Department of Evangelization
September 14, 2003
Most Reverend John G. Vlazny, D.D.
Archbishop of Portland
2838 E. Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97214
Your Excellency:
On behalf of the Archdiocesan Leadership
Team and the leadership of the participating
parishes, it is my pleasure to present
to you the Archdiocese of Portland Disciples in
Mission 2002-2003 Annual
Report.
The Catholics of Western Oregon have completed
their third year of Disciples in
Mission: An Evangelization Experience.
The Catholic community continued to find the
process renewing and challenging. The
goals of Go and Make Disciples: A National
Plan & Strategy for Catholic
Evangelization in the United States call us to renew our
faith, share it with others and transform
the communities where we live. In the third year,
parishes were encouraged to look at the
process and make it their own and adapt it to the
needs of the local parish. As in previous
years, we had more than 10,000 faithful join
small groups during Lent lead by over
1,000 fellow parishioners. At least another 5000
individuals participated as families and
4000 attended a Parish Reflection Day. The
participation by the archdiocesan youth
continued to increase for the third year.
The third Archdiocesan Report again offers
you and the leadership throughout Western
Oregon the insights and vision of the
Catholic community. Year 3 proved more difficult
as we continued to experience a very poor
economy and the sexual abuse litigation forced
the local church to make staffing and
budget cutbacks. The Disciples in Mission office
lost its staff support. This resulted
in fewer resources to encourage parishes to report their
results. Despite these difficulties the
parish leadership and faithful again shared stories of
hope, renewal and joy. Each year of the
process the satisfaction with the experience and
the impact on the participants' spiritual
lives deepened. Over 80% of the participants
found greater love for the Scriptures,
more confidence in their faith and a deeper
relationship with Jesus Christ.
During the three-year parish process, there
has been a consistent set of themes and needs
expressed by the leadership, in reflection
day discussion, and written evaluations. The
most important were:
* Adult formation: The faithful
throughout the archdiocese sincerely hope the
parishes and the archdiocese will strengthen
the commitment to adult formation.
As we reviewed the top objectives each
of the three years there is a consistent
selection of activities that directly
relate to adult formation. The search for a
deeper relationship with God, His Son
and their neighbor is genuine and
profound. Through these enhanced relationships
a deeper faith and commitment
in our Church community will grow. Formation
should not be mistaken for more
"classroom" education or programs. They
are seeking a genuine process of
evangelization, catechesis and stewardship
that involves the whole parish rooted
in Scripture and Tradition – liturgy,
education, spiritual enrichment, and service.
* Cultural Diversity: The evangelization
activities allowed parishes to experience
the rich ethnic and generational diversity
in our faith communities. Hispanic,
Asian, Black Catholic, Native American,
and Caucasian Catholics all participated
in Disciples in Mission. The support and
leadership of our ethnic communities
along with the parish leadership that
welcomed them cannot be praised enough.
The many interactions between cultures
opened hearts and minds to the many
gifts in our midst.
* Youth & Young Adults: The
generational diversity must be considered in every
parish with a special emphasis on our
youth and young adults. Many parishioners,
especially the leadership, are concerned
about the next generation, present in our
youth and young adults. Participants of
all ages want "Generation X" and the
"Millennials" to experience a vibrant
faith that truly welcomes the young and
calls all generations to proclaim the
Gospel in every strata of society.
* Hospitality: Disciples in Mission
raised a new appreciation for the ways we
welcome the stranger in our communities
– guest, visitors, seekers, the alienated,
and those most in need. The hospitality
issues range from the practical such as
signage, greeters and methods of outreach
to the more challenging question: "To
what kind of faith community are we inviting
them?"
* Family Life: The family component
was a welcomed element in the process from
the beginning. The challenges that face
today's families at work, school and
society truly need the support and direction
of the Church. Parents are struggling
to offer their children the love and formation
for their lives and faith is an
important part of that development. However,
many parents admit their own faith
is not fully formed and they struggle
how to share God's love, the Gospel and
Catholic tradition with their offspring.
Family ministry is as much about adult
formation as it is about the religious
needs of children.
* Collaborative Leadership: The
parish reflection day offered Catholics in
Western Oregon an opportunity to look
at their particular parish through the lens
of evangelization and consider how they
plan to bring the Gospel more fully to
their community. They affirmed many wonderful
ministries now in place and
were challenged to imagine new directions.
For some parishes, this was routine;
but for others, this was a new way of
participation and leadership. The experience
raised issues of process, leadership,
accountability and direction. Disciples in
Mission released a new spirit, enthusiasm
and energy within many Catholics.
Parish leadership will be challenged about
how to creatively embrace this
renewed faith through invitation, inclusion
and full participation of all
parishioners.
The Disciples in Mission process
continues during 2003-2004 with the implementation
of the objectives and vision created during
the Parish Reflection Days. The entire process
has been a true experience of evangelization
and catechesis. As the Church in Western
Oregon moves forward new imagination,
creativity and energy is needed to make the
process more than a program and to reach
out to all people especially the youth, young
adults, alienated and non-practicing members
of our parishes. Our Catholic community is
hungry to grow in knowledge and wisdom
of their faith and to live more deeply in
communion with God and one another. The
2002-2003 Disciples in Mission experience
proved that the Holy Spirit is being released
through the faith and actions of all of our
people.
Archbishop, we are again grateful for your
leadership and faith, the support of the clergy
and the work of the hundreds of volunteers
that support the disciples in Western Oregon.
We prayer for your ministry and ask for
your prayers and blessings on our mission to
bring Jesus into every human situation.
Sincerely,
Rev. Mr. Thomas W. Gornick
Director