DATE: November 15, 2000
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373
bbunce@archdpdx.org
PARISHES COMMISSION DISCIPLES IN MISSION LEADERSHIP
Parishes participating in the Disciples in Mission process will commission
their
parish leadership teams at Masses on either
November 25/26, the Feast of Christ the
King, or December 2/3, the First Sunday
of Advent. The parish leadership teams will
guide and facilitate their fellow parishioners
in the Disciples in Mission process. For
many parishioners, the commissioning will
be their first introduction to the Disciples in
Mission process, which will begin on February
25th, the First Sunday of Lent.
The purpose of the commissioning ceremony is to:
> call God's blessing on the individuals
who volunteered to serve as team members
and blessing upon the parish as it embarks
on this process;
> to recognize and commission the parish leadership team;
> to call the parish to support the team
through prayer, encouragement and
participation in the Disciples
in Mission process.
For their part, the parish leadership team
will pledge their willingness to accept the
responsibility:
> to lead members of their parish to enthusiasm
for their faith, so that they will
be willing to freely share
that faith with others;
> to empower their parish to invite all
people, whatever their social status or
cultural background, to hear
the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, so
they may come to join in
the fullness of the Catholic faith;
> to assist the parish staff in promoting
the dignity of the human person, the
importance of the family,
the empowerment of youth, and the common good
of people so that their parish
will continue to be transformed by the saving
power of Jesus Christ.
The parish leadership team members participated in training sessions this
past
autumn. A second training session will
be held in January. Led by the Archdiocesan
leadership team, over 650 people from
95 parishes and organizations attended training
at seven locations around the Archdiocese.
The training gave the parish teams an
overview of the evangelization plan for
the Church in the United States, an introduction
to the Disciples in Mission process, and
information on the practical aspects of
implementing Disciples in Mission.
The daylong event included workshops on preparing for the small faith sharing
groups, use of the Family Activity Booklets
and Resources, and special materials for
youth and young adults. Communications,
ordering materials, the pre-Lenten prayer
campaign, the use of the bulletin inserts
each Sunday of Lent and use of Homily guides
were among the other nuts and bolts of
the training. Special attention has been given
to ensure that the Disciples in Mission
process is inclusive of all parishioners. Parish
team training was conducted in both Spanish
and English. The Vietnamese community,
under the leadership of An Thanh Vu, received
training adapted in that language.
Team leaders were made aware of including
people with disabilities and other special
needs, and there is an adapted Disciples
in Mission process for those of the Catholic
deaf community.
The pre-Lenten prayer campaign for Disciples in Mission will begin in parishes
on
Sunday, January 14, 2001.
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