CAMPAIGN FOR THE DIGNITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

We are endeavouring to promote the gospel values in our society as urged by Pope Benedict XV1 in March 2008. We are printing another special letter for every Catholic family in our parish which will be delivered by our ‘parish posties’. We have now coordinating teams in 28 of our 30 parish neighbourhoods of about a hundred Catholic families each. These teams are coordinating the distribution by the parish posties.

 
"..International action to preserve the environment and to protect various forms of life on earth must not only guarantee a rational use of technology and science, but must also rediscover the authentic image of creation."

  ..........................Pope Benedict XVI

God's call to Community

In the readings of Sunday 7th Sept 08 we looked at God’s call to community. In Ezekiel, God commissions the prophet to serve as a spiritual sentinel for Israel, responsible for calling the people to repentance. In his letter to the Romans, Paul concludes that all of God’s commandments are fulfilled when we attend to the well-being of our neighbour.
And in the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to persist in their pursuit of reconciliation.
Our attention is turned to two of the basic ingredients of love: the willingness to communicate, and acceptance of others. Love does not just happen; it is not simply a nice feeling; it isn’t always easy; it is a process that needs plenty of work and attention. Arguments happen. Anger flares. Someone gets hurt and the bond between two people is stretched or broken. When we bring these readings to our living we see that Jesus gives us one option—be reconciled. Whether we’ve inflicted pain or received it—or some of both—the call is the same—be reconciled.
The guidelines of the early Church set out in the Gospel are noteworthy for their compassion and restraint. The purpose of the process is never to humiliate or condemn, but always to restore relationships. As disciples we are called to take on this work of reconciliation—work that is grounded in love for the other, work that begins with respect and love for all, work that seeks God’s justice and peace above all else. Gospel-centred reconciliation confronts those misunderstandings and issues that divide us, grieve us and embitter us, not out of anger or a need to ‘get even’ but out of a commitment to imitate the love and mercy of God.
We are reminded that to belong to the Church is to belong to a community of brothers and sisters in Christ. Being a Christian is not a private, purely personal affair. As a community we have a responsibility for each other’s well-being. Our relationship with Jesus and with God depends intimately on how we relate with other people. We will always need the presence of Jesus to give us the courage to love in such a way. That is why Jesus finishes his instructions with a command to prayer and a reminder that when two or three gather together in His name, He is there is in the midst of us.

                 ..........The Pastoral Team

Neighbourhood Teams Coming Together

All Neighbourhood "leaders" were sent a letter asking them to organise a meeting of those who were interested in the Neighbourhoods. Many have replied. Strathearn Glen/Killara have met together with a rep from the Parish Coordinating Team, as has Goonawarra/Rolling Meadows, Studley Park and Boardman. Meetings are planned for Reservoir Rd, Kismet, Jacksons Hill, Sunbury West, and Gum Tree Hills. Gisborne Sth and Sherwood are getting themselves organised at this stage.
Each Neighbourhood has been set the task to check their details (names and addresses), to sort out who's doing what so far as postie areas, communications back to the parish etc, and to look for and contact potential Posties. This last part can be as simple as asking a friend to come along and each doing letterbox drops on opposite sides of the street, finishing up with a cuppa something, somewhere.
The Teams are all enthusiastic and are looking forward to the challenge.

Fine Tuning in the Neighbourhood Parish

The Parish Coordinating Team has had time to digest the results of the trial runs that were undertaken at the end of last year by our Parish Volunteers. It was found that there were some obstacles that had the potential to cause the program to grind to a halt. For instance our visitors found that less than 50% of their calls found someone at home, and although many persevered by returning more than once, the time it was taking to meet each parishioner was going to be a considerable hurdle to the programs success. The Neighbourhood must be a joy to all, not a burden. To this end Father Michael and Jill have proposed a change in the way the Neighbourhood Parish operates. There still needs to be a Neighbourhood team to coordinate things in each area but the visitors will become "Parish Posties". The Neighbourhood Team will arrange for the collection and distribution of a personalised parish letter, on various themes, via themselves and their volunteer "Parish Posties" to each family letterbox in their Neighbourhood. Each Neighbourhood will organise their own areas, and who does what and where. A communication channel will need to be set up so that each Neighbourhood will know of Baptisms, First Communions, funerals etc in their area and can arrange amongst themselves for a quick visit, on behalf of their Neighbourhood, as a follow-up to these occasions, so that an opportunity for personal contact still exists. The Parish Coordinating Team is optimistic that in this way the parishioners in each area can get to know each other by name.

Coordinating Teams for the Neighbourhoods

Today, the 11th November, the parish continued the formation of the coordinators who will look after the various neighbourhoods, visitors etc. A household has been selected by each coordinator in their Neighbourhood for a trial visit and a preceding letter will be sent to each of these so they are not too surprised. As most are aware by now , the parish has been sectioned into areas of approximately 100 dwellings and although we don't have a sufficient number of coordinators to cover all the neighbourhoods, we are going to start with what we can cover now and trust that more will come on board once they see what is happening.

Our Parish Target
As resolved by the parishioners following the Parish Renewal Program

By the end of 2009 all the people of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish Sunbury, through their experiences and through structures of communication and participation, are aware of the value of every person.

Explanation of the terms used in the target.

all the people: all the Catholics and their families, the parish priest and the religious, those who live within the boundaries and those who live outside the boundaries who choose to make this their parish, different generations, those aspiring to become Catholics, non-Catholic students, staff, and their families who identify with the Catholic schools in the Parish, and all those who choose to associate with us.

through their experiences: not just through words but through what actually happens, e.g. neighbourhood gatherings, personal contact, greeting and smiling, making oneself known to, showing an interest in, remembering other people's names, being friendly towards, expressing care for, offering practical assistance to, working together in some common action.

structures of communication: ways of decentralising the parish such as area teams, the parish Good News letter, visitation to families, mailings, internet, email, parish web site.

Reasons to justify the target.

From the situation: on the one hand we are fragmented, unknown to one another,many have little sense of belonging, there is a lack of confidence and a lack of self-esteem. On the other hand some of us in the parish really want others to feel involved but don't always know how to go about it.

From the ideal: Through the word of God in St Paul's letters we are reminded that we need every member of the Body of Christ. Every part of the Body has it's own purpose in the whole.

The conversion or step of growth we want to help happen is: That we move from letting people remain anonymous and go towards helping them to be recognised, connected, accepted, and to have a sense of belonging in the parish.

Liturgy Lines

(Liturgy Lines are short 500-word essays on liturgical topics written by Elizabeth Harrington, The Liturgical Commission's education officer. They have been published every week in The Catholic Leader [Brisbane] since 1999. They may be reproduced by parishes for private non-commercial use, provided that the copyright line is retained.)