were later adapted by Sherry Weddell in her groundbreaking 2012 book ‘Forming Intentional Disciples’. While the thresholds of conversion are predominantly related to those who have not received the sacraments of initiation, an Inquirer might also be someone who occasionally attends church, but who has not experienced the ‘first and fundamental conversion’ to Christ and may only feel like an ‘acquaintance’ of Jesus.
This person has been evangelised and had a primary personal encounter with Jesus Christ and has intentionally chosen to follow Him as their Lord and friend. They desire to grow in a relationship with Jesus and His Body, the Church, through personal and communal prayer and worship (especially the Mass). They have received or are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church in fulfilment of their “first and fundamental conversion” (CCC 1427). An Intentional Disciple is one who seeks to belong and connect in faith and fellowship with other disciples.
This person is growing in their relationship with the Lord and the Church, and experiences Jesus as a good friend. They feel close to Christ and mature in their relationship with Him through regular personal prayer and repentance as part of their ongoing “second conversion” (CCC 1428). They connect meaningfully with the Parish community (i.e. social, service, or prayer) and attend Sunday Mass regularly (at least once a week), experiencing it more deeply.
A Maturing Disciple yearns to learn more about their faith, through attendance at formation (catechetical) opportunities and through spiritual reading (especially the Bible). They are beginning to put their learning into practice, praying more confidently, and seeing the fruits of this engagement.
This person embraces Jesus Christ as central to their identity and experiences Him as their closest companion and best friend. They feel the fruitfulness of the Sacraments and feel very comfortable praying with others. This person is a ‘self-feeder’, often seeking out faith development opportunities to learn and grow without being asked. A Missionary Disciple has discerned their unique spiritual gifts and strengths and serves regularly in and through the Church in accordance with those gifts. They are someone who models deep faith in their daily life as a witness (apostolic). They encourage and support others in faith, boldly sharing their faith (testimony) with clarity and charity, and raise up others as Disciples. They instinctively invite others to explore a relationship with Jesus and accompany them on the journey of faith.
These stages are not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to offer an idea of how a person may experience their journey of following Jesus Christ as a Disciple. Throughout the whole process it is important to remember that conversion and spiritual growth is messy. Ministry is messy. People don’t always proceed to missionary discipleship in an orderly fashion. They advance quickly and then slow down. They stop. They go back. They skip steps. They get stuck. Sometimes they abandon the journey altogether. Please don’t take this ‘Discipleship Pathway’ to mean that everyone will or should experience conversion and spiritual growth in exactly the same way.
An essential thing for each of us to remember about this Discipleship Pathway is that it is both an Inner and an Outer journey. It is both a Personal journey and a Parish journey. One flows into the other and one flows out of the other. What do I mean?
The inner journey of discipleship is primary and preeminent. Our call by Jesus to follow Him is personal; our hearing of the Kerygma (the primary proclamation of the Good News) is personal; our repentance from sin is personal; our conversion to the new life Jesus offers is personal; our witness to Christ in our daily lives is personal. However, just because it is personal does not necessarily mean that it is private, because we know that many of these factors require the Church.
We must firstly consider all that the Discipleship Pathway is proposing from the perspective of our own personal faith journey – Am I a disciple of Jesus? Am I beginning to grow into a disciple? Do I need to start on the journey of discipleship? Where am I on the Pathway? This is essential because unless people have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, through prayer, conversion, and a recognition of God’s call, then all the rest will not make sense nor bear the fruit for which we hope. We also know that, as personal as this discipleship journey is, it is also one that is inherently interpersonal. Hence it involves healthy and holy discipleship relationships, the positive influence of other ‘contagious’ disciples who are willing to share the good news, the accompaniment of others in their faith journey, experiences of prayer and worship with others in community, opportunities for faith development and formation with others, and the service of God and neighbour that reaches out.
The parish process of becoming and growing as a Missionary Disciple of Jesus cannot be mere navel gazing, but it also cannot only be about external actions without a corresponding expectation of spiritual fruit – people’s inner growth in holiness, connection in fellowship, and development as a dynamic follower of Jesus Christ. One will flow into the other, and one will flow out of the other, in a cyclical pattern of inner spiritual work and formation that flows out into mission, and the outer work of service, evangelisation, and accompaniment that flows into a relationship with Jesus in prayer
Wherever you are on the journey, just know that you are not alone.
Fr Jason Middleton – Parish Priest.